The water and the nature in Senegal

A little further on, there are stagnant waters where thousands of birds nest. Stilt further on, the very dense forest imprisons and protects its multitudes.

Senegal is at its best close to the water. This country’s essence is in the water that flows, its rivers: the Casamance, the Senegal River, the Saloum, and the pink lake, aft are sources of life and beauty. This is revealed in the beauty of its canoes, the fishermen along the banks casting their nets as the sun [ails, the beauty of laughing women washing their multicolored laundry, the beauty of viftages where the houses have mud wafts, palm frond roofs, all gathered around humble and touching minarets. It is in Casamance that the country is the richest, and that begins to explain why it arouses covetousness that in turn has led to the region’s many wars and invasions. Mandingue and Diolas fought for power there, and then the conquerors came from Europe, the Portuguese, the English, and the French that successively and temporarily installed their dominion. Aft of Casamance is beautiful, but around Ziguinchor, Cape Skirring, and the beautiful villages like Djembering, tourism is already popular; it is a tourism of quality, enriching because it is not predatory. This tourism, however, is not the only kind to develop; there is lodging designed to cater for business travelers and conventioneers, plus lodges, traditional hotels, villas, guest houses that can receive non-typical tourists. Senegal is because of its exotic flora and fauna a land of natural parks where nature is protected. The Niokolo Koba Nature Reserve has recently been registered by UNESCO as belonging to worldwide patrimony of mankind, Elephants, buffaloes, panthers, monkeys, and antelopes are sheltered there along with 400 species of birds.
Photographic safaris are available, but hunting is prohibited.
Hunters are nevertheless welcome outside the Mako campground where small and large game can be taken, but it is mainly the wart hogs, partridges, hares or guinea-fowls that top the list.
It is not necessary, however, to be a hunter to fully appreciate a stay in the area. In absolute harmony and total quietude, this Senegal of respected and preserved nature is perhaps the lost Garden of Eden that we remember with nostalgia.