Secrets of Casamance

Breakfast: coffee, tea, milk, bread, butter or jam or honey.
Lunch: fish, chicken or meat dishes, fruits
Dinner: traditional or European dishes.

Local guides speaking French.

Level/Physical Intensity*
Alternating easy hiking (2 to 4 hours of walking on easy terrain), mountain biking (2 to 3 hours on easy flat ground), “sit on top” kayaking and canoe on calm waters, this trip is accessible to any healthy person wishing to make a small physical effort to discover magnificent landscapes and traditional civilization.
Casamance is a delta, alternating plateaus, rice fields, savannas, forests, mangroves and palm groves.

Personal belongings and collective equipment are transported by vehicle and canoe. You only carry your small backpack (about 5kg) with the things for the day, your camera and your water bottle and possibly the lunch picnic.

Relationship with the population
During this stay, you will meet different ethnic groups: Peul, Wolof but especially Sérère. All religions are practiced in Senegal and coexist without problems. It is important to follow the advice of your guide to respect the country's habits and customs.
Senegalese people are naturally friendly and welcoming. Here, foreigners are accepted if they respect the locals.
Be careful not to give anything to children. By simple actions, we can destabilize an entire social system and generate new behaviors (refusal to go to school, begging...). Make sure you dress correctly, respecting local customs (no shorts that are too short for example...).
If you take photos, always ask permission from the people concerned and remember to send them a print. It's a nice gift, and it prevents photos from being sold in cash. Never commit yourself to do acts that you will not do (correspondence, sending gifts, etc.).

Electricity
The current used is 220 Volts. Same taken as in France.

Vaccinations/Health prevention:

Yellow fever: Senegalese authorities can be very strict about vaccination against yellow fever. In principle, it is only required for people coming from a country where this fever is endemic, or for people who have transited more than 12 hours through one of these countries. In practice, this regulation is sometimes followed variously and proof of vaccination is required indistinctly. In order to avoid any inconvenience, it is highly recommended to be up to date for the vaccination against yellow fever and to be in possession of an international vaccination record.
A single vaccination against this disease is valid for life.

Malaria: it is essential to take antimalarial treatment, the country is classified in zone 3 (consult your doctor or the Pasteur Institute one month before your departure).

Recommended vaccinations: diphtheria-tetanus-poliomyelitis (DTP) vaccination against tuberculosis, meningococcal disease, typhoid fever, hepatitis A and B. Check that your reminders are up to date.

Rabies: vaccination may also be offered in certain cases depending on the conditions and places of stay. Ask your doctor or an international vaccination center for advice.

Dengue: Dengue is transmitted through infected mosquitoes. There is currently no preventive treatment for dengue infection, but a vaccine is under development. Individual prevention is therefore essentially based on the means of protection against mosquito bites (see below).
The symptoms of the disease are similar to those of the flu (high fever, joint pain, headache). Treatment is therefore primarily symptomatic and is based on the intake of paracetamol-based painkillers and rest. It is imperative to avoid taking aspirin and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Chikungunya: The risk of infection by the chikungunya virus is real in Senegal. There is currently no preventive treatment or vaccine. Chikungunya is transmitted through infected mosquitoes. Individual prevention is therefore essentially based on the means of protection against mosquito bites.


Health prevention: a few basic hygiene rules will avoid a lot of problems (a good “tourist” in the best case) that would disturb your vacation:
- always wash your hands with soap before meals
- never be tempted by clear water in nature or by tap water in the city
- always use appropriate tablets (you have to wait an hour, so it's good to have 2 bottles)
- prefer bottled drinks or even... tea.

Water: drinking water is treated during the hike, however, use Micropur Forte or Hydroclonazone for your autonomy. In cities or villages, it is possible to stock up on mineral water or soda.

Personal pharmacy recommended:
Your current medications
Pain medication (paracetamol type)
Antispasmodic (Spasfon type)
Antiseptic (Betadine type)
Anti-inflammatory
Antimalarial
Arnica in capsules or in stick
Bands, plasters and elastoplastic
Water purifying tablets (micropur type) according to your destination
Antiseptic eye drops
Anti-diarrheal
Tire tick
Sterile pads
Tweezers, scissors, safety pins

There is no current antibiotic in the UCPA pharmacy, each participant must bring, if they wish, their own treatment according to their tolerance.

Important!
No additional travel insurance is included in your registration.
We remind you that it is essential that you have at least a “medical care abroad” guarantee and a “repatriation” guarantee including “search and rescue costs”.

We advise you to consult the “General Insurance Conditions” pages on our website: https://www.ucpa.com/assurances

Whatever your insurance, do not forget to take the necessary information with you during your trip abroad: name and contact details (telephone, email) of your assistance company and the number of the contract taken out.
This information will be requested upon arrival by our local correspondent.

http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/conseils-par-pays/senegal/

The climate is hot and dry during the winter (from November to May), the rainy season is from June to October.
Average temperatures in winter: from 20 to 35°C on the western side of the country where our program takes place and from 30 to 40°C in the interior and east of the country.

Hostel in Dakar, Edioungou and in the Cap Skirring area. Village or private camp in Koubalan, Affiniam, Seleki, Efrane. The camps are most often equipped with electricity, the sanitary facilities are most often outside the rooms. Some campsites have WIFI.

In accordance with the regulations, we are giving you the names of the airlines that may be used by UCPA on this destination: TAP Air Portugal, Corsair, Air France KLM.

On these companies, the maximum authorized baggage weight is 23kg in the hold, and up to 5kg in the cabin within the limits of the authorized dimensions (unless modified by the company).