When in Dakar, Senegal, make sure to add Goree Island to your itinerary. The easy Dakar day trip is a must-do as it will take you to some of the darkest times of Senegal, and well, the world history, as well as some of the most colorful views ever. Wonder why I called it where Ugly and Beauty meet? That’s what Goree Island Senegal felt like when we visited.

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Goree Island Senegal

Goree Island History

What makes Goree Island so infamous? Well, Goree Island history is deep into slave history. First used by the Portuguese from the 15th century, then the Dutch and the English, then a French territory from the mid-17th century, the island became a slave trade center from mid-16th to the mid-19th century when slavery was abolished in the country by the French in 1814.

The island was designed at a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978.

Goree Island House of Slaves

Goree Island slave house, also called Maison des Esclaves in French, has been nicknamed Goree Island Door of No return. The reason why is obvious: slaves that crossed that door never returned. While researchers are still debating today how many slaves were sent away from Senegal, the Goree Island slave trade was certainly important given its strategic position along the coast, with easy access to boats.

House of Slaves

Regardless of any number, the sober past of Goree Island slavery is still strong today, and we can only encourage visiting to reflect on these events.

Colorful Slave Traders Houses

Most of the houses on the island were either for the slaves or for the slave traders. While the former houses were mostly made of mud which did not withhold the time, the latter are mostly still standing today. Testimony of the European colonial era, these colorful houses of deep red or bright orange are beautiful even in their dark origins.

Colonial Houses

Senegalese Art & Craft

Many of these houses are converted into shops, where local artists feature their art and crafts. Here a painter, there a sand-crafter. The island is all pedestrian, with sand the main soil all around. With their red flowers, lined up walls, crowning windows, or wooden doors, Bougainvillea adds to the color palette of the island.

Local Art and Craft

Fort d’Estrées

Built in the 1850s and named after the French Admiral D’Estrée after he took possession of the island from the Dutch in 1677, the fort served as a prison for a while. Now it’s hosting the IFAN Historical Museum (Musée des Esclaves, Ancien Fort d’Estrées), with exhibitions about Senegal history and artifacts from the island slave history.

Fort d’Estrees

Where is Goree Island Located?

The Goree Island (Ile de Goree) is off Dakar and a short ferry ride away. Take the earliest boat ride possible to make the best of your Goree Island Day Trip from Dakar, as you will for sure spend several hours on the island. The return boat will always come too early.

So what did we think of Goree Island? We can only feel grave given the island’s history and awe as the beauty of the island is undeniable. Hence why we felt that Goree was a place where ugly and beauty met. In any case, we can only recommend visiting the island.

Traditional Pirogues

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