01Free
The 30-second card
Visa · United States passport
No visa needed · up to 90 daysSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 25 Oct 2026 ↗Apps locals use
Orange Money: a mobile wallet for paying and sending money, used nationwide.Wave: a mobile money app for everyday payments and transfers.Little: a ride-hailing app for booking car trips.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Cards or cash
Mostly cashMostly cards
Step 2 of 5: Cash pays for most things; cards are taken only in some places.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Money in Senegal
West African CFA Franc · XOF
Break 5,000 and 10,000 CFA notes from cash machines into notes of 2,000 CFA or less early; change is scarce.
Ecobank cash machines take both Visa and Mastercard.
On shared sept-place taxis, bargain a separate luggage charge, typically CFA 500–1,000 per bag.
The CFA 400 car toll to bypass Rufisque is worth paying at rush hour, when jams there can last 2 hours.
Collect West African CFA Franc in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpenPublic holidays in the next 12 months
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day
Mon, 8 Feb 2027–8 Mar · Ramadan (expected date)
Tue, 9 Mar 2027 · Eid al-Fitr (expected date)
Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday
Sun, 4 Apr 2027 · Independence Day
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day
Thu, 6 May 2027 · Ascension Day
Sun, 16 May 2027 · Eid al-Adha (expected date)
Mon, 17 May 2027 · Whit Monday
Sun, 15 Aug 2027 · Assumption Day
Mon, 1 Nov 2027 · All Saints' Day
02Free
Safety today
Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Senegal say, side by side, checked daily.
German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Exercise normal precautions
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Level 1 of 4
Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 30 Nov 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 30 Nov 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
UK Foreign Office says
No advice against travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 15 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 15 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Scams to know
Fake airport taxi drivers
Book airport transfers via a hotel or licensed operator; ask anyone meeting you for ID.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Fake banknotes when changing money
Get cash from ATMs or established exchange offices, not from street changers.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.
03Free
Health
Vaccines: yellow fever from age 9 months, hepatitis A and B, typhoid, measles and routine shots. Malaria risk.
Vaccinations
Yellow fever for travellers aged 9 months and over, plus hepatitis A and B, typhoid, measles (MMR) and routine shots.
Malaria
RiskTalk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.
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05Free
Deep facts
| GDP | ≈ $37 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Per person | ≈ $1,955Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Top exports | gold, refined petroleum, phosphoric acid, fish, cement (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Population | 18.9 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 19.4 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Life expectancy | 70.6 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Religions | Muslim 97.2% (most adhere to one of the four main Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 2.7% (mostly Roman Catholic) (2019 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2019 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Area | 196,722 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan windSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Terrain | generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeastSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Type of government | presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +221Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ |
About the data
Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.
From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.
CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).
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