Travel Smart
Honest, sourced guidance so you travel confident. Most of any country is calmer than the headlines suggest.
Safety
Countrywide advisory (Government of Canada)
Exercise increased cautionExercise a high degree of caution
Source: Government of Canada · Verified 2026-07-26
Dakar & Cap-Vert Peninsula
Exercise normal precautionsDakar is Senegal's commercial and cultural hub, safe for tourists with standard urban caution.
Avoid: Avoid isolated beaches at night. Some neighborhoods (HLM, Medina) see petty theft; use taxis or ride-share after dark. Tourist areas (Plateau, Ile de Goree) are well-patrolled.
Common scams: Overpriced drinks at tourist bars; unofficial guides; inflated taxi fares if not using meters or ride-share apps.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
Sine-Saloum & Central Regions
Exercise normal precautionsSine-Saloum delta, Kaolack, and Tambacounda are culturally rich and safe for tourists.
Avoid: None specific; road conditions are the main concern.
Common scams: Petty theft in busy markets; haggling is expected and good-natured.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
Saint-Louis & North
Exercise normal precautionsSaint-Louis, Rosso, and the Senegal River valley are historic and secure. Dakar-to-Mauritania border is safe to cross at Rosso.
Avoid: None; standard precautions only.
Common scams: Currency exchange at unfavorable rates at the border; use official channels.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
Casamance Region (Ziguinchor, Kolda)
Exercise increased cautionLush, green southern region. Historically a low-level conflict zone, but currently stable for tourism.
Avoid: The very south (near the Guinea-Bissau border, particularly around Oussouye) has occasional separatist activity; avoid remote areas. Stick to main towns and established tourism circuits.
Common scams: Petty theft in markets; haggling is friendly.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
5 zones rated separately against Government of Canada, UK FCDO. Oldest check on this page: 6 July 2026.
Emergency Contacts
Police Secours
police
Listed under round-the-clock emergencies on the Ministry of the Interior's own site. Coverage is strongest in urban areas, and calls carry no automatic location, so be ready to say exactly where you are.
SourceGendarmerie Nationale
police
The toll-free gendarmerie line, published by both the Ministry of the Interior and the French embassy in Dakar. The gendarmerie has jurisdiction outside the city police zones, so this is the number that matters once you leave the towns.
SourceSapeurs-Pompiers
fire
Listed under round-the-clock emergencies on the Ministry of the Interior's own site.
SourceSAMU National
ambulance
Free and staffed around the clock for medical, surgical and obstetric emergencies, per the Ministry of Health's own SAMU page. The ministry states an aim of nationwide coverage but publishes no response-time data.
SourceSOS Medecin
ambulance · Dakar
A private, paid house-call and ambulance service in Dakar, listed on the French embassy's own emergency page as the alternative to SAMU. This is what most visitors and expatriate residents actually call.
SourceHopital Principal de Dakar
hospital · Dakar
Dakar's leading referral hospital, military-affiliated but treating civilians, with emergency services around the clock. This is the hospital to head for, and it is listed directly on the French foreign ministry's Senegal contacts page.
SourceHopital Aristide Le Dantec, closed for reconstruction
hospital · Dakar
Listed here only because the name still circulates in guidebooks and on official pages, and travellers arrive holding the old number. Hopital Le Dantec and Hopital Aristide Le Dantec are one institution, not two, and it has been closed since 2022 for a full reconstruction that is now years behind schedule. Only the radiotherapy unit has partially reopened, and nothing indicates general emergency admissions have resumed. The hospital's own site is a placeholder. No number is given here on purpose. In an emergency go to Hopital Principal de Dakar or call SAMU on 1515.
Source