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9 days 8 nights
Daily Tour
Unlimited
English
Portugal and Senegal are bound by the Atlantic, the Age of Discovery, and the arc of the transatlantic slave trade. This 9-day journey traces that connection, from the palaces and pasteis of Lisbon to the mosques of Touba, the poignant silence of Gorée Island, and the mangroves of the Saloum Delta.
Three days in Portugal cover Lisbon’s Alfama and Belém, the mystical estates of Sintra, clifftop Cabo da Roca, and the royal coastline of Cascais, opening with a Fado dinner that sets the tone. Five days in Senegal take you through Dakar, Gorée Island, the holy city of Touba, the vivid Pink Lake, the Saloum Delta by pirogue, and the extraordinary shell island of Fadiouth.
One itinerary. Two cultures. A single coherent story, brought to you by Continent Tours, specialists in West Africa since 2006
Arrive at Lisbon Humberto Delgado International Airport, where your English-speaking guide will meet you, assist with arrival formalities, and transfer you to your hotel in the heart of the Portuguese capital. This evening, ease into Lisbon’s culture with a traditional Fado dinner at one of the city’s most celebrated Fado houses. Fado — meaning “fate” — is Portugal’s soul music: raw, melancholic, and utterly unique. Recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Hotel: Bessa Hotel Liberdade
A full guided exploration of Lisbon’s historic heart and its extraordinary maritime legacy. Begin at Rossio Square and Restauradores Square, then descend into Alfama — Lisbon’s oldest district, a labyrinth of steep cobbled lanes that survived the 1755 earthquake. Visit the Fado Museum before continuing to Praça do Comércio, the magnificent riverside gateway to the Empire. In the afternoon, travel to Belém — visit the UNESCO World Heritage Jerónimos Monastery and stop at the legendary Pasteis de Belém bakery for the original pastel de nata, a custard tart recipe kept secret since 1837.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Hotel: Bessa Hotel Liberdade
Depart for Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage town of fairy-tale palaces. Visit the extraordinary Quinta da Regaleira — a mystical estate with its dramatic initiation well descending in a spiral of 27 steps. Continue to Cabo da Roca — the westernmost point of continental Europe, where the land ends dramatically at the Atlantic. Travel the scenic coast to Guincho Beach before arriving in Cascais, once a favourite summer retreat of the Portuguese royal family. Return through Estoril, passing its famous casino — reportedly one of the inspirations for Ian Fleming’s James Bond.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Hotel: Bessa Hotel Liberdade
After breakfast, check out of your Lisbon hotel. The day is yours at leisure — a final stroll, a last pastel de nata, or time to rest before the evening. In the late evening, transfer to the airport for your included TAP Air Portugal late-night flight from Lisbon (LIS) to Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS) — the first leg of a journey that mirrors the historic Atlantic connection between Portugal and West Africa. You will be met on arrival by your Senegal guide, assisted through formalities, and transferred to your hotel to rest.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Hotel: Ndiambour Dakar
After a few hours of rest and breakfast, discover Dakar — one of West Africa’s most dynamic and culturally layered cities, set on the Cap-Vert peninsula. Visit the African Renaissance Monument, a towering 49-metre bronze statue taller than the Statue of Liberty, symbolising Africa’s emergence into a new era. Continue to Independence Square, the Presidential Palace, the main cathedral, and the Museum of Black Civilisation — a massive four-storey complex fulfilling the dream of Senegal’s first President, Léopold Sédar Senghor, retracing the oldest civilisations from Africa to the rest of the world. Drive north to the westernmost point of West Africa.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Hotel: Ndiambour Dakar
Board a short 20-minute ferry to Gorée Island — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most historically significant places in Africa. The island’s pastel-coloured colonial buildings and quiet lanes belie its profound and painful past as a major holding point in the transatlantic slave trade. Visit the House of Slaves and stand at the Door of No Return — the threshold through which millions of enslaved Africans passed on their way to the Americas. The tour includes a visit to the ethnographic museum with a lecture by the curator on Gorée’s history and its present-day significance as a place of memory and reconciliation.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Hotel: Ndiambour Dakar
Depart Dakar heading southeast. First stop: Lac Rose (Pink Lake) — one of Senegal’s most visually striking natural wonders, its vivid pink coloration caused by high salt concentration and unique microalgae. Meet the salt harvesters who work its surface using methods unchanged for generations. Continue to Touba, Senegal’s holiest city and spiritual headquarters of the Mouride Brotherhood, founded by the revered Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba. Visit the magnificent Grand Mosque of Touba — one of the largest in West Africa. En route to Saly, visit Fulani or Wolof villages for a genuine encounter with rural Senegalese life.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast,Dinner
Hotel: Palm Beach Hotel
Drive to the Sine Saloum Delta — a vast UNESCO biosphere reserve of mangrove forests, tidal channels, sandbars, and islands. Board a traditional pirogue for a guided sail through the mangroves, spotting river birds, herons, kingfishers, and pelicans in one of West Africa’s most beautiful natural landscapes. Visit Joal-Fadiouth — Joal is the birthplace of Léopold Sédar Senghor, poet and philosopher. Cross the long wooden causeway to the extraordinary island of Fadiouth, built entirely on a mound of shells, with its famous mixed cemetery where Muslims, Christians, and Animists are buried side by side — a living symbol of Senegal’s tradition of religious coexistence. Visit Mbour’s bustling fishing port before arriving in Saly for a relaxed final coastal evening.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast,Dinner
Hotel: Palm Beach Hotel
Enjoy a leisurely final morning in Saly — a last walk on the beach, a quiet breakfast, or simply time to absorb the end of a remarkable journey through two countries connected by centuries of shared Atlantic history. In due course, transfer from Saly to Dakar’s Blaise Diagne International Airport for your onward international flight. Your guide will ensure you arrive in good time for all departure formalities.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
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