Travel ideas for Senegal - unique sights, worth Guinness records

Not only the wonderful flowers, but also the bacteria can color the world colorfully. An excellent confirmation of this is the lake Retba, located in Senegal. This unique water basin is characterized by the bright pink water color. The secret of the strange lake is quite simple - a special kind of cyanobacteria is living there. Remarkable that they are among the oldest microorganisms living on earth and among the few living creatures that can live in saturated saltwater.
Retba is one of the most salty lakes on the planet. The salt concentration in the salt concentration of the Dead Sea is about one and a half times. The unique natural site is not far from the Cap Vert peninsula. The remarkable pink lake is quite large, its surface is 3 sqkm. The depth of the water basin is relatively low and is a maximum of 3 meters. Retba Lake has been used for salt production for more than forty years. The numerous tourists come here to ride on the pink sea surface by boat.
The race fans know the distinctive natural attraction as well. Retba is the end point of the Paris-Dakar race. There is a small village in the immediate vicinity of the lake, the 'Wolof' tribe lives on its deserts. Literally all the mainstream residents are concerned with salt production. At a reasonable price they take the tourists to their work and show them all the subtleties of this job. It is not recommended to unprepared people to touch the salty water of the lake because it is so salty that it can cause serious burns on the skin. Locals have found an excellent way to protect themselves. Before working, they rub with the special oil of the butter tree. ... Complete sights collection

Travellers who like to explore unusual sights should go to the Gambia. Here, in the Senegambia area are mysterious circles of megaliths, about the appointment and history of which scientists from around the world have been arguing for hundreds of years. Scientists managed to find out that the mysterious circles were built in the period from the 8th to the 12th century. With a more thorough investigation of the area, they discovered burials of earlier periods.
The circles were built from laterite. Each circle consists of 8 to 14 columns. In total, there are more than 1000 circles in this area. The most noteworthy are the districts Vassa, Sine-Ngaene, Kerbatch and Wannar. The history of the construction of megalithic circles remains mysterious and puzzling until our time. It is known that the Mandem tribes started to settle this area much later, only in the 16th century.
The shape of the lateral columns is surprisingly regular. Some of them are almost ideal cylinders, which indicates the accurate processing of metal tools. The weight of some columns reaches 7 tons, and the height - 2 meters. The area where the megalithic complex has been built is equally impressive and stretches more than 300 km along the coast of the Gambia river. Another unexplained mystery is a location of the quarries in which laterite has been mined. In Senegambia a few probable areas have been discovered. However, the place where so much stone has been promoted still can not be ascertained. ... Complete sights collection

Dakar can boast with one of the most emblematic and impressive monuments of the world, African Renaissance Monument. Its opening took place relatively recently, in 2010. The event was timed to the 50th anniversary of Senegal's independence. The height of the monument is 49 meters. The statue is lined with 3 cm thick bronze sheets. The monument was supposed to be a symbol of independence and bright future for locals. However, after opening, the sculpture was heavily criticized.
The main reason for dissatisfaction was a huge sum that the Senegalese government has spent on construction of the sculpture. It was about 27 million US dollars. The author of the monument is the famous architect, Pierre Gudiabi. He attracted the best experts from North Korea to implement his project. It took them 4 years to create the sculpture. Despite of criticism, it is easy to admire the beauty and grandeur of the monument.
After the opening, managers of the project led by the Government of Senegal continued to improve the infrastructure around the statue. Today, the monument has a fine stone staircase. The structure is surrounded by well-kept garden sculptures. There is also a pleasant night lighting system around, so it will be amazing to visit the attraction in the evening. ... Complete sights collection

The historic Maison des Esclaves prison is located on the island of Goree in Senegal. It is also known as the center of the slave trade. The French colonialists kept slaves in this prison. The prison ceased to exist only after the abolition of the slave trade in 1848. The theme museum is located in the old prison building today. Its main visitors are residents of African states. Tourists from around the world also visit the museum. They want to get acquainted with the history of the state.
The building of the former prison has an unusual architecture. It is more like a huge colonial villa with its outlines. Even the central staircase is preserved in the building. It is built in the shape of a horseshoe. The feet of thousands of slaves had once trod it. The facade of the old prison is painted in a rich brick color. This makes its appearance even more impressive.
There are also other colonial-era buildings near the prison building. Old houses with tiled roofs are of great value from a historical point of view. Visitors to the historical museum will have the opportunity to see the cameras during the tour. Slaves were kept in them once. Visitors can also take a walk around the prison's courtyard. There were several prisons on Mount Island a few hundred years ago. All of them were used for the maintenance of slaves. The Maison des Esclaves is the only prison that has survived to this day. ... Complete sights collection