Toubacouta

Toubacouta is a town on the Saloum Delta in Senegal's Fatick region, near the border with The Gambia, at the confluence area of the Sine and Saloum rivers roughly 100 km south of Dakar. It serves as one of the main gateways into the Saloum Delta's wetlands — some 180,000 hectares of mangrove-lined waterways, threaded by ancient shell-mound islands and dotted with centuries-old baobab trees traditionally regarded as sacred. The delta is home to the Fulani, Mandinka, and Serer peoples, and its waters and islands support notably rich birdlife (around 400 recorded species, including the world's largest nesting colony of royal terns) along with crocodiles, dolphins, and manatees. Toubacouta's local economy centres on boat-based ecotourism, with fishermen-led pirogue tours out to the bolongs (mangrove channels), alongside lodges, markets, and birdwatching.

By Car / Road

Toubacouta is reached by road within the Fatick region, near the Gambian border; boats also connect it to nearby delta towns such as Ndangane.

• Saloum Delta wetlands — mangrove channels, shell-mound islands, and centuries-old baobab trees.

• Birdlife of the delta, including large colonial nesting sites.

• Pirogue tours of the bolongs, typically led by local fishermen.

• Birdwatching, particularly in the cooler months when migratory species are present.

• Sokone — a nearby town on the delta's edge.
• Ndangane — reachable by boat, another delta gateway.