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Dakar · Senegal

Car hire and driving in Dakar

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

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In Senegal traffic drives on the right. Picking up at DSS means 40 km (25 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648842 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648843.

Drives from Dakar

Car rental from Dakar: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Dakar to Thiès NonesSenegal52 km (32 mi)about 48 min
Dakar to ThièsSenegal57 km (35 mi)about 52 min
Dakar to MbourSenegal60 km (37 mi)about 55 min
Dakar to TivaouaneSenegal73 km (46 mi)about 1 h 7 min
Dakar to DiourbelSenegal129 km (80 mi)about 1 h 58 min
Dakar to TiéboSenegal130 km (81 mi)about 1 h 59 min
Dakar to KaolackSenegal160 km (99 mi)about 2 h 26 min
Dakar to MbakéSenegal166 km (103 mi)about 2 h 31 min
Dakar to LougaSenegal166 km (103 mi)about 2 h 32 min
Dakar to ToubaSenegal170 km (105 mi)about 2 h 35 min
Dakar to Saint-LouisSenegal179 km (111 mi)about 2 h 44 min
Dakar to ZiguinchorSenegal268 km (167 mi)about 4 h 5 min
Dakar to TambacoundaSenegal420 km (261 mi)about 6 h 24 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Dakar?

The right, as everywhere in Senegal.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.