A humanitarian trip to Senegal means choosing a warm and accessible destination. Between the Atlantic Ocean, small villages, and dynamic major cities, you will experience true cultural immersion. The capital, Dakar, concentrates a large part of the country’s economic activity, but many other regions are also worth discovering.
It is also a destination where you quickly feel integrated, creating a favorable environment for volunteering, especially when joining a humanitarian aid association in Senegal or a supervised local project. Senegal offers a diversity of landscapes and lifestyles that make immersion particularly rich and rewarding.
In terms of language, the official language is French, which greatly facilitates arrival and participation for French speakers. In everyday life, you will also hear a lot of Wolof and other national languages depending on the region.
Regarding living conditions, expect a mix of modern infrastructure in large urban areas and a more local pace in smaller towns (occasional water/electricity cuts, longer travel times, etc.). This is also what makes the experience authentic: learning to adapt and live simply.
There are no complicated requirements. What matters most is motivation and mindset. To take part, you generally need to be in good physical condition, especially if the project takes place outdoors. You must be an adult, although some of our humanitarian trips to Senegal are accessible to young people from the age of 16. You must also have a valid passport and take out travel insurance that covers medical care and repatriation if needed (essential, even for a short stay).
It is preferable to speak French or have a solid basic level: this is a real advantage for daily life, on-site coordination, and relationships with the team.
Before leaving, a few simple habits make the experience more enjoyable:
Yes, overall volunteering in Senegal goes smoothly, provided you follow the usual travel safety rules: avoid displaying valuables, follow instructions, choose your movements carefully, and stay aware of your surroundings.
With Freepackers, you are supported: the team is reachable at all times, the local NGO supervises participants, and projects are selected for their reliability—this makes a real difference in terms of comfort and safety.
Doing a humanitarian mission in Senegal allows you to discover the country while contributing to projects that are both useful and immersive. To give you a concrete idea, we offer a farm project in Senegal focused on environmental protection, sustainable agricultural practices, and useful actions alongside local communities, with a strong emphasis on impact and immersion.
The benefit is twofold: on one hand, you enjoy an immersive experience close to ecosystems and local populations, and on the other, you take part in concrete, useful, and sustainable actions.
Ready to take action? Choose your humanitarian trip to Senegal now and enjoy a meaningful, well-supported experience rich in encounters.
No visa is required for European citizens.
You can consult the Institut Pasteur’s recommendations by destination via this link.
For any international project, Freepackers requires the purchase of travel insurance that includes coverage for accidents, illness, repatriation, and civil liability in the event of damage to third parties.
You can take out your travel insurance online with our partner Chapka, with whom you benefit from a 5% discount via this link.
For comprehensive coverage during studies or an internship abroad, you can take out Cap Student insurance online by following this link. This insurance also includes civil liability as part of an activity abroad.
