The motorboat trip on the Somone lagoon takes you, for about two hours, through the lagoon that is a community reserve: mangrove, calm waterways, birds, then the mouth where the ocean meets the lagoon. A guide accompanies the outing, the boat pass is included, and the activity is open to all ages.

The lagoon by motorboat

Departure is from the lagoon jetty or the beach. After a short presentation of the route and the safety rules, the guide takes the group through the meanders of the mangrove. Sailing is calm, between mangrove trees and waterways, punctuated by photo stops and wildlife watching. Depending on the season, you may spot pelicans, herons or egrets, and the guide shares his knowledge of the fauna and flora. The outing sometimes continues out to sea, along the coast towards Ngaparou or Saly, depending on the tide.

The accompanying guide and the boat pass are included; the restaurant meal is not. The reserve’s rules must be respected throughout the outing. Bring a hat, sun cream and a camera; morning or late afternoon are the recommended slots.

Somone, a protected lagoon

Somone is a village built at the mouth where the sea meets the river of the same name, about ten kilometres south of Saly. Everything revolves around the lagoon, a community nature reserve, with its modest places to stay and restaurants right at the water’s edge. If you live in Dakar, the outing is an easy way to fill a morning of a weekend on the coast; if you are staying in Saly, it is the nature counterpoint to a seaside holiday. Our page on the Somone lagoon details the mangrove and the birds.

Extending the trip around the lagoon

The simplest is to stay on site for lunch in a restaurant on stilts or to visit the reserve. For other ways of seeing the coast, a pirogue ride offers a slower pace, bird watching gives you keys to recognise the species, and the beach at Ngaparou is the natural continuation of the coast.