Pointe des Almedies

A beach-fringed peninsula near Dakar that's a holiday paradise.

About a half hour's drive from Dakar, Pointe des Almadies on Cap-Vert (Green Cape) is the westernmost point of the African continent, and perhaps Senegal's best known and most popular holiday destination because of its combination of proximity to the capital and endless swathes of lovely white-sand beaches and surf. Out here there are no big cliffs; instead you its highest points are a pair of conical hills known as the Deux Mamelles. From here, 105 metres (344 feet) up, you can get sweeping views over the Atlantic, the beaches below, and the city of Dakar, as well as the nearby lighthouse that first tells ships crossing the Atlantic that they have arrived in Africa.