Félou Falls Travel Guide

The Félou Falls, or Chutes du Félou in French, are situated on the Sénégal River, approximately 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) upstream from Kayes in western Mali. Here, the river descends 13 meters (43 feet) over a rugged arrangement of rocky steps, creating a striking natural display.Historically, the falls held considerable importance as the furthest navigable point on the Sénégal River from Saint Louis. The seasonal fluctuations in water levels meant that reaching the falls by boat was only feasible for a few months following the rainy season. In the 19th century, French forces utilized the river during their conquest of Sudan, and in 1855, Louis Faidherbe, the French governor of Sénégal, erected a fort in Médine, a village 3 kilometers downstream from the falls, to solidify French control over the river and establish a base for inland expansion.In more recent times, the Félou Falls have become the location of a hydroelectric plant. The initial plant, constructed by the French colonial government in the 1920s, was upgraded in 1992. In 2009, construction commenced on a new, larger hydroelectric plant with a capacity of 62.3 megawatts (83,500 hp), replacing the original small plant. This project, completed in 2014, stands as the third Senegal River Basin Development Authority project on the river.