The village boat
A short ride among colourful pirogues.
August Dominus — CC0 · Kateryna Serdiuk — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GuillaumeG — CC BY-SA 4.0 · August Dominus — CC0 · August Dominus — CC0
Ngor Island is a small island off the Cap-Vert peninsula, barely 400 m from the village of Ngor near Pointe des Almadies in Dakar. With an area of about 0.1 square kilometres and 2 km of coast, it is a quiet escape from the bustle of the capital. Ngor village arose between the 15th and 16th centuries, when a group of Lebu people arrived led by the Samb clan, and the island itself has been known since prehistory. It gained worldwide fame among surfers in 1964, when a sequence of the American documentary The Endless Summer was filmed here with the surfer Robert August. Only about 100 people live on it. You arrive by short boat ride from Ngor beach, among colourful pirogues. The island has narrow lanes between stone walls, colourful houses, and murals and decorated walls that give it an artistic air. One calm side faces the village with a small beach, and a rocky side faces the ocean, where waves break. The island lies about 10.1 km from central Dakar and 3.8 km from Mamelles Lighthouse in a straight line. Wear a life jacket on the boat, and ask the return fare before boarding. Rocks are sharp on the western side, so do not swim there in waves, and bring suitable shoes. Respect residents' privacy and dress modestly away from the beach.
A short ride among colourful pirogues.
Decorated walls and colourful houses.
Waves breaking on the ocean shore.
Off Ngor village, Pointe des Almadies, Dakar, Senegal
By a short boat ride from Ngor beach, asking the fare before boarding.
The side facing the village is calmer, while waves break on the rocky side.