Ngor Island

Île de Ngor sits a few hundred metres off the northern tip of the Cap-Vert peninsula, reached by a constant shuttle of pirogues from Ngor village. It is small, low and covered in houses and walled gardens, with a beach on the sheltered side and rock on the other. Its fame comes from surfing: the right-hand point on the island's northern side appeared in the 1966 film The Endless Summer and has drawn surfers ever since, and the swell season runs through the northern winter.

What you actually see

• The point break - the right-hander on the northern side that made the island's name.
• The village - narrow lanes and walled houses covering most of the island.
• The sheltered beach - calm swimming water on the side facing Dakar.
• The pirogue shuttle - the constant five-minute crossing from Ngor village.

When to go

October to March is the surf season, when the north Atlantic swell arrives. Summer is flat and hot. Weekends bring Dakar crowds to the beach side; weekday mornings are quiet.

Honest expectations

The island is small and busy, and the beach gets crowded at weekends. Pirogue fares to and from are separate and are quoted higher to visitors. The break is a reef and point, not a beginner's wave.

Nearby

Ngor village and the Almadies point are on the mainland opposite, and central Dakar is south.