I’ve just spent five days in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. It’s a fascinating place, though it can also be challenging for a first-time traveler. There are lots of pros and cons — beautiful scenes and vibrant culture alongside blocky buildings and safety concerns. If you’re thinking about planning a trip, here are some of the things to expect.

The Pros of Visiting Dakar

I was only in town for five days, so this isn’t an exhaustive list—but these are some of the experiences I enjoyed most, and ones that I would definitely recommend to first-time visitors.

Explore the Markets

To start with the things that I loved, I had a great time shopping at the many markets. Most of the markets are geared toward Dakar’s over 3.5 million residents, selling everything from dried fish and whole goats to everyday fruits and veggies.

My friend Lisa and I went with a tour guide to visit Marché Tilène, one of the biggest markets in Dakar — I’m pretty sure you could fit a whole football field inside.

But the market takes up far more space than that; there’s also a giant outdoor area:

I was most interested in the pharmacists, who sell herbal recipes that I don’t recognize and don’t understand.

It’s also fun to visit the local art markets and shops, though they tend to be much more touristy. You can get all sorts of souvenirs at Marché Soumbédioune — I went there in search of fabric and then visited the Imadi boutique to look at baskets.

We also stopped along the street to look at woven scarves …

… and had a chance to duck underneath to see the people who sit in the shade of these scarves while they weave more:

Visit the Grand Mosque

We loved our tour of Dakar’s Grand Mosque, built in 1964 by French and Moroccan architects. They did not skimp on the golden accents.

Check Out Local Art

We thoroughly enjoyed brunch and a wander at the Loman Art Gallery, where we had the chance to explore the Dakar art scene. There’s some impressive work — I really wished I could take a piece or two home.

There’s not a lot of street art, but I liked what I found — it was colorful and did a lot to brighten up crumbling walls.

Enjoy Ocean Views

It’s well worth hiking up to have a drink at the 1864 Phare des Mamelles …

… from which you can squint through the haze to see the westernmost point in all of Africa (it’s the part sticking out in the distance).

Another great place to look out over the water is Les Almadies — it’s the perfect stretch of beaches for watching the surfers at sunset.

As another ocean option, many tourists to Dakar have Gorée Island — a UNESCO World Heritage site and former hub of the transatlantic slave trade — on their itineraries. I didn’t make it there on this trip, but it’s often considered a day trip highlight.

The Cons: Dakar Travel Challenges

Haze and the Harmattan

What make Dakar a challenging place to travel, especially for the first-time tourist? First of all, I visited during the Harmattan, a dry season during which winds drive dust particles from the Sahara all over West Africa. So a view out over the ocean in the middle of a sunny day, which should be clear and bright, ends up looking like this:

Needless to say, the Harmattan also makes it hard to breathe, so people are encouraged to stay indoors or to wear masks. And dust gets everywhere — in your hair, on your clothes, in your shoes. That doesn’t make for great sightseeing.

Safety Concerns

Is Dakar safe for tourists? Dakar can be unsafe for pedestrians, especially as a single woman. Your personal safety might not be directly at risk, but there’s a good deal of purse-snatching and pickpocketing. This can sometimes result in personal injury — I met a woman at the hospital getting an MRI because her wrist had been injured in a purse-snatching incident.

There are also lots of holes in pretty much every road, and sidewalks aren’t always a thing. So it can be tricky to navigate a stroll. Do you have alternatives to walking? Yes. But there is no public transportation, and not all taxi drivers are equally scrupulous. Negotiate rates beforehand!

Navigating Poverty as a Tourist

Dakar can be hard for a western traveler in the way that lots of places with high poverty rates almost always are hard. Of the 167 countries in the Prosperity Index rankings, Senegal ranks 102, and it shows. Buildings are in varying states of disrepair, some homes lack fully functional indoor plumbing, people still cook over gas tanks, there’s lots of trash, and people and cars share the streets and sidewalks with horses, sheep, and laundry.

None of this is unusual for countries that are in the bottom half of the Prosperity Index — it may just be a lot for people who aren’t used to traveling in this kind of a space.

Language Barriers for Non-French Speakders

Travel in Dakar can be extra-challenging if you don’t speak French or Wolof. While the people I met were very hospitable, they often spoke not a word of English (shopkeepers in souvenir stalls and expat restaurants were notable exceptions). I enjoyed practicing my French, but I think I would have struggled without it.

Blocky and a Bit Bleak

It’s a much smaller concern, but from an architectural perspective, most of Dakar is disappointing. There’s not much to see — it’s block after block of concrete.

Blocky architecture isn’t a challenge, per se — but it does make the prospect of a visit less attractive.

Final Reflections on Visiting Dakar

I’m glad that I visited Dakar — it was my first trip to West Africa, and I always enjoy seeing new parts of the world. Would I return? I don’t think so. But I do wonder if I might have come away with a more positive impression if I’d been in the city during a week of blue-sky days. With less dust and more green, it must feel like a very different place.

Another Africa Travel Idea: Curious how East Africa compares? Read about my visit to Zanzibar, a culturally rich island off the coast of Tanzania.