Phare des Mamelles

The Phare des Mamelles is a lighthouse crowning one of the two volcanic hills known as the Mamelles at the western tip of the Cap-Vert peninsula. Built by the French in 1864, it stands at roughly 100 metres above sea level, making it one of the most powerful navigational lights on the West African coast. A winding track leads up to the beam, rewarding the climb with sweeping views over Dakar, the ocean and the nearby African Renaissance Monument. At night the rotating light sweeps across the peninsula and its beaches.