Saly's position on the Petite Côte makes it a good base for exploring the surrounding region. The main day-trip options are Bandia Wildlife Reserve and the island community of Joal-Fadiouth.
Bandia Reserve, about 35 kilometres north of Saly near Sindia, holds a small but genuine collection of African wildlife — rhinos, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, and various antelope species in a fenced savanna reserve. It's not a substitute for East African safari but gives a real wildlife experience within easy reach. Most Saly hotels offer organised trips, or you can go independently by car.
Joal-Fadiouth, about 25 kilometres south of Saly, is a pair of islands connected to the mainland and to each other by shell-paved causeways. Fadiouth is built entirely on a mound of oyster shells accumulated over centuries and has a remarkable Christian cemetery — unusual in Muslim Senegal — also built on shells. It is one of the most singular communities on the Senegalese coast and easy to visit in a half-day.