Pelican flocks
White birds on the sandbanks.
MariemeFALL8 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mouhamadou83 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MariemeFALL8 — CC0 · Mouhamadou83 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2mdieng — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Langue de Barbarie is a thin sandy peninsula in northern Senegal, near the city of Saint-Louis, separating the Atlantic from the final stretch of the Senegal River. At its southern edge lies a national park of 2,000 hectares, visited for its birds, sand and calm water. The name means Barbary spit of land, after the Barbary Coast. The park is home to many bird species and three species of turtle, including the critically endangered hawksbill, and it was named a Ramsar site in 2021. On 3 October 2003 a 4 m channel was cut through the spit to counter possible flooding, but it quickly widened to 800 m, reaching 6 km by 2020, which reshaped the coast and cost villages and resorts. Visits usually run by wooden boat across the river, past flocks of pelicans on sandbanks, gulls and shore birds along the banks and white sand between water and ocean. Old trunks washed up by the sea lie on the beach, with filao trees and palms along the shore. The scene is open and simple, and it looks best in morning light. The park lies about 17.7 km from Saint-Louis and 164.7 km from Dakar in a straight line. Bring a hat, water and sunscreen, and wear a life jacket on the boat. Keep your distance from birds and nests, and do not swim near the channel, as currents are strong.
White birds on the sandbanks.
A calm crossing between river and ocean.
Sand between river and Atlantic.
South of Saint-Louis, northern Senegal
Usually by wooden boat, on a trip organised from Saint-Louis or nearby.
It is not advised near the channel, as currents are strong.