Just mere landing into this West African country, will automatically be enough even if you have not toured any other place of importance to this country. This country is highly developed and a crowd puller a far as stability and security is concerned. The crime rate is very minimal in this country and the populace is very hospitable.
Driving on self drive basis is very applicable in Senegal more than any other country in this continent. Senegal, drives on the right-hand side of the road thus the onus is upon you to keep left. Most main roads in Senegal are in relatively good condition for day time driving however, as expected in Africa, Senegal is no exception as also the small roads especially those linking in the remote areas are in poor state and some are totally impassable especially when it rains. The moment you are not driving a 4-wheel drive, you forget about going through them. Service stations are generally available along main roads.
Of recent, tourists started threatening the stability of this country a reason why it is not advisable to avoid all road travel in the Casamance region to the west of Kolda be it during the day or night hours since this militias are always patrolling these areas
Dakar is the capital city of this country and it’s here that traffic is a total mess. If at all you can, leave alone driving. If at all you must drive, follow the other drivers closely, try to ignore the road markings because abiding by them will be wastage of time and resources as other drivers do not follow them too.
Never make a mistake of driving at night since most of the vehicles are not lit properly just like the roads and the vehicles are poorly maintained thus posing a big threat to your life.
Due to limited street lighting, pedestrians are difficult to see at night too, so you should avoid driving at night. In both rural and urban areas you should expect to encounter motorcycles, bicyclists, pedestrians, livestock, and animal carts on the road. Few will abide by any sort of road rules. Caution and defensive driving techniques are strongly recommended. You should expect to be stopped at police roadblocks throughout the country when self driving in Senegal, and your car and luggage will be searched. If you are stopped for a traffic offence the police officer will generally confiscate your driver’s license or ID card until the fine is paid. This is legitimate and you should comply with the request. However, many police officers will be attempting to elicit a bribe from you. You should be friendly and deferential and if you can get away with it, pretend not to understand what the police are saying. It is worth carrying some small denomination local bank notes in a separate pocket though – if you have to pay you don’t want to reveal a large bundle of currency or the bribe/fine will increase significantly very quickly!
Senegal also has numerous car hiring companies of which are local and others are foreign international companies. Among the international companies include; Hertz, Europcar, Avis, Budget which all have branches in Dakar. It is only Hertz which has an outlet outside Dakar and this is in Mbour. Senegal also features on Car Rental broker sites such as Argus Car Hire.
These are the two most popular local car hiring companies in Senegal though all their websites are in French;
www.coseloc.sn
www.senecartours.sn
Most of the big companies will allow cars to be taken only in Gambia.
