Private Dakar Pink Lake and Turtle Village Half-Day Tour

Lake Retba, the Pink Lake of Senegal

Lake Retba, known in French as Lac Rose, lies about thirty-five kilometres northeast of Dakar, separated from the Atlantic only by a narrow band of dunes. Its water is extraordinarily salty, at times saltier than the Dead Sea, and a microscopic alga that thrives in such conditions produces a red pigment that turns the lake pink. The colour changes through the day and the year: it is strongest in the dry season, roughly November to June, and when the sun is high.

Many people ask whether the Pink Lake is worth visiting and what the best time to visit is. On a sunny dry-season day the contrast between the pink water, the white salt mounds and the golden dunes is spectacular, and even when the pink is softer the scene of daily work on the lake is fascinating. On this Pink Lake tour you first stop at a viewpoint for photos, then walk along the shore with your guide.

Salt harvesting and the boat ride on Pink Lake

Salt has been harvested from Lake Retba for decades, and it remains a vital source of income for local families. Harvesters stand chest-deep in the lake for hours, using long poles to break up the salt crystals on the bottom and loading them into narrow wooden pirogues. To protect their skin from the extremely salty water they rub themselves with shea butter. On the shore, women carry, wash and sort the salt into the white mounds you see along the edge.

During a boat ride of about twenty-five minutes, you go out onto the lake to watch a salt harvester at work separating the clay from the salt and hear how the work is organised. Your guide explains the whole process, from the lake bed to the bags of salt sold across West Africa. Please be respectful and ask before taking close-up photos of the workers.

Turtle Village, a tortoise sanctuary

The first stop is the Turtle Village, known locally as the Village des Tortues, a conservation centre in the countryside east of Dakar, about seventy-five minutes from the city. It protects and breeds tortoises, above all the African spurred tortoise, the largest tortoise living on the African mainland, which can weigh as much as an adult person and has become rare in the wild in Senegal because of habitat loss.

You spend about forty-five minutes here with a dedicated animal guide who introduces the tortoises at different ages, from tiny hatchlings to huge adults, explains how they are cared for and why the work matters for the survival of the species in the Sahel. It is a calm, educational visit that children and adults enjoy alike. Follow the guide's instructions and let the animals move freely.

Dune ride by 4x4 and lunch by the lake

Between Lake Retba and the ocean stretches a band of golden sand dunes dotted with shrubs and small Fulani villages. A 4x4 vehicle takes you on a ride of about forty-five minutes across this landscape, climbing and descending the dunes with views back over the pink water on one side and the long Atlantic beach on the other. It is a thrilling but comfortable ride, and a favourite with families.

Afterwards you head to a beautiful local restaurant with a swimming pool for lunch and free time, about an hour and a half in total. The meal is Senegalese and halal, as is natural in Senegal, and the pause lets you relax in the shade or take a dip before the drive of about seventy minutes back to Dakar. Because the tour is private, the pace is set for your group, and our driver brings you straight back to your accommodation.