Bakel is a town that is located on the eastern part of Senegal, on the left bank of the Senegal River. It is the department capital of Bakel Department and is one of the titular department capitals in Tambacounda region in addition to the cities of Tambacounda, Goudiry and Koumpentoum. Most of the population belongs to the ethnic group that speaks the Soninke language, while there is a significant minority that speaks the languages of Fula, Bambara and Wolof. As the department capital, its economy is mainly driven by agriculture, carpentry, masonry or even transportation as goods will get into the town first before distributed elsewhere. The town in a similar fashion to other parts in Senegal would have a couple of buildings with French architecture that has been left back from the days of French reign in the region.

Airports in Bakel

Bakel Airport

Bakel Airport is the airport in Tambacouda region serving the town of Bakel as well as its nearby areas. It is located about 10 kilometers away from the city center of Bakel. At an elevation of 30 meters, the airport has a runway that is 1,750 meters long and is made of macadam. To get to Bakel, one may need to reach to the capital Dakar by taking international flights via Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines among others before switching to a local flight to Bakel.

How to Get Cheap Flights to Bakel?

Traveloka is a travel search engine that makes it easy for travelers to find the cheapest flights to Bakel.All you need to do is to key in the information in the search box, and the application will recommend the best trip according to your budget. It compares flight prices across some trusted airlines to help you to get the best possible deal. Don’t hesitate to use Traveloka’s price alert feature to be notified of flights in your desired price range to get the best flight price to Bakel.

When is the Best Time to Fly to Bakel?

The off-peak season to visit Bakel is typical during the hot season, especially around June to October. Consequently, price cuts tend to happen around this period, therefore it could be a great deal for bargain hunters. As for the best season to visit the town of Bakel, it is during November to March in which the temperature is just great to go out and visit the city and the nights are much colder too. However, you are to expect even higher crowd than usual. Therefore, if you plan on coming to Bakel, please note of these periods and plan accordingly so that you can enjoy Bakel without spending too much money.

Bakel is said to have a semi-arid climate according to Köppen climate classification which implies little variation in the temperature, with the average high temperatures that will always exceed more than 40 degree Celsius during summer. On the other hand, the average low temperatures are ranging around 5.9 degree Celsius to 8.9 degree Celsius during winter. On average, Bakel receives about 629.88 mm of annual precipitation with July being the wettest month.

Given that just like in other parts around Senegal, most of the people here in Bakel is practicing the Islamic faith, therefore they will observe the major events in the Islamic calendar in a similar fashion to any other practicing Muslims around the world. This would include Eid Fitri, Eid Adha, Muharram and Prophet's Birthday among others. In addition to these events, there are also a couple of other events that are considered major, such as the St Louis Jazz Festival that attracted jazz fans from all around the West Africa region.

What are the Top 5 Things to Do in Bakel?

René Caillé Pavilion – An old residence of the French explorer René Caillié that was used during his trip to Timbuktu, the area can be useful for visitors to get a good look over the old city area. It is now has been reserved as a historic site by the government.

Bakel Fort – Among the forts around the area that has signficant French architecture and was used for defense purposes after the colonization by the French. It is also known as Faidherbe Fort that was built between 1818 and 1819, initially used as the French military outpost with a military observation tower of the hilltop and a French military cemetery located nearby.

Hill of Wouro Himadou – A hill found not far off from the city. It is said to be the site where the tomb of Malick Sy is located, in which he was the first Muslim ruler of the Bundu. That aside, the hill is another interesting attraction to get a good view of the city from a certain altitude.