New Orleans to Dakar (MSY–DSS) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

US passport holders enter Senegal visa-free for up to 90 days. No advance application is needed. Senegal dropped its visa requirement for US citizens in 2015. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of entry. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required. At Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS), 47km southeast of Dakar, immigration stamps your passport after checking your yellow fever card.

Senegal is a West African nation of 17 million people on the Atlantic coast. Dakar sits on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of mainland Africa. Goree Island, a 20-minute ferry from Dakar, is a UNESCO site connected to the transatlantic slave trade. The Pink Lake (Lac Rose/Lac Retba), Saint-Louis (another UNESCO site at the mouth of the Senegal River), and the Sine-Saloum Delta attract visitors beyond the capital.

Direct flights from New York JFK to Dakar run about 7 hours on Delta (seasonal) and Air Senegal. Washington Dulles to DSS runs about 7 hours 30 minutes on Air Senegal. Senegal uses the West African CFA franc (XOF), pegged to the euro at 655.957 XOF per EUR 1, trading at roughly 615 XOF per $1. ATMs are common in Dakar. Orange Money is the dominant mobile payment system. Card payments work at hotels and larger restaurants. The AIBD Express train connects DSS airport to central Dakar in 45 minutes for XOF 2,500 ($4.05). Car rapides (blue and yellow minibuses) and Dakar Dem Dikk buses cover city routes for XOF 150 to XOF 500 ($0.25 to $0.80). French is the official language; Wolof is the most spoken local language.