Kaolack is a dusty regional capital of 250,000 inhabitants, on the sand flats of the Saloum River. It is a good place to stay when travelling from Ziguinchor in the south to Dakar, rather than arriving in Dakar late at night. Kaolack is a lively city with a thriving covered market, the second largest one in Africa. The market building was erected in Sudanese style. There is a beautifully decorated mosque in town.

There are two taxi parks in Kaolack, one on the west of town, for transportation in the direction of Dakar and another one near the river, for direction Banjul (the Gambia) and Tambacounda. There are numerous hotels and restaurants in town. Kaolack is 160 km southeast of Dakar.