While you are in the pristine surroundings of the African continent, enjoy the lovely pleasures of being in this land. Come here to Goree Island and bask in the pleasures of a totally luxurious locale.
Amongst the many sights here, the Maison des Escalaves or the Slave House is a great place to visit. This is a great way the tourists are reminded about the way Goree has played a major role in the Western African Slave trade. The Dutch built this in the year 1776 and it has been preserved perfectly the way it was. There are many other points of interest like the Fort Nassau ruins, the Church, Saint Michel Castle, and also the Old Fort Estrees which has the Historical Museum. Also, experience the beach here which provides you with the best swimming facilities. There is a ferry slip here which gives you ideal tour experiences.
Goree Island is a small secluded place and all tourists coming here enjoy the beautiful ambiance of the place and has also developed a great deal. Goree Island is around three kilometers from Dakar Island which is the nearest point. It is made up of a flat plain and there is a steep basalt hill here which is the main attraction here. This is around 900 meters by 300. The Phoenicians saw this and there were many others in antiquity and the Portuguese discovered this in the year 1444 under the guidance of Dias.
Colonized in the year 1817, the Dutch were the ones who purchased the island. It was a local chief who sold it to them for a small amount. Goree thus became a station for the Dutch ships which used to come by these routes between the Gold Coast forts. Today this Gold Coast is known as Ghana. The island got its name from the Dutch. Goode Reede means good harbor and it has changed a lot of hands over a period of time. In the year 1802, the French took over the island and it has since remained so till the Senegalese independence in the year 1960.
Goree Island was the main entry point that lay off the African coast for all those slavers. The fort Estrees then became a museum and many people have passed this island fortress. When the slave trade got abolished here in the year 1848, Goree became a great outpost and became a step-off point for colonization of the French in the interiors of the Western part of Africa.
Goree had the first printing plant in the French part of Africa. It also had its first school at the same time. This was one of the four communes elected for the French National Assembly. Goree is a very important region in the history of Africa.
The Botanical Gardens is a lovely area found here and is situated on the Rue du Port and was founded by the French in the year 1667 and is open to all tourists coming to this part of the world.
Visit the Church of St. Charles, which is situated on the Place de L’Eglise which is the church that was built with a lot of contributions in the year 1830. The style that was adopted was very similar to the provincial churches in the western part of France.
The William Ponty School is a lovely building where many of the leaders in Africa were educated. This housed the Ecole NOrmale from the years 1913 to 1917.
The Strickland House is another site of the first Consulate of America which was established in this part of western Africa. This was also the home of peter Strickland who was a businessman from America.
Then there is the University des Mutants which was founded by Senegal President Senghor. This was founded so that the African continent could live in harmony.
With all this in tow, the land of Africa comes alive with sights like the Goree Island in West African tour pleasures.
