Best time to visit Dakar, Senegal

Our verdict

The best time to visit Dakar is August

Dakar is a place lots of people visit almost all year round, but if you’re looking for the best time to go, August is definitely the time you should visit. This is based on a number of factors such as the weather, cost of flights and accommodation, peak travel periods and more.

In the summer months, temperatures can reach as high as 30℃ (85℉) in Dakar. In the winter months, it can get down to as low as 17℃ (63℉) at night.

The sun stays up the longest in Dakar in May, so you’ll get the most out of your daytime activities if you visit around this time. The wet season in Dakar usually falls during the months surrounding August each year. It’s not uncommon to get some decent rainfall or light showers during this time, but on some days the weather tends to be fine for a majority of the day, with only a few drops of rain falling from a passing shower.

Learn more about when to travel to Dakar, the monthly weather breakdown, FAQs and much more below. Once you’ve decided when you want to go, use our handy tools to find the best prices to suit your budget on flights, transport/transfers, places to stay, and loads more!

Warmest month

October

Least rainfall

January

Most daylight

May

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Dakar seasons

Before you continue, it’s important to know when the seasons are in Dakar as they might be different to yours depending on where in the world you’re travelling from. Dakar is in the Northern Hemisphere, so the seasons fall during these months:

Season Months
Summer June to August
Autumn/fall September to November
Winter December to February
Spring March to May

Average temperatures in Dakar

If the temperature is a big factor for you to help you decide when to visit, the chart below shows the average minimum and maximum temperatures in Dakar for each month side-by-side so you can easily see the difference in weather throughout the year. To see the temperatures in both Celsius (°C) and Fahrenheit (°F), hover or tap the shaded boxes on the graph.

Dakar climate by month

If you already have a rough idea about which months you might want to travel, the section below shows a detailed breakdown of the climate in Dakar for each month so you can see if it all suits your wants and needs. Scroll down, or use the quick menu below to jump to your preferred month.

Jump to:

JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC

Dakar in January

  • Average temperature: 23℃ (74℉)
  • Average high temperature: 24℃ (75℉)
  • Average low temperature: 22℃ (71℉)
  • Average humidity: 59%
  • Average sunny days: 31 days
  • Average rainfall: 0mm (0") over 0 days
31 days
of pure sunshine
0 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in January, make sure you pack t-shirts and light clothing.


Dakar in February

  • Average temperature: 22℃ (71℉)
  • Average high temperature: 23℃ (73℉)
  • Average low temperature: 21℃ (69℉)
  • Average humidity: 65%
  • Average sunny days: 28 days
  • Average rainfall: 0mm (0") over 0 days
28 days
of pure sunshine
0 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in February, make sure you pack t-shirts and maybe a light jumper for the evenings.


Dakar in March

  • Average temperature: 21℃ (71℉)
  • Average high temperature: 22℃ (72℉)
  • Average low temperature: 20℃ (68℉)
  • Average humidity: 71%
  • Average sunny days: 31 days
  • Average rainfall: 1mm (0") over 0 days
31 days
of pure sunshine
0 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in March, make sure you pack t-shirts and maybe a light jumper for the evenings.


Dakar in April

  • Average temperature: 22℃ (71℉)
  • Average high temperature: 22℃ (72℉)
  • Average low temperature: 20℃ (69℉)
  • Average humidity: 77%
  • Average sunny days: 29 days
  • Average rainfall: 2mm (0") over 2 days
29 days
of pure sunshine
2 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in April, make sure you pack t-shirts and maybe a light jumper for the evenings.


Dakar in May

  • Average temperature: 23℃ (73℉)
  • Average high temperature: 23℃ (73℉)
  • Average low temperature: 21℃ (70℉)
  • Average humidity: 80%
  • Average sunny days: 29 days
  • Average rainfall: 3mm (0") over 2 days
29 days
of pure sunshine
2 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in May, make sure you pack t-shirts and light clothing.


Dakar in June

  • Average temperature: 25℃ (76℉)
  • Average high temperature: 25℃ (77℉)
  • Average low temperature: 24℃ (75℉)
  • Average humidity: 81%
  • Average sunny days: 25 days
  • Average rainfall: 10mm (0") over 4 days
25 days
of pure sunshine
4 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in June, make sure you pack t-shirts and light clothing.


Dakar in July

  • Average temperature: 26℃ (79℉)
  • Average high temperature: 27℃ (80℉)
  • Average low temperature: 25℃ (78℉)
  • Average humidity: 82%
  • Average sunny days: 20 days
  • Average rainfall: 30mm (1") over 9 days
20 days
of pure sunshine
9 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in July, make sure you pack t-shirts and light clothing.


Dakar in August

  • Average temperature: 27℃ (81℉)
  • Average high temperature: 28℃ (82℉)
  • Average low temperature: 26℃ (80℉)
  • Average humidity: 81%
  • Average sunny days: 14 days
  • Average rainfall: 79mm (3") over 13 days
14 days
of pure sunshine
13 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in August, make sure you pack t-shirts and light clothing.


Dakar in September

  • Average temperature: 28℃ (82℉)
  • Average high temperature: 28℃ (83℉)
  • Average low temperature: 27℃ (81℉)
  • Average humidity: 81%
  • Average sunny days: 16 days
  • Average rainfall: 64mm (3") over 13 days
16 days
of pure sunshine
13 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in September, make sure you pack t-shirts and light clothing.

Dakar in October

  • Average temperature: 28℃ (83℉)
  • Average high temperature: 29℃ (84℉)
  • Average low temperature: 28℃ (82℉)
  • Average humidity: 76%
  • Average sunny days: 25 days
  • Average rainfall: 21mm (1") over 5 days
25 days
of pure sunshine
5 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in October, make sure you pack t-shirts and light clothing.


Dakar in November

  • Average temperature: 27℃ (81℉)
  • Average high temperature: 28℃ (82℉)
  • Average low temperature: 26℃ (80℉)
  • Average humidity: 67%
  • Average sunny days: 29 days
  • Average rainfall: 1mm (0") over 1 days
29 days
of pure sunshine
1 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in November, make sure you pack t-shirts and light clothing.


Dakar in December

  • Average temperature: 25℃ (78℉)
  • Average high temperature: 26℃ (79℉)
  • Average low temperature: 24℃ (75℉)
  • Average humidity: 59%
  • Average sunny days: 30 days
  • Average rainfall: 0mm (0") over 1 days
30 days
of pure sunshine
1 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Dakar in December, make sure you pack t-shirts and light clothing.


Top FAQs

The hottest month of the year in Dakar is usually October, where temperatures tend to rise to around 29℃ (84℉) in the middle of the day or early afternoon.
The month with the least amount of rain in Dakar is generally around January. The dry season often coincides with cooler weather, so you should check the temperatures in January first to make sure it’s still a good time to go.
The rainiest time of year in Dakar is generally around August, although the wetter season can sometimes extend a few months either side of August too.
If you want to get the most out of your time visiting Dakar, or if you're just afraid of the dark, the days in May are usually the longest between sunrise and sunset.

Dakar map