Bend on the Mamelles of Dakar
We will leave the accommodations at 8 am and
bend on the road of Ouakam to visit the Mamelles.
On the west coast of Dakar are the two highest summits of the peninsula
of the Green Cap : the Mamelles. They ensue from the volcanic
system which dates back the Quaternary. This volcanism was explosive
type on the calcareous substratum. There are two Mamelles :
the west Mamelle or Big Mamelle and the east Mamelle or Small Mamelle. They are separated by the
road of the West Ledge.
When we come down from the car, we will have a general view of both Mamelles and willl admire their conical shape. We will by-pass
the Big Mamelle to go down its base to appreciate its
height and discover its geologic constitution from its western facade.
The big Mamelle peaks as high as 107 metres. It is a part
of a volcanic device the western facade of which is turned to the
ocean. It is made up of three units :
- On the base, there is a statified unity. It is a parallel
stratification with the presence crossed stratifications in some parts;
- Over the statified unity, we have the second unity (unity 2) formed
by red scorias;
- Inside scorias there is the unity 3. It is formed by basalt laves
posterior to the scorias. These laves in shape of glove fingers have
been fitted inside scorias by a weakness zone.
Then, after approximately 40 minutes of walking, we will climb the big Mamelle to reach the summit. During the escalation, we willl
observe along the vegetation of this Mamelle which is very
varied and consisted of grasses and shrubs. It is dominated by
xerophytic species resisting the aridity. They are generally species
with thorns, latex or hard leaves. During the dry season most of them
lose their leaves to limit the evapotranspiration by adapting
themselves to the dried conditions of the environment. Indeed the
ground consists of cliffs and clays. Among the met species we note : Merremia aegyptiaca, Euphorbia balsamifera, Tephrosia bractéolata, Lantana camara, Adansonia digitata, Boscia senegalensis, Zizyphus
mauritiana, grasses, etc. The raised Stratum is almost absent
and the shrubby one is mostly composed of euphorbia.
Once in the summit, we will have a panoramic sight of almost all the
peninsula of the Green Cap and a beautiful sight of the Atlantic Ocean
with the Islands of Madeleine (which constitute the next stage of our
tour), the Island of Gorée, the Island of Ngor, Point of the
Almadies (the most western of the African continent with its
lighthouse, the role of which is to protect the boats of rocks
localized in this zone), the small Mamalle baptized
Monument of the African Renaissance.
Always at the top of the big Mamelle, we will discover the
lighthouse that overhangs its conical shape. Owing to its height, the
big Mamelle shelters the most ancient lighthouse of Dakar
which was built in 1864 and intended exclusively for the sea
navigation. It dominates the sea and its field of range is the most
powerful of all western Africa. From 126 metres over the sea level, the
lighthouse of the Mamelles is rhythmic and makes a white
brightness every five seconds. It has a tiny halogenous light bulb of
1000 watts working on a 220-volt alternating current. This light bulb
with a life expectancy of 3000 hours is wrapped with a big lens which
serves as amplifier. This gives it a lively and powerful brightness
with a reach of 53 kilometers.
Fantastic histories are related to the genesis of the Mamalles,
an environment where tales convey the lessons of life.
Among these tales, there is the history of a man who had a hunchbacked
woman.This latter was very embittered because of this deformation which
makes her life difficult. Then, the man got married to a second woman
who carried an even bigger bump. He wanted to ease the effort of the
first one. But it was not the case! One day, an old woman suggested to
the second wife who is so gentle and so kind to join one evening of
full moon the dance of the girls geniuses. She will have to ask one of
them to take her the "baby" on her back (that is her bump) so that she
can dance in his turn. And so, she had lost her bump at dawn. The other
wife who was furious asked her how she had made to get rid of her bump.
So, she has waited another evening of full moon to participate in the
dance of the girls-geniuses. When she asked a girl-genius to to take
the her "baby" (her hump) so that she can dance, this one told her to
hold her at first the baby whom she had been entrusted during the last
full moon. She accepted and so has a bump even bigger than the first
one. Desperately, she threw herself into the sea to commit suicide, but
the sea did not want to gobble up her completely : her two humps,
always visible, have become the Mamelles !
By coming down from the Mamelles, we will notice a long row of stones
painted in white. It announces the pilgrimage place of the brotherhood
Layène. It leads to the cave of Limamou Laye, the guide of this
brotherhood. We will reach it by car through the road of the village of
Ngor. The cave is directed to the ocean in the cliff. In the entry of
the cave, there is a mysterious stone which keep an imprint of left
knee and right foot (position of prayers) of the first religious guide
of the Layenes. We will find stone on another the track of his stick.
According to Seydina Limamou Laye, it is in this cave that his light
has stayed during 1000 years before its appeal. Every night, this light
went through the world to see on which earth and in which
people he had to begin the appeal of the Mahdi
This cave is nowadays visited by thousands of believers who come from
all over the world. During the ceremonies of the appeal, the Layène community organizes a pilgrimage by way of prayers and
remembrances.
After the Mamelles, we will go to discover a vestige of
another volcanic system more ancient which dates to the tertiary and
has left magnificent basalt columns : the Islands of Madeleine.
Meeting with the conservative of the National Park
of the Islands of Madeleine
We will visit at first the conservative of the
National park of Madeleine Islands at the post of command. A
session of interview will be held so as to discover the specificity of
the environment and to evaluate the necessity of its conservation. We
will receive from him recommendations on the behavior and the attitudes
to be adopted, which will allow us to discover at best the park, while
being sure not to disrupt the ecosystem. The ecoguards will be
introduced to us before we lunched with them. They will prepare the
meal.
It will be an oportunity to visit the islands of the park where the
nature is still chief of the seat, where a rare bird comes to
reproduce, where the maritime capital of an indescribable beauty
abounds in a incredible ichtyologic variety and where the natural
elements become allied to offer us an unforgettable spectacle.
The crossing
We will embark on board of a motorized dugout. It
will be rented for us by the economic grouping of the ecoguards, to
cross the sea and reach the big island. After 20 minutes, we will reach
the big island which is distant from 3.8 km of the post of command.
During the route, we can observe some sea birds like the madman of
bassan, a skillful fisherman, the phalarope with wide beak, the crazy
brown, the big labbe, the traveler tern, the royal tern, the ash
puffin, the sooty puffin, sabine's gull, etc.
Around the islands we will have the opportunity to observe the charms
of these mythical areas. We will skirt the Islands of Lougnes, appeared
witnesses of the former flows of lava. The latter are almost
inaccessible. Then, we will go to the Snake Island.
The big Island or the Island of Madeleine presents a magic
architecture. Of volcanic origin, it has magnificent prismatic
colonnades of impressive rocks sheaves giving to the cliffs a
bewitching charm. It will be an occasion to present the geology and the
implementation of the current forms that the nature offers us. Then we
will go to accost in the creek hubert.
The creek Hubert
The creek Hubert constitutes the only area of the
island where accosting is possible. It is a beautiful closed creek
similar to tense welcoming hands. At the bottom, it appears a natural
swimming pool embeded in the volcanic cliff, decorated with a white
beach, fine fragments of shells. It is 30 meters long and less than 4
meters deep. The water is always quiet whatever the tide is.
We will take advantage there of relaxation moments to bathe in this
environment without danger and to practise submarine dive.
For the enthusiasts of submarine dive, a mask and a snorkel, that we
will put at their disposal, are enough for evolving safely in this
natural gift and being marveled at the wealth and the rare beauty of
its depthes. A wide range of very interesting faune variety consisted
of mollusks, shellfishes, echinoderms and fishes such as the green
Parrot, the red Grouper, the Atlantic Girelle etc. can be observed
there.
We will install our bivouac, then prepare our dinner in this small
paradise. The night will be spent on this uninhabited island in
symbiosis with the sovereign and intact nature far from the hubbubs of
the town.
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