Dakar

Dakar needs 2 days: Gorée Island, a 20-minute ferry ride away, with the House of Slaves and its «Door of No Return» commemorating the transatlantic slave trade, on one, and the African Renaissance Monument, a 49-meter bronze statue -taller than the Statue of Liberty- overlooking the Atlantic, on the other. November-May is best, avoiding the rainy season. It's mid-priced for the region's standard. Gorée Island has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978, and the city is also one of West Africa's most influential music centers, birthplace of mbalax and Youssou N'Dour.