Horse riding at the Pink Lake covers the Grande Cote beach, the dunes and the small Fulani villages around Lake Retba. From a 15-minute tour to a full day, the horse and the guide are included; meals and drinks are at your own expense.

From a 15-minute tour to a full day

Six options are offered, all priced per person: horse rides of 15, 20 and 30 minutes and one hour, a 30-minute “camel or horse” option, and a full-day horse ride. The horses, sturdy and used to sandy terrain, take you through a setting of beach, blond dunes, a filao forest and vegetable plots tucked into the hollows of the dunes.

Depending on your level, you choose a gentle ride around the lake or, for experienced riders, a gallop on the hard sand of the Grande Cote at low tide. The rides suit everyone and are supervised by experienced guides, with the option of being led for novices. After the ride, the stable team invites you to share moments with the horses: grooming, showers, rolling in the sand.

Included are the horse and the accompaniment of a guide. Meals and drinks are not included. Wear comfortable clothing and closed shoes. Booking is advised at weekends and in high season, and rides are possible all year round, preferably in the morning or late afternoon for the light and the cool.

If you live in Senegal, it is the horse ride nearest Dakar, to be adjusted to your free time: a quarter of an hour for the children, a day for the riders. If you are visiting, it is a chance to see the lake from a saddle, in a setting of dunes and beach that you do not see on foot.

The Pink Lake, salt, dunes and the Grande Cote

The Pink Lake, or Lake Retba, lies about thirty kilometres north-east of Dakar, where the Sahel meets the Atlantic. Barely three square kilometres in size, it changes colour from pink to orange and violet depending on the time of day and the season. The Pink Lake page traces its history, and the Dakar Region gives the wider setting.

Other ways to see the lake

For variety, quad and buggy are the sporty option, the pirogue ride shows the lake from the water, and 4×4 tours fill a whole day in the dunes.