Auberge Helaba

My wife and I and our three kids (14, 12, and 8) stayed at Auberge Helaba along with another couple. This campement is clean and colorful. Owned and operated by two brothers, Pape and Mamadou were friendly and eager to be of assistance. They were always nearby if we needed something, but careful to stay out of way and allow us to enjoy our visit. The auberge has four cabins. Two cabins accommodate 4 people with two rooms each with a double bed and sharing a bathroom. One cabin accommodates 2 people with one double bed, and the fourth accommodates 3 people with 1 double and 1 single bed. Each cabin has its own bathroom with shower. The rooms have been recently re-done with tile floors and showers. Each room in each cabin has air conditioning at no extra cost. (This is unique for this area. Many of the campements have both A/C cabins and non-A/C cabins at different rates. The stated price is usually for the non-A/C cabin, make sure you ask.) Pape and Mamadou can arrange excursions into the Sine Saloum delta or to the Fathala reserve. We did the Lion Walk at Fathala (see separate review) and then took a sunset boat ride through the delta (80,000 fcfa or $160). It was an amazing experience. We explored some of the narrow inlets in the delta, visited the "Island of Shells," watched the dozens of species of birds come in to nest, and finally visited a traditional Senegalese fishing village. Before we left, we had arranged dinner with the on-site chef at the auberege. The table was set upon our return. We had several minutes to wash up and then dinner was served. We had a western-style salad, chicken with onion sauce, french fries, and fresh mango for desert all for only 4000 fcfa per person (about $8). I've lived in Senegal for over a year and it was by far the best local meal I've eaten. The next morning the men went on a 6 hour fishing expedition for 50,000 fcfa ($100). The guide brought the poles and tackle, all we had to do was show up. We caught two barracuda (1 - 8 lb. and 1 - 40 lb.!). As part of the agreement, we gave half to our guide and kept the other half for ourselves. While the men fished, the women swam and lounged by the pool. The pool was clean and great for kids. The depth dropped slowly from ankle deep to 5 ft. The water was very warm, a bit of a drawback but common for Senegal. Our only mistake was not having the chef make lunch for us. We departed as soon as the men returned from fishing, but we should have enjoyed their food one more time. The prices were very affordable at 25,000 fcfa ($50) for the double cabin and 46,000 ($92) for the quad cabin. I only have two complaints. The beds are traditional African beds which means they are very hard. I don't sleep very well on them, but they are extremely common. The beds were in good shape and the bedding was clean. All beds had mosquito nets. The other problem was an infestation of some type of nuisance bug I could not identify (similar to an earwig). They don't bite, but they were everywhere. Mamadou did come in and spray and sweep them out once, but they could not be contained. All in all, we really enjoyed our trip to this unique part of Senegal. I highly recommend Auberge Helaba and recommend you eat as many meals there as possible.