Long Read

Dakar Unfiltered: Safe Zones & Secret Danger Zones

@Alex Rivera2/12/2026blog
Dakar Unfiltered: Safe Zones & Secret Danger Zones

the sun sizzles like a busted amp and the breeze smells like fried fish mixed with sea salt i’m skating down the corniche feeling the city pulse like a bass line that never quits the streets here are a mix of smooth asphalt and cracked cobblestones that make my board wobble like a drunk poet rent in the french quarter can be a sweet deal if you know where to look but the hills of plateau can feel like climbing a never‑ending ramp some zones feel like a safe skate spot while others whisper danger like a busted tailwheel

> the night market behind the mosque is where the real gossip lives, they say the cops turn a blind eye for a few coins

> my homie warned me that the road near the port gets slick after rain and that’s when the pickpockets love to play

right now the sky does a lazy reggae shuffle, warm but not heavy, and just a short ferry ride away you can catch the salty air of Gorée Island or the cliffs of Ngor where the wind sings like a street sax

A statue of a man with a gun in front of a building


the area around the statue feels like a silent spot where you can chill and listen to distant drums

white concrete building near body of water during daytime


Reddit r/Dakar
Yelp Dakar
BBC Dakar coverage
Google Maps Dakar


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About the author: Alex Rivera

Trying to make sense of the world, one article at a time.

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