Podor

Podor sits on an island in the Senegal river at the northernmost point of the country, the site of the ancient state of Takrur, and its French fort was built in 1854. The fort has been restored and the quay in front of it still has its line of nineteenth-century trading houses, two-storey with arcades and shuttered upper floors, facing Mauritania across the water. It is the heart of Fouta Toro, the Toucouleur country, a town of about 12,500 people, and the birthplace of the musicians Baaba Maal and Mansour Seck and the designer Oumou Sy.

What to look for

• The fort - the 1854 fort on the riverbank, restored and open.
• The trading houses - a row of arcaded nineteenth-century merchant buildings along the quay.
• The river - the Senegal running past with Mauritania on the far bank.
• The Fouta Toro setting - the Toucouleur heartland along the river valley.

When to go

November to March is the cool dry season; the valley is punishingly hot from April to June. Mornings are best. The river is highest after the rains around September.

Before you go

Podor is a long way from anywhere and the road east is slow. Restoration covers the fort and part of the quay; much of the rest is decayed. There is very little accommodation and few places to eat.

Nearby

Richard Toll is west along the river, and Saint-Louis is at the mouth.

Key facts