Ngor Island: A Peaceful Escape from Dakar

As much as I loved wandering around Dakar, it’s still very much a city! So when I felt like I needed a bit of an escape, I just hopped on over to Ngor Island, also known as Île de Ngor.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s because it was featured in the iconic 1966 surfing film, The Endless Summer. I don’t surf but even I recognize that poster because I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it on T-shirts everywhere there’s a body of water! I’m also 99% sure it was a popular Hollister or Pac Sun print back in the day but don’t quote me on that.

Anyway, my friends recommended I visit Ngor while I was in Dakar and joked that it was so close to mainland you could swim there. You kind of could if the currents weren’t so strong! Instead, the responsible thing to do is to take one of the little ferry boats over. Just head to this place on Google Maps and a guy will pretty much immediately approach you and ask if you want to go to Ngor. It’s like 2,000 XOF (~$4 USD) round trip, and after you pay, he’ll give you a slip you need to save to return.

Make sure to wear shoes you don’t mind getting wet since you will literally be stepping in water to embark and disembark. They offer life jackets but you really don’t need to wear it if you don’t want to.

Once you get off on the island, just start walking and enjoying. Just like in Dakar, you’ll have people approach you for various reasons. Just say “no thank you” or “non merci” and walk along. You’ll get significantly less of it than in Dakar or on Gorée, so it really does feel peaceful!

The island truly is tiny. It takes maybe 20 minutes to circle the whole thing. The beauty is that it’s car and motorbike free, so you can truly walk without worrying about dodging traffic or even construction!

The key highlights are taking in all the art and color. I’m talking every door is painted or as some sort of design. Mosaics everywhere. Gorgeous murals. Art galleries. Souvenir stands. I’m pretty sure there was even an art market when I wandered! And, of course, when you get to one end you’ll see the surf school and surfers out on the water.

After wandering and laughing when I realized a tiny child was asking me if I was “chinoise ou japonaise,” I went looking for lunch. It was actually quite cute because I went to one place looking for jollof rice (or thiéboudiène as it’s known in Senegal). They weren’t making it so the guy took me to a place on the beach where his sister worked and ask them for me if they had it. They did, so I finally found my thiéboudiène and got to eat it with my feet in the sand and views of the bluest water.

Honestly, if I lived in Dakar, I’d plan weekend escapes here just to relax. They have accommodation on the island and probably more little shops and artsy workshops than even I realized!

Enjoy more of the photos I took:

Can’t wait to share more of Dakar. Stay tuned!

For More Travel in Africa:

• Escape to Sleepy Langebaan
• Visiting Addo Elephant National Park
• A Very Efficient Morocco Itinerary
• The Blue City of Morocco

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