At this time of year, thousands of Britons are beginning to think about where they will go on holiday this Summer.
While many will fly to Europe or the USA, some may choose to head to the African continent where they have a range of beautiful countries to go to.
Although some countries are more popular than others, one overlooked nation and its capital city is considered to be the perfect seaside destination for Britons.
Senegal sits on the West African coast and has a population of around 16 million people. Like all countries, there are several languages used in Senegal but the official language is French.
Thanks to its location on the Atlantic coast, Senegal has plenty of seaside towns and villages to cater to all tastes and a city to match the best in the world.
One of the most popular is Dakar, an Atlantic port on the country’s Cap-Vert peninsula with around half a dozen beaches around the area.
According to Lonely Planet Dakar is a “city of extremes”. They explained: “Horse-cart drivers chug over swish highways and gleaming SUVs squeeze through tiny sand roads.
“Where elegant ladies dig skinny heels into dusty walkways and suit-clad businessmen kneel down for prayer in the middle of the street.”
There are plenty of things to see and do in Dakar including La Maison des Enclaves, Le Monument de la Renaissance Africaine, the Island of Goree, and the Cathedrale du Souvenir Africain de Dakar.
Several sites around Dakar have built up a following on TripAdvisor as more and more tourists have discovered the city.
On the Cathedrale du Souvenir, Md Kamar Hossain said: “It is nice to see such a memorable heritage site at Dakar, Senegal. It is an old Church but well maintained and carries a history of earlier French culture in this region. The history lover will enjoy it surely.”
Fellow TripAdvisor user Jennifer added: “I was so excited to visit this church. I stopped here on my trip to pray and reflect. The doors were wide open and I love that, a church should try to always have the doors open and be welcoming.
“I felt very welcomed. I wish I could’ve attended mass here but I definitely will on my next visit to Dakar. The angels on the front of the church in the images of Black people give a nice touch.”
While Dakar is a great city for tourists, it was also once the finishing line for one of the greatest races in the world.
Launched by Thierry Sabine in 1977, the Dakar rally used to run from Paris, France to Dakar across the African continent through the Sahara Desert.
Despite the death of Thierry Sabine in a helicopter crash in 1986, the race continued to finish in Dakar until 2009 when it moved to South America after the 2008 running was cancelled because of the fear of competitors and civilians being attacked.
Today, the Dakar race continues, but now takes place in Saudi Arabia.
