The Nguéniène market is the weekly gathering of a Serer village, about fifteen kilometres from Saly and the Somone. This half-day excursion, with transport and guide included, brings you there from the Petite Côte or from Dakar.

A Serer market, not a postcard

Nguéniène is the Senegal that most holidaymakers on the coast never see: baobabs, millet granaries, herds crossing the track in the early morning. The louma, the weekly market, is its high point, and it is best experienced on a Wednesday. The excursion consists in spending the morning there with a guide, who explains local Serer life, what is sold and what is exchanged. The half day lasts 4 hours, and the market is visited without a timed programme: you watch, you taste, you chat.

What is included

Transport and the guide are included; drinks are at your own expense. Door-to-door pick-up is included from the Petite Côte (Saly, Somone, Ngaparou), and possible from Dakar with a transport supplement. Cancellation is free up to 72 hours before; after that, the amount paid is not refunded.

Nguéniène, behind the resorts

Nguéniène has a dedicated page, Nguéniène and its weekly market, which tells you what you see there. The village is on the Petite Côte, in the Thiès region, fifteen kilometres from the beaches of Saly and the Somone. If you live on the coast, it is a morning that makes a change from the usual beaches and restaurants; if you are visiting, a means of seeing how a rural market works, with a guide, far from the resorts and their entertainment. This region unfolds about a hundred kilometres of coastline, with its lively markets and fishing villages, at a slower pace than Dakar: Nguéniène is its rural side. You arrive early, at the hour when the herds are still crossing the track, before the market is in full swing.

To extend your trip

The afternoon can continue at the Bandia Reserve or the Somone lagoon, both in the same area. The traditional sites and villages and the guided cultural visits offer other outings in the same spirit.