Bandia

Bandia Reserve

I am currently enjoying spring break just south of Dakar near a town called Mbour. We are renting an Air BnB and it’s beautiful here !

. About 18 km away is an animal reserve called Bandia. Some of our group took a taxi there and saw lots of different animals. Most of the animals were brought from South Africa. We saw zebras, giraffes, antelope, gazelles, pigs, rhinos. The one endemic species to Senegal was the Koba.

Here is the Koba:

There were no animals, but this Baobab tree is shaped like one so our guide said it's their version of an elephant

We took a break by this Baobab tree. It is a tomb for griots. Griots are the storytellers of a community and at the bottom of the caste system. It was believed that if the Griots were buried, the land would be cursed so they were entombed in trees.