Aladdin's bird watching adventure in Senegal

OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.

Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.

So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.

Flying to Dakar, Senegal with Emirates flight EK797

Tuesday 22 ^nd of July 2025 and my last night at NOOM Hotel Conakry. My driver will come to pick me up at 11 thirty for transport to Conakry International Airport. My flight to Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport will depart at 14:45.

So, there will be plenty time for my last breakfast.

My Driver was waiting for me at the reception when I came down a few minutes before 11 thirty. I said bye bye to the staff and we were soon on our way to Conakry International Airport.

Fishing boats in Conakry

Fishing boats in Conakry

We drive north on the east side of the peninsula and it takes us about 30 minutes to reach the airport. And I was lucky, I spotted three Pied Crows and I reported them to ebird. I had not seen any Pied Crows since I arrived to Guinea so I was lucky.

The Driver drops me at the terminal and we say bye bye. I had really been lucky with this Guide. fluent English and he could find birds like no one else.

Only thanks to him that my stay in Conakry turned out to be a success. Imagine 3 days here, doing nothing with a Driver that cannot understand GOOD MORNING in English.

If you want to go to Conakry for bird watching, and you cannot find a Guide, I can recommend my Driver.

Mr. Sadjo, email: kansagui84@gmail.com

The airport, well, you can imagine a small African airport in a place where the leaders steal all the money. That was how the airport looked like. Everyone very friendly and helpful, of course they were asking for tip.

But as soon as I reached the check-in area they begging stopped. I was last in a long line of people and someone came to tell me that I could check-in at the business class counter. So, I was checked in very quickly.

Well, there are some perks of getting old. Senior citizen service!

They stopped me at the escalator going up to the immigration and security and the Officers (Most likely Custom Officers) asked how much I had.
- Have what?
- Money

I had 4000 US Dollar in my valet (That I could not close) and I was worried that they would take the money. There are limits of how much money you can carry leaving the country. This money id for my bird watching Guide in Senegal.

I told them that I had a little Thai Baht and some US Dollars. But it turned out that they were only interested in the local currency. I was relieved when I left for the immigration. Immigration and security were a quick affair and I was in the departure hall.

Tax free and a coffee shop

Departure Hall

Departure Hall

After security and you walked through the tax-free shop and you were in the departure hall. There was a small coffee shop and that’s it. Benches to sit and wait, just what you need, nothing more, nothing less.

I took a seat and there was one Emirates plane and there was soon another one landing. When the first Emirates left, I discovered that it was a cargo plane. So, that means that the plane arriving is the plane I will get on.

Time did turn kind of quick. According to my boarding pass boarding should start at 14:00, but they started to line up at the gate 20 minutes before 2 o'clock after a PA announcement. I stayed on my bench, no need to rush away just to end up waiting in a line.

My flight arrives to Conakry

My flight arrives to Conakry

My flight arrives to Conakry

One guy came to get me and when we reached the gate the queue was still very long and I took a seat on a bench. Another 10 minutes and the queue was gone and I went to the gate.

Coming out on the jet bridge and there was a very long line of people. Three lines, group “something” and group “something else”, bot empty and then group F and E and there was plenty people.

One girl came from the staff and she wanted to see my boarding pass. I am in group F so I am in no hurry to get in line. But she pointed to the empty line and I was whistling along and I was soon in my seat on the plane.

Time to board flight EK 797

Time to board flight EK 797

Time to board flight EK 797

It was a little after scheduled departure time when they pulled us from the jet bridge. But we landed in time 1 hour 20 minutes later. It was not a very pleasant flight, but I survived and I was soon at the immigration at Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport.

Immigration was quick.
- What are you going to do in Senegal?
- Looking for birds
- What?

I did the internationally recognized sign for taking pictures of birds and he stamped my passport and I was on my way to the luggage claim. walking along minding my own business when someone called me. I had just walked by a line to something I did not know what it was.

But it looked like a second passport control. My first bag was coming on the luggage belt pretty quick, but my second bag was among the last bags coming on the luggage belt.

Waiting for my luggage

Waiting for my luggage

Refreshment

Line to get out to the arrival hall, seems like they want the passengers to x-ray their luggage. But now I was in a hurry and I just walked past and no one got embarrassed.

No sign of my driver and I went to buy water and mango juice, but their card reader did not work so no refreshments for me. I was sitting down waiting for my driver when one of the locals came to welcome me to Senegal.

He had brought water and mango juice, so the girl at the shop had told him about the problem. a little embarrassing, but highly appreciated.

My Guide was not allowed to come in to the terminal so I went out to meet him. I spotted a couple of House Sparrows when I stepped outside the terminal.

We spotted several Village Weavers building nests in two trees on the parking lot. We stopped at the trees to get a picture of the weavers. I asked them to go back so I could get some pictures of the House Sparrows.

It was not allowed to go back and I was disappointed. But we were lucky and we spotted three House Sparrows on the parking lot. I got a picture and we could leave for the hotel.

Village Weaver

House Sparrow

Just getting off the plane and already two Senegalese birds. We left Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport and I asked if they had Diet Pepsi in the country. They asked what it was and I explained that it was Pepsi without sugar.

We stopped at a petrol stop, nothing. I told my Guide that I had searched the internet for Diet Pepsi before coming here. And they had diet drinks at the big supermarkets. He told me that there was a big supermarket close to the hotel.

We stop at Auchan Saly Center, a big supermarket in a small shopping center with restaurants and many tourists. They have diet drinks and we fill a basket with bottles, they only had baby size bottles. I also bought a wine glass for the diet drinks.

I find my refreshments

I find my refreshments

Assistance to get the drinks to the car

It did not taste bad

We left Auchan Saly Center behind and it was a couple of minutes to reach the hotel, Africa 6 Hotel/ Africa 6 Plage. Hôtel Africa 6 Plage de Somone au Sénégal was an instant disappointment, looked like places I stayed at in India back in the days when I was a young hippie.

The rooms were on the second floor and they had a vey narrow stair to get up. Lucky, they had someone to carry the luggage. Turning on the AC and an instant bad smell of mould.

No desk, a must when I work with my bird pictures, but we took a table from outside the room. I was hungry and I did not have any high hopes going to the restaurant that looked like a camping site with flimsy furniture placed on the sand.

I ordered Buef Filet or something and it was good, the grave was 5-star, made from cream. But the rest of Hôtel Africa 6 Plage de Somone au Sénégal was a disappointment.

Stairs to the room

My room

My room

We had to take a table from outside to use as a desk

My room

The bathroom, not the standard I am used to

The bathroom, not the standard I am used to

Swimming pool

The beach

Having a shower, no hot water, the shower head felt off the holder so you had to hold it in your hand. What a disappointment this hotel turned out to be.

It will for sure be nice to leave tomorrow morning, they come to pick me up at 7 thirty tomorrow morning. We will stay here coming back to Dakar, but I already told the Guide that I WILL NOT STAY HERE AGAIN. If I pay 3000 US$ for 5 days I expect a lot more than this.

I was excited going to bed, we will drive north towards Saint Louis close to the border to Mauritania and the Sahara desert. Click HERE to find out if we find any birds.

Tweet

You are visitor no.

To www.aladdin.st since December 2005

Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011

Mobilize your Site

View Site in Mobile | Classic