Highlights

• Great Mosque of Touba and the various tombs around the complex
• Touba city, which is very religious
• Baye Fall pilgrims in patchwork clothing who often travel in colourful buses
• Kaolack, a town a couple of hours south of Touba

Before you go

• For women, bring a scarf to cover your head and preferably wear a long skirt rather than trousers
• Men should not wear shorts
• Have cash to give a tip to the local guide as well as the man who watches your shoes
• Wear socks as you will have to remove your shoes
• The Mosque is closed to the public during prayers

Transport

• We opted to have a private guide and driver from Trip Tour Senegal to take us around, and this was a great experience. We didn’t have to worry about trying to catch buses or taxis, and our guide could suggest what to see in the area

Accommodation

• We didn’t stay in Touba, as it was just our stop for the morning on the way from Saly to As usual I recommend checking reviews on Booking.com or using AirBnB

Food

We were only in Touba to see the Mosque, and to drop something off to our guide’s cousin. We drove most of the way to our next destination, Toubakouta, and stopped at the Restaurant Blue Bird in Kaolack.

Although these dishes were not on the menu, they were the specials of the day. Our guide called ahead to the chef to put in our order, so it was ready as soon as we arrived.

The restaurant itself is quite unassuming and mainly serves fast food. However, my friend had the white thieboudienne and I had a huge plate of grilled monkfish with vegetables and rice. It was delicious and maybe one of the best meals I had during my trip. However, it was slightly spoiled by the number of flies swarming around us as we ate. Maybe it would have been better for the fans to be turned up a bit to make then fly away.