Tambacounda

Tambacounda is a region in eastern Senegal, the largest in the country by area, covering savannah and woodland including much of Niokolo-Koba National Park. Its capital, Tambacounda town, grew as a junction on the Dakar–Niger railway from 1905 and remains the region's main road hub, on the N1 and N7.

The cool dry season, roughly November to February, is the most comfortable time to travel and the best window for wildlife viewing in Niokolo-Koba. March to May is hot, with temperatures often above 40°C, and June to September is the rainy season, when unpaved roads across the region can become difficult to pass.

Tambacounda town is the region's transport hub, with roads connecting to Dakar, Mali, and Guinea. Long-distance bush taxis serve the region's towns.

• Tambacounda — Regional capital and transport hub.
• Bakel — Town on the Senegal River near the Mali border, site of Fort Bakel (Fort Faidherbe), a French trading fort built 1818–1820 that became the area's principal 19th-century trading centre for gum arabic, gold, leather, and ivory.
• Goudiry — Town on the road toward the Mali border.
• Koumpentoum — Town on the N1 corridor.
• Kidira — Border town with Mali, on the Senegal River.
• Niokolo-Koba National Park — Senegal's largest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Wildlife viewing in Niokolo-Koba National Park.
• Visiting the historic fort at Bakel.
• Crossing into Mali at the Kidira border post.