When to go · Senegal
Senegal in October
Mixed month. Rains fade mid-month; green landscapes, still humid.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Mixed
- Crowds
- Low
- Senegal
- Prices
- Low
- Senegal
Verdict
Rains fade mid-month; green landscapes, still humid.
Is another month better than October?
October is rated mixed. These months rate higher:
- NovemberGreatDry season starts; lodges reopen; birds arrive in the Saloum and Djoudj.
- DecemberGreatPeak: pleasant heat, Christmas on the Petite Côte; book Saint-Louis and delta lodges early.
- JanuaryGreatDry, breezy, 25 °C on the coast; the Dakar Rally legacy crowd and winter-sun Europeans fill Saly.
- FebruaryGreatStill dry and cool; Harmattan haze some days inland; good birding at Djoudj.
Weather in October
- Dakar and the Atlantic coast · Dakar, Saint-Louis, Petite Côtefine
Trade winds keep the coast 5–8 °C (9–14 °F) cooler than inland; January–March evenings can feel cool, and the sea is cold until May.Trade winds keep the coast 9–14 °F (5–8 °C) cooler than inland; January–March evenings can feel cool, and the sea is cold until May.
- Sine-Saloum and the Gambia fringe · Toubacouta, Palmarin, Kaolackfine
Harmattan dust some weeks Jan–Mar; the delta is at its best for birds Nov–Apr.
- Casamance · Ziguinchor, Cap Skirring, Oussouyerainy
Senegal's wettest region: up to 1,500 mm a year, most of it Jul–Sep; many beach hotels close in the rains.
- Inland north and east · Touba, Tambacounda, Niokolo-Koba, Kédougoufine
40 °C (104 °F)+ in April–May; Niokolo-Koba tracks close in the rains (roughly Jul–Oct).104 °F (40 °C)+ in April–May; Niokolo-Koba tracks close in the rains (roughly Jul–Oct).
- Cap Vert-Thies: Dakar peninsula · Cap-Vert coastfine
Cooler and breezier than inland; the rainy season runs roughly July to October.
- Cap Vert-Thies: Thies and Petite Côte · Inland and coastal beltfine
Hotter inland; November to May is dry and the comfortable window.
- Casamance: Casamance coast and river · Cap Skirring, Kafountine, Ziguinchorrainy
Dry November to May; rain June to October, heaviest July–September. Humidity is high year-round; coastal breezes keep the beach strip cooler than inland Ziguinchor.
- Central Senegal: Sine-Saloum delta and Kaolack · Central Senegalfine
Dry season November to May; rainy season roughly June to October, with the heaviest rain July to September. Heat peaks before the rains.
- Northern Senegal: Saint-Louis and the coast · Atlantic coast and river mouthfine
Dry season November to May; the coast stays cooler than inland. Rain June–September, heaviest August. Harmattan haze and cooler nights December–February.
- Northern Senegal: Djoudj and the river valley · Inland, north-east of Saint-Louishot
Best birding November to March when Palearctic migrants are in. Inland heat builds March–May; 40 °C (104 °F)+ afternoons are normal.Best birding November to March when Palearctic migrants are in. Inland heat builds March–May; 104 °F (40 °C)+ afternoons are normal.
- Tambacounda Region: Tambacounda basin · Tambacounda city and the N1 corridorfine
Hot, dry savanna. March–May is the hottest stretch, often well above 35 °C (95 °F); the rains run roughly June–September.Hot, dry savanna. March–May is the hottest stretch, often well above 95 °F (35 °C); the rains run roughly June–September.
- Tambacounda Region: Kédougou and the south-east hills · Kédougou, Salémata, Bassari countryfine
Slightly cooler at altitude. Waterfalls are at their best late in the rains, but tracks are worst then; November–February is the cleanest window.
- Dakar32 °C (90 °F) / 26 °C (79 °F), 4 rain days90 °F (32 °C) / 79 °F (26 °C), 4 rain days
- Bakel33 °C (91 °F) / 22 °C (72 °F), 4 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 72 °F (22 °C), 4 rain days
- Cap Skirring32 °C (90 °F) / 23 °C (73 °F), 6 rain days90 °F (32 °C) / 73 °F (23 °C), 6 rain days
- Foundiougne33 °C (91 °F) / 22 °C (72 °F), 8 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 72 °F (22 °C), 8 rain days
- Joal-Fadiouth31 °C (88 °F) / 22 °C (72 °F), 3 rain days88 °F (31 °C) / 72 °F (22 °C), 3 rain days
- Kafountine32 °C (90 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 7 rain days90 °F (32 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 7 rain days
- Kédougou33 °C (91 °F) / 25 °C (77 °F), 7 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 77 °F (25 °C), 7 rain days
- Mar Lodj31 °C (88 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 6 rain days88 °F (31 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 6 rain days
- Mboro31 °C (88 °F) / 23 °C (73 °F), 6 rain days88 °F (31 °C) / 73 °F (23 °C), 6 rain days
- Mbour33 °C (91 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 5 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 5 rain days
- Palmarin32 °C (90 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 5 rain days90 °F (32 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 5 rain days
- Podor38 °C (100 °F) / 23 °C (73 °F), 2 rain days100 °F (38 °C) / 73 °F (23 °C), 2 rain days
- Popenguine33 °C (91 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 3 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 3 rain days
- Saint-Louis34 °C (93 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 2 rain days93 °F (34 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 2 rain days
- Salemata35 °C (95 °F) / 22 °C (72 °F), 6 rain days95 °F (35 °C) / 72 °F (22 °C), 6 rain days
- Sokone33 °C (91 °F) / 22 °C (72 °F), 5 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 72 °F (22 °C), 5 rain days
- Tambacounda35 °C (95 °F) / 23 °C (73 °F), 4 rain days95 °F (35 °C) / 73 °F (23 °C), 4 rain days
- Thies33 °C (91 °F) / 23 °C (73 °F), 4 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 73 °F (23 °C), 4 rain days
- Touba32 °C (90 °F) / 22 °C (72 °F), 75 rain days90 °F (32 °C) / 72 °F (22 °C), 75 rain days
- Toubakouta33 °C (91 °F) / 22 °C (72 °F), 4 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 72 °F (22 °C), 4 rain days
- Ziguinchor33 °C (91 °F) / 26 °C (79 °F), 5 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 79 °F (26 °C), 5 rain days
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Senegal
- Low
- Prices · Senegal
- Low
Compare two months
Weather, crowds and prices for any two months in Senegal, side by side.
Verdict
Oct: Mixed
Jan: Great (better)
Crowds
Oct: Low
Jan: High
Prices
Oct: Low
Jan: High
Festivals listed
Oct: 0
Jan: 1
October: Rains fade mid-month; green landscapes, still humid.
January: Dry, breezy, 25 °C on the coast; the Dakar Rally legacy crowd and winter-sun Europeans fill Saly.
Senegal: figures are long-term averages from this guide, not a forecast.
What to pack
- A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast
Where to go in October
Rated best or good this month
Best months: Oct–May (dry season, milder temps)