Bandia Wildlife Reserve

Bandia is a fenced reserve of around three and a half thousand hectares in the baobab scrub inland from the Petite Côte, stocked from the 1990s with species that had gone from Senegal or never occurred there: giraffe, rhino, zebra, eland, oryx, buffalo and several antelope, alongside native warthog, monkeys and crocodiles. Drives run in the reserve's own vehicles with a guide. It is not a national park and does not pretend to be, but it is the only realistic large-mammal viewing within reach of Dakar.

What you actually see

• The giraffe and rhino - introduced populations, easily seen on a drive.
• The baobabs - a dense stand of old baobabs across the reserve.
• The crocodile pool - resident crocodiles at a waterhole on the circuit.
• The burial baobab - a hollow tree traditionally used as a griot burial place.

When to go

November to May is the dry season, when animals concentrate at water and the tracks are good. Early morning and late afternoon are best. The rains from July green everything and disperse the game.

Honest expectations

This is a stocked, fenced reserve: several of the headline species are not native to Senegal, and the experience is closer to a game park than a wild one. It is small and the circuit takes about two hours. Prices are per vehicle plus per person.

Nearby

Saly and the Petite Cote beaches are west, and Dakar is an hour north.