Mbour Fish Market

Mbour is one of the major fishing ports of Senegal and the beach in front of the town is where the fleet lands: painted pirogues driven up through the surf, crews carrying boxes ashore, women sorting and gutting on the sand, buyers arguing, carts and trucks loading for Dakar and inland. It runs at scale and at speed, and it is dense, wet, loud and entirely unstaged. The market behind sells everything else.

What you actually see

• The landing - pirogues coming through the surf and being unloaded by hand.
• The sorting - fish graded, gutted and boxed on the sand within minutes of landing.
• The painted boats - hundreds of pirogues drawn up along the beach.
• The buyers - the trade moving the catch to Dakar and inland by truck.

When to go

November to May is dry and the boats work most reliably. Late afternoon is the main landing, with a smaller morning run. Fridays and market days are busiest.

Honest expectations

It is genuinely chaotic and crowded, the ground is wet with fish waste, and it is not a comfortable walk. Photography of people working needs asking and is often refused. Keep out of the way of the carrying lines: they move fast and do not stop.

Nearby

Saly is north along the coast, and Joal-Fadiouth is south.