Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS), which serves Dakar, had no nonstop flight to Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda when we checked in September 2026. The simplest routing is Kenya Airways’ Dakar–Abidjan–Nairobi service, with one stop in Abidjan and no change of airline, then Kenya Airways connections from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Entebbe.
Turkish Airlines via Istanbul and Emirates via Dubai are the main alternatives, and both can take you to Dar es Salaam as well as Nairobi. They are longer journeys, but useful if the Abidjan routing is full or its days do not suit your matches.
French is Senegal’s official language. In the host countries you will hear English and Swahili, so be comfortable using English for check-in, transport and hotels. Senegal uses the West African CFA franc (XOF), while you will be paying in shillings in East Africa, so confirm that your card is enabled for foreign payments.
Entry conditions depend on nationality rather than departure point, so flying from Dakar changes nothing there; we check them for each traveller. Think about the return journey too: Senegal asks travellers arriving from yellow fever risk countries — a list that includes Kenya and Uganda — for a vaccination certificate, even after a short transit.