Cap Skirring, Senegal

Fantastic wide beaches and a vibrant nightlife. The beaches at Cap Skiring are some of the finest in West Africa and, better still, they are usually empty. Most campements and hotels are on the beach, 1km from the village, at the end of a dirt track off the Ziguinchor road. Most hotels offer a mix of activities like kayaking, quad hire and fishing trips. Le Paradise is the best of a row of cheap campements. In Cap Skiring village, the small Auberge Le Palmier is a decent budget bet, while the riverside Kaloa les Palétuviers is more upmarket and sits among lovely mangroves. La Maison Bleu is an airy place that oozes sophistication, rooms with individual colour schemes and weekend trips to Guinea-Bissau’s archipelago, the Bissagos Islands.

Other excellent options on the beach include Villa des Pêcheurs, which also has a brilliant restaurant and offers the best fishing expeditions in town, and tiny Mansa Lodge, where family vibes reign. Cap Skiring has a lively and delicious restaurant scene. Try Chez Les Copains for Senegalese food, Bar de la Mer for seafood on the beach. Casa Bambou offers tasty French cuisine and live music (often jazz) but morhs to more of a club towards midnight. Bakine hosts rootsy drumming jam sessions. Cap Skiring’s airport is served by Senegal Airlines (www.senegalairlines.aero) with flights to and from Dakar. Otherwise it’s a sept-place taxi (CFA1600) from Ziguinchor.