Collecting your vehicle in central Dakar
Plateau is the administrative and commercial heart of Dakar. This guide helps you find your way around for a pickup in the city centre — traffic, landmarks, recommended time slots. Senoto is a marketplace: your independent partner coordinates the time and place of the handover directly with you.
How to collect your vehicle
- 1Arrange the meeting with your partner
Your partner will contact you directly on WhatsApp to agree on the exact place and time for the vehicle handover. Senoto connects you: the handover itself is coordinated between you and the independent partner.
- 2Pick the right time slot
Plateau is gridlocked at rush hour (7:00–9:30 and 17:00–20:00). Aim for a meeting between 10:00–12:00 or 14:00–16:00. At weekends, traffic flows from 8:00 onwards.
- 3Prepare your documents
Keep your driving licence, passport/photo ID, booking confirmation and means of payment for the deposit to hand for the meeting with your partner.
- 4Check the vehicle before driving off
Walk around the vehicle (four sides, interior, mileage, fuel level) and take your own dated photos to secure the handover record. The contract is in French.
- 5Get to know the area before driving off
Plateau is a grid of one-way streets. The main routes: Avenue Léopold Sédar Senghor (to the Corniche), Rue Moussé Diop (to the motorway), Boulevard de la République (east-west axis). Switch on Google Maps from the start.
Driving in Plateau — what you need to know
- Plateau is a one-way-street neighbourhood. Most north-south axes go down to the port; east-west axes alternate. Google Maps handles the one-ways well.
- Parking is managed by informal attendants. Keep 200 to 500 FCFA for when you return to the vehicle. Do not refuse — it is the local norm.
- The heaviest jams are on Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop and the VDN. To leave Plateau towards the motorway, take the Corniche Ouest then the Patte d’Oie interchange.
- Mopeds and pedestrians cross unpredictably. Drive slowly for the first few hours and leave a generous safety distance.
- Red lights are respected in Plateau (more so than in the suburbs). At roundabouts, priority is on the left (as in France).
Landmarks in Plateau
- Place de l’Indépendance: the heart of the area, a classic navigation landmark. City Hall and colonial monuments.
- Cathedral of African Remembrance: visible from afar, easy to spot on Maps. Parking is possible in nearby streets.
- Kermel market: covered hall. Avoid by car (narrow streets) but an excellent pedestrian landmark.
- Railway station: disused but easy to identify. The Dakar–AIBD TER station is planned (under construction).
- Corniche Ouest: spectacular coastal road towards Fann, Mermoz, Ouakam. Few traffic jams except in late afternoon.
City centre parking
- Underground car parks are rare in Dakar. The best-known is at the Sea Plaza shopping centre (Corniche side, free for customers).
- Auchan Plateau (Rue Vincens) has a small customer car park.
- Surface parking is free but watched by attendants. Rule: park where other cars are parked, not on kerbs painted yellow.
- Never leave valuables visible in the vehicle — even when parked.
Useful information
Documents to bring
- Valid driving licence (international permit recommended for non-residents)
- Passport or photo ID
- Senoto booking confirmation (email with the reference)
- Means of payment for the deposit (international Visa/Mastercard)
