Campsites with a Pool
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The page exists, the properties are on their way. In the meantime, here are other options for your stay — and if you own a property in the area, now's the time to list it.
Of all the accommodation combinations available in Senegal, this is the most unlikely: a pool in the middle of a tent camp, in dunes where nothing gets built and where every liter of water is brought in from outside. Yet it exists, in a few camps in the Lompoul desert, the only place in the country where you sleep under canvas.
Elsewhere, a property's pool complements a beach, a lagoon or a river. Here, it complements nothing: it is the only water for miles around. This page helps you decide whether this filter is worth it for your stay, because the honest answer is not always yes.
A pool in the dunes, a national exception
On the Senegalese coast, the pool question is almost always asked in relation to the sea: is it swimmable, are the currents strong, is the water cool in February? In the Saloum delta, it is asked in relation to the bolongs (tidal creeks), which you navigate but do not swim in. At Lake Retba (Pink Lake), in relation to a lake too salty for swimming.
In the Lompoul dunes, none of these comparisons hold. The ocean is close as the crow flies, but you don't walk there between two activities, and the sand offers neither shade nor water. So the pool is not an alternative to another swim: it is the only one. That is what makes it so precious on some days, and completely unnecessary on others.
It also says something about the camp that maintains it. Keeping water clean where the wind constantly deposits sand takes solid organization and year-round staff. A camp with this equipment is, almost always, a well-established camp.
Where to find camping with a pool in Senegal
The answer comes down to a single place. Camping with a pool in Lompoul is the only one of its kind we list in the country, in the heart of the small erg of the Lompoul area, on the road linking Dakar to Saint-Louis. The pool usually sits at the center of the camp, near the large dining tent, and is modest in size.
The general page for camping in Senegal also covers camps without a pool, which are simpler and often cheaper. If swimming matters most and the tent is not essential, other pages on the site are a better fit: lodges with a pool, in the Saloum and Casamance, or villas with a pool, from Pink Lake to the Petite Côte.
When the pool changes your night in the desert
Three situations tip the balance in favor of the pool, and they often overlap.
The heat at the end of the dry season. Between March and June, afternoons become oppressive in the dunes, with no natural shade and under direct sun. Arriving at the camp at that time of day, after the drive, with no way to cool off, is genuinely unpleasant. This is when the "pool" filter best justifies its extra cost.
Children. The desert offers younger children a wonderful activity — climbing, sliding down, digging — but it does not fill a whole afternoon. The pool fills the time between lunch and the evening light, and lets you arrive earlier without the day turning into a wait.
Two-night stays. On a single night, you arrive late and leave early. With two, you spend a full day on site, and that day needs water and a bit of shade.
When it is just a nice extra
Let's be clear: for a single night between November and February, when you come for the sunset and the starry sky, the pool is of little use. Days are warm but bearable, evenings cool, and the highlight is on the crests of the dunes, not by the water. In that case, a camp without a pool will give you the same night, in a spirit truer to the place.
The same goes if you are passing through solo or as a couple, on the road to Saint-Louis, planning to leave early in the morning: you will barely use it.
The heat calendar, nationwide
The tourist high season runs from November 1 to May 31, but the heat does not follow that schedule. On the beaches, the sea breeze softens the afternoons; in the dune sand, without the slightest shade, the heat becomes truly severe from March onward.
The North, on the other hand, has the shortest rainy season (hivernage) in the country, about two months from late July to late September. Humid heat and a few showers characterize this period, during which some camps scale back: confirm they are open.
Finally, weekends, long weekends and the year-end holidays concentrate demand on a limited number of tents, and camps with a pool are fewer still. For those dates, book early.
What to check before booking
Four points deserve an explicit question. Shade around the pool: a paillote (straw shelter), a stretched canvas or nothing at all, which makes all the difference from March to June. The size, since you cool off more than you swim. The depth, if you are coming with young children. And the condition of the water when you arrive: if it doesn't look clean to you, tell your hosts right away.
Good to know & booking
The final stretch is on sand, with a transfer arranged by the camp; transfers from Dakar or Saint-Louis can also be booked. Add a swimsuit and a towel to the usual list — flashlight, cheche (head scarf), warm clothing for the night — and cash for the balance.
You secure the booking by paying 20% of the total online, which covers the booking fee. The balance is paid in cash at the camp, meals included.
As for cancellation, you can cancel free of charge up to 7 days before the arrival date in low season (June 1 – October 31) and 14 days in high season (November 1 – May 31). Within that window, the booking is final once confirmed, but your dates can be moved once, no later than 48 hours before. A camp that cancels owes you an equivalent option or, failing that, a full refund of the fees. The resident rate is for people living in Senegal and for the Senegalese diaspora; it appears on every listing once your account has been verified by a phone call.
Budget separately for the tourism promotion tax (TPT), not included in the rates: 1,000 FCFA per person per night, paid on site.
Who is it for?
Families with children, above all: they are the travelers for whom this filter really changes the day.
Travelers from March to June, when the heat makes arriving at camp hard without water.
Groups and two-night stays, for whom the pool area becomes the day's living space.
Dakar residents on a weekend break who want the desert without giving up a swim. Less so single-night winter travelers, who will find the same experience, simpler, in a camp without a pool.
Frequently asked questions
Is there really camping with a pool in Senegal?
Yes, in a few camps in the Lompoul desert, the only place in the country where you sleep in a tent. It remains rare, because everything has to be brought into the dunes and the sand requires daily maintenance.
Is the pool worth the extra cost?
Not always. For one night between November and February, it is of little use. It becomes precious from March to June, with children, or on a two-night stay that leaves a full day on site.
Are the pools large?
No, they are generally modest in size: you cool off more than you swim. The dimensions are shown on each camp's listing.
Is there shade around the pool?
It depends on the camp: some have a paillote or a canvas awning, others don't. In the dunes, nothing blocks the sun, and this becomes decisive at the end of the dry season.
What is the best time to make the most of it?
March to June, when the afternoons are hottest. During the rainy season, which is short in the North, some camps scale back: confirm they are open before booking.
How do I book?
You pay 20% of the total online, then the balance to the camp on arrival, in cash. The tourism promotion tax, 1,000 FCFA per person per night, is added on site.