As with all of Senegal’s WHS, this one is underreviewed. So I am glad to present the situation that I encountered when visiting in January 2025. I arrived by minibus (“combi”) from Dakar’s Gare Routière des Baux Maraîchers, a 5-hour ride mostly because of strong traffic congestion one-third of the way in Thies. The bus will drop you at the bus station on the mainland of Saint-Louis, from where it’s a short taxi ride across the Faidherbe Bridge to the island. The bridge, like the rest of the colonial heritage, dates from the late 19th century so is part of the inscribed area. It looks like a horizontal Eiffel Tower.

The urban layout on the narrow strip that comprises the island follows a rigid rectangular plan. So, the best way to explore is to walk one street up and the next street down. Most notable in the architectural design of the colonial buildings are the wrought-iron balconies, wooden shutters and the use of bright colours. There’s a mosque, a church, a post office, and administrative buildings, all dating back to the heydays of Saint-Louis when it was the French colonial capital of Senegal. No building stands out though, its strength lies in its homogeneity overall. Pictured is 'Les Signares', named after the wealthy Métis (mixed race) women who formed an aristocracy within the town and held society meetings and balls in their residences.

In contrast to what Jarek found in 2018, the streets are clean and not too much rubbish has washed ashore. Or maybe I have just become immune to dirt, having recently spent a month in India. Still, a fair number of the old buildings are in a bad state and the living conditions of the people don’t seem great either. The island isn't gentrified despite a few coffee shops, hotels and restaurants. Comparisons with Cuba are easily made, but it is not as good as Havana and more similar to Camagüey. 

I stayed in the core zone for two nights in one of those fine old houses, the Ndar Ndar House, with a rickety wooden balcony adorned with wrought-iron grilles attached to my room. I didn’t dare to put my full weight on it…