Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary

Just south of the Sahara, the first substantial water many migrating birds encounter is the Djoudj Sanctuary in the Senegal River delta — and some 1.5 million of them use it. White pelicans breed in raucous colonies among the 16,000 hectares of lake, streams, ponds and backwaters, joined by purple herons, African spoonbills, great egrets and cormorants. The wetland became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.