The magical sunsets of Casamance
Do you want to lose yourself? Get away from the madding crowd and disconnect from the routine in the middle of nature and next to wild dream beaches? Casamance is waiting for you.
But not the Casamance that they have told you about, that of hotels and resorts frequented by European retirees, but an almost unknown one of small but charming corners , of close and relaxed treatment, washed by the sea (or the river) and surrounded by lush greenery that characterizes the considered region “Senegal barn”.
The Casamance mangrove landscape
In the hidden village of Diembering , having to take a short walk from where the asphalt ends to where the doors of this haven of tranquility open, we found the La Casa camp.
When in this area we talk about campements, do not think about tents, or space to park motorhomes. They call camps accommodation made up of several buildings separate parts that often mimic the cases , traditional Senegalese dwellings: small cabins with a circular floor plan and a roof made from natural fibers.
It is to set foot in La Casa and feel how all your worries leave you . There is no room for tension or stress there. The relaxed atmosphere, care and affection present in the careful plants and the handmade decoration of each room, the hammocks that hang from the palm trees from where you can listen to reggae melodies that flow from the guitars...
Fishing in the Ziguinchor region
And, as sovereign host in this realm of calm, there is the charismatic Massimo , an Italian who has spent decades installed in the heart of the diola community and that, while he prepares you a delicious pasta dish (he leaves the preparation of the rich, if simple, senegalese cuisine ), he tells you dramatic intensity and deep look the story of how he built this camp, little by little, with his own hands.
As if all this were not enough, less than 5 minutes from La Casa, you have all a white sand beach just for you. Well, for you and for the cows that their owners usually take by the dozen to walk along the shore. For a more afternoon plan and exploration, you can get lost among the majestic trunks of the ceiba forest ( fromagers in French), neighbor to the camp.
Cows on Paradise beach in Casamance
Also in the Ziguinchor region or Lower Casamance , it is highly recommended to install yourself in Sounka House , popularly known as Chez Papis , namely, daddy's home responsible for the place.
Located in the Cachouane Island, at the mouth of the casamance river , you arrive aboard a canoe or canoe from which, if you are lucky, you will be able to see dolphins and all kinds of fish.
Casamance River in Senegal
When you dock at the pier, don't be surprised if you are greeted by a procession of locals dancing and playing drums. Everything is joy and celebration to receive your visit , the famous teranga Senegalese (hospitality in Wolof ) .
Next, Papis and company will install you in the spacious rooms and they will invite you to tour the great extensions of rice fields and eating grilled mangrove oysters or the fish that they have caught that same day, huge pieces that they cook and present with great pleasure.
Rice plantations in Casamance
As the day ends the magic begins . From the chairs and loungers that await you on the sand, you will be able to enjoy one of the most spectacular sunsets you will have seen in your life. But with the sunset the show is not over.
Then the stars appear . The whole sky covered with bright dots (some fleeting) and, as if out of envy, hundreds of sparkles will come to meet you if you take a night bath . Is he marine phytoplankton , tiny organisms that emit light when they receive external stimuli, such as the movement of your limbs when swimming, and that abound in the coast of Cachouane.
You are in Casamance; you are in paradise
If you are too lazy to walk on the beach and you consider yourself more of a freshwater fish, your place is the Bantabaa Too Lodge. We pass from Lower Casamance to Media Casamance, the Sédhiou region, where they have conditioned with evident care this refuge that perfectly combines the traditional charm of the houses with the most modern comfort.
The best? Their swimming pool overlooking the Casamance River in one of its widest sections. When you want a little more movement than floating in it or moving from your room to the on-site restaurant, the Bantabaa organizes tours of the surrounding area and canoe rides to desert islands dotted with baobabs Y flown over by dozens of bird species.
Not in vain, if you are in Casamance, you are in paradise and its inhabitants let you know by showing you, enchanted, their landscapes and cultures.
The swimming pool overlooking the Casamance River