Ziguinchor

Ziguinchor sits on the south bank of the Casamance river, founded by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century and taken over by France in the nineteenth, and it keeps a low colonial centre of arcaded buildings, a market and a working port. The Casamance is greener and wetter than the rest of Senegal, culturally distinct, and predominantly Diola. The overnight ferry from Dakar is the classic way to arrive, coming up the river at dawn.

What you actually see

• The waterfront - the river frontage and the port where the Dakar ferry ties up.
• The colonial centre - arcaded buildings and the old administrative quarter.
• The Saint-Maur market - a large working market at the centre of the town.
• The river - the Casamance running west towards the sea, worked by pirogues.

When to go

November to May is the dry season. The rains from June to October are heavy in the Casamance and the region is at its greenest. The ferry from Dakar runs several times a week and books up.

Honest expectations

Getting there means a ferry, a flight, or a road route through the Gambia with two border crossings. The city itself is modest and most visitors move straight on to the coast or the villages. Accommodation is limited but adequate.

Nearby

Oussouye is west, Cap Skirring is on the coast, and Carabane is downriver.