Visa requirement for Senegal

Ashman

Ashman

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Has anybody recently visited Senegal and can tell me about the country's current visa requirement. Can you just arrive in Dakar and obtain a visa on the spot or do we need to apply in advance?
We are currently moored in Lanzarote and have just returned to the UK for a three week 'visit the family' break so a trip to the Senegalese Embassy in London is a possibility but not something I relish!

We are also planning to visit the Gambia and reading the websites there appears to be no visa requirement for UK citizens - any comments appreciated.
 
I was at a lecture at the C Ass last night by Tim Barker of Mina2. He said Dakar was the most bureaucratic/corrupt place he ever visited!!
He has a long and thorough sailblog website. http://mina2.com/cruise_journals/
Gambia has just left the Commonwealth, and the president has cured Aids and is on a "witchhunt" !! I'm not making this up!!
In fact quite a few European yachts do visit Dakar but when I go down there I'll be heading straight for the Cape Verdes!
 
I went in a few years ago. Han beach I think was the anchorage, nice little yacht club there. Just turned up and got a cab to the 2 offices, bit hidden away but not too difficult. Got ripped off for a fiver. Dakar is definitely Africa, dusty hot chaotic. Regret not going up one of the rivers now, will probably do the Gambia if I ever end up down that way again.
 
We spent two months in Sanegal and one in Gambia 2010-2011.

Your arrival in Dakar will most probably be at Cercle de Voile de Dakar, you can anchor and there is a small motorboat from the club going round to pick up people and bring them ashore.

http://cvdakar.e-monsite.com/pages/formalites-police-douane.html

Reading the text in the CVD web site, they say the new Biometric visa has been asked so far only to people entering the country from land, not from arriving boats.
Send them an email to ask how things are standing now (Gégé there is vey helpful).

If you do not need an advance visa, then the CVD has all the procedure written on a paper (I have mine from 2010 if you need it I can scan it): just grab a taxi in front of the CVD, go to Police, Douanes; the taxi will know all the addresses and cost a nominal fee. Also, it will have to stop at some photocopy shop as every document is in several copies.
Should you arrive on Friday afternoon, saturday or sunday, make the tour of the Authorities on Monday telling them you just arrived.
A couple of mornings should be all that is needed. You may officially leave the country from several other places (we did so from Elinkine), but enter only through Dakar.

Apart from arranging the papers, Dakar does not deserve a lenghty stay IMHO. Goree island in front is nice and can be visited taking a local ferry.
Sine saloum has a tricky entrance, CXasamance river otoh is well buoyed and there are a lot more bolons to visit.

Gambia is quicker: arrive in Banjul, anchor just past the commercial wharf where all the wrecks are, go ashore with the dinghy and a local will soon be there to help. It is not mandatory, but in the end they are helpful (they will tell you where to change the money you need for the tax, where to make copies, etc etc also provide diesel if you wish) and in the end they let you decide if and how much money you want to give them. An official will probably want to come onboard to examine the boat.
On our way out of the country it was touching, this time there was no money involved but about twenty people gathered on the wharf to slowly wave goodbye to the "boat with the two blond kids".


A personal thought: apart from natural beauty, the contact with people can be very, very rewarding. If you "touch and go" many places, arrive - anchor - go ashore - leave the following day, you will most often be considered as a money making machine quickly passing by: people will try and ask you endless favours/money (worst place probably the small Kinta Kunte/ Alex Haley's "Roots" village in Gambia, can't remember the name, what a total nightmare).
If on the other hand you stay on the same place for two, three or more days, the relationship will be totally different, people will not ask you anything and will open up themselves to you. While walking through villages, the bakery offered some pastries to our daughters without wanting to be paid "I know you two love this real?", big smiles, pure generosity.

If you need more technical info re navigation etc feel free to ask
 
Thank you for your replies, they were much appreciated.
Roberto your comments about the friendliness of the Gambians concur with other articles we have read - we will definitely go there!
My plan is now to visit Banjul first after Cape Verde, I'm not so sure about Senegal but no doubt we will visit if only for a few weeks
 
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