Senegal - West Africa - page 740

Ndangane & Mar Lodj
Siné-Saloum Delta's Ndangane is a thriving traveller centre along the coast from where
you can take a pirogue to almost any point in the delta. Ndangane's cheapie is the lively
Le Barracuda (Chez Mbacke; 33 949 9815; Ndangane; r per person CFA7000) , with great views from
the restaurant terrace. Brightly coloured Auberge Bouffe ( 33 949 9313; www.aubergebouffe.com ;
Ndangane; d CFA22,000; ) has well-maintained rooms and plenty of character. Oppos-
ite, Les Cordons Bleus ( 33 949 9312; www.lescordonsbleus.com ; Ndangane; s/d/tr CFA34,000/46,000/58,000;
) has the best rooms in town.
Mar Lodj island is a much calmer choice, especially if you bunk at Le Bazouk ( 77 633
4894; www.bazoukdusaloum.com ; Mar Lodj; per person with half board CFA18,000) , with its spacious bunga-
lows scattered over a vast, sand-covered garden in which bougainvilleas lend shade and
palm trees carry hammocks. Essamaye ( 77 555 3667; www.senegalia.com ; Marfafako; per person with
full board CFA22,000) on the other side of the island is a place like a hug from a loved one -
highly recommended for family vibes and its impressive Casamance-style case à
l'impluvium (large, round traditional house).
Take any bus between Kaolack and Mbour, and get off at Ndiosomone, from where
bush taxis shuttle back and forth to Ndangane. For Mar Lodj, contact your campement for
pirogue pick-up, or hire a boat at the GIE des Piroguiers (

77 226 6168, 77 213 7497) , the boat

owners association at the jetty in Ndangane.

BIRDWATCHING & MORE IN PARC NATIONAL DU DELTA DU SALOUM

Covering over 76,000 hectares of mangrove-lined creeks, sandy islands, large sea areas and woodland, the Parc
National du Delta du Saloum (admission CFA2000) is Senegal's second-largest national park. Beyond the man-
grove swamps and a large marine section its main attraction is the fantastically varied landscape and the hundreds
of bird species it attracts in the south. In the gallery forest and savannah woodlands of the Forêt de Fathala you
might also spot wild boars and patas monkeys. You need a bit of luck to view the park's common duikers, bush-
bucks and red colobus monkeys - they're becoming very rare as human settlements, deforestation and hunting
impact on the park, despite its protected status.
But if birds are your focus, Toubakouta offers enough bird life to have keen spotters stay here for days. It's
mostly an area for sea birds and waders, though the nearby forest areas house some other species, including horn-
bills and sunbirds.
A good place to start a birdwatching tour is Diorom Boumag, an ancient seashell mound where giant baobabs
have taken root, a 20-minute pirogue ride from Toubakouta. In their branches nestle numerous Senegalese parrots
and rose-ringed parakeets. It's best to visit this place by pirogue in the late afternoon and move further along the
river to arrive around dusk at the Reposoir des Oiseaux, where you can watch swarms of pelicans, cormorants,
egrets and plenty of other species prepare noisily for the night.
The northern creeks and wetlands of the park can be explored on pirogue tours from Palmarin, Dionewar or
Djifer. The Forêt de Fathala and the southern islands are best reached from Missirah.