Film production in Senegal

Senegal is covered here with 1 location. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 1h 43min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.

Shooting hours in Dakar across the year

Dakar is the location covered here for this country. The table gives sunrise, sunset, usable daylight and the start of the evening golden hour for every month — computed from the coordinates (14.6928, -17.4467) in the Africa/Dakar timezone.

Sun times for Dakar — computed for 2026, timezone Africa/Dakar
MonthSunriseSunsetDaylightGolden hour (evening, from)
January07:3919:0011h 21min18:30
February07:3519:1511h 40min18:46
March07:1819:2112h 02min18:53
April06:5719:2412h 28min18:56
May06:4319:3112h 48min19:01
June06:4119:4112h 59min19:10
July06:4919:4412h 55min19:13
August06:5719:3412h 37min19:05
September06:5919:1312h 13min18:44
October07:0218:5111h 49min18:22
November07:1218:3911h 27min18:09
December07:2818:4411h 16min18:12

What that means for planning

In Dakar, daylight swings by 1h 43min across the year. A schedule built around 12h 59min in June has only 11h 16min left in December — with the same setup count.

Concretely: in December, the sun in Dakar sets at 18:44, with golden hour starting as early as 18:12. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.

TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.

Permits and local requirements

Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.

File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.

Frequently asked

How many locations in Senegal are covered here?

1. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.

Which location in Senegal has the longest shooting days?

In June, Dakar with 12h 59min of daylight. In December that drops to 11h 16min.

When is the best time to shoot in Senegal?

On daylight length alone, June. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.

Do I need a separate permit for every location?

As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.