Dakar occupies the Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of mainland Africa, and became French West Africa's capital in 1902 after starting as a naval outpost in 1857; it has been independent Senegal's capital since 1960. Offshore, Gorée Island's House of Slaves and its 'Door of No Return' form a UNESCO memorial to the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Five submarine cables land here, including 2Africa, the highest-capacity system built for the continent, and Jokkolabs, opened in 2010, calls itself Africa's first coworking space. The city remains a stronghold of mbalax, the sound Youssou N'Dour carried worldwide.
Nights sit around 25°C and afternoons around 31°C.
Dakar barely changes season: afternoons sit around 29°C and nights around 22°C most of the year.
Rain is spread through the year — about 391 mm in total, from 166 mm in August down to 0 mm in February — so no single month is a washout.
Wind is a factor: March averages 22 km/h, enough to notice on a terrace or a bike. Air quality is worth watching: February averages an AQI of 109, while August clears to 61.
Days stretch to about 12.9 hours of light in June and shrink to 11.1 in December — something to weigh if you work to a fixed timezone.
For what you're after, the best months in Dakar are October – February. Expect decent internet (37 Mbps) and a moderate cost of living (about €1400 a month).
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