Ziguinchor & Casamance
A colonial old town and gateway on the Casamance River. Mangrove canoe trips, Jola compound houses, and colorful cultural centers make it the most distinctive starting point in southern Senegal.
Ziguinchor is the capital of Ziguinchor Department in southern Senegal and the gateway to Lower Casamance. It sits on the south bank of the Casamance River, across from The Gambia, and about 20 km from the Guinea-Bissau border. The city was founded by the Portuguese and passed to France in 1888. It still preserves a colonial old town and Portuguese-Creole traditions. Around it are Jola rice paddies, palm groves, and mangrove waterways, with scenery very different from the Sahel in the north.
Main areas: (1) In town, the old Escale quarter, the cathedral, the river port and Joola Monument, and the Saint-Maur market. (2) South of town, the Fassé cultural center and craft market. (3) Dugout canoe trips through the mangroves of the Casamance River, and Affiniam village on the north bank. (4) About 20 km west, the Enampor compound houses. Further west, Oussouye, Mlomp, Karabane Island, and Cap Skirring beach are covered in the Cap Skirring destination and can be continued from here.
Climate: Tropical. November–May is the dry season and the best time to visit, with December–February the coolest. July–October is the rainy season, with heavy rain and muddy rural roads.
Getting there: From Dakar, the overnight ferry Aline Sitoe Diatta takes about 15–16 hours, or a domestic flight takes about 1 hour. By land through The Gambia it takes about 8–10 hours. Taxis in town are cheap. For trips into the countryside, hire a car or take a 7-seat shared taxi. Plan 1–2 days.
The long separatist conflict in the Casamance has largely subsided, and the main tourist routes are safe. Remote border areas still contain landmines, so do not leave the roads, and check the latest safety advisories before you go.
Top sights
- Ziguinchor Colonial Quarter (Escale) – The old quarter on the Casamance River, with arcaded colonial buildings from the Portuguese and French periods, shaded streets and John Pau…
- Casamance River Mangrove Pirogue Trip – Motorized pirogues leave from the Ziguinchor riverbank into mangrove channels to see pelicans, herons and fishing villages, with optional s…
- Enampore Impluvium House – A Diola village about 20 km west of Ziguinchor, where huge round impluvium mud houses with funnel-shaped roofs collect rainwater; visitors…
- Alliance Franco-Sénégalaise de Ziguinchor – A cultural centre built in the form of a giant impluvium house, its exterior covered in colourful mosaics; it often hosts concerts, exhibit…
- Marché Saint-Maur des Fossés – Ziguinchor's largest general market, crowded with stalls selling tropical fruit, cashews, dried seafood, cloth and daily goods, a great pla…
- Ziguinchor Artisans' Market – A craft village in the south of the city, where wood carvings, masks, musical instruments, basketry and galleries are concentrated, and whe…
- Ziguinchor Port & Le Joola Memorial – The Casamance river port on the north side of the old town, where Dakar ferries dock, with a memorial on the riverbank to the 2002 Le Joola…
- Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua, Ziguinchor – A colonial-era Catholic cathedral beside the central square of the old town, reflecting the deep Catholic tradition of Casamance.
- Affiniam Impluvium Village – A Diola village on the north bank of the Casamance River, reached by dugout canoe from Ziguinchor, where visitors can stay in a large implu…
Where to eat
- Le Perroquet – A long-established riverside hotel restaurant beside Boudody wharf, with a terrace overlooking the fishing boats coming…
- Kadiandoumagne Hotel Riverside Restaurant – A hotel restaurant on the Casamance riverbank whose riverside terrace is one of the city’s best viewpoints, famous for…