Welcome to the third smallest nation of Africa, a country many people would struggle to point on a map! Djibouti is a small piece of land best known for its military bases and with not much to see on a first glance. It even makes frequent appearances on “least visited countries in the world” lists! However, a number of attractions and activities will pop out when proper research is made.
Do not expect to take much time to see the country, though. We did it in 5 and a half days but we guess it’s possible to see all of it in four full days. Adding Djibouti to a trip to a nearby country is probably the best option for a visit. Expiring airlines vouchers and covid restrictions / quarantines in other countries didn’t allow us to do so at the time.
This trip was made in 2022 (mid-February).
Day 0: arrival
All international flights arrive to Djibouti International Airport (IATA airport code: JIB). We landed just after lunch on a Qatar Airways flight that stopped over in JIB on its way to Mogadishu, Somalia.
The first thing we tried to do is to change money, as the country still relies a lot on cash and we needed some change for a taxi to the hotel. The only person who would change us money asked for an absurd rate, so we quit the idea and eventually walked the 3km between the airport and the hotel.
We chose to stay at Auberge Boulaos in Djibouti City. The facilities are not the best, wifi connection is acceptable and it’s some kilometres away from the city centre. They have a private car that rides guests downtown for free, though. It was by far the cheapest option we had (80USD / 74€), so we took it. Currently, they are not accepting reservations through booking.com.
Note: unlike most countries, we did not rent a car here as we planned to spend most of the time either around the capital or off-roading.
After leaving our luggage in the hotel, we went to the centre for a quick glimpse of Djibouti City. Bedtime came early because the on the next day we were meant to do a two-day tour to Lac Abbé.
Day 1-2: Lac Abbé tour
This salt lake is a 6-hour ride from Djibouti City, hence it takes two days to see it properly. Half of the ride will be on a dirt road.
We’ve sent enquiries to several Djiboutian companies but the best price we’ve got was 120000DJF with Phoenix Travel Services (674USD / 627EUR). The price included the car (a 4×4 5-seater), a driver and a guide, and it would be the same for one, two or three people. It’s possible to reach the company on their Instagram. Most of other tourist companies asked for ±800€, but the reality is that there’s only one campsite in Lac Abbé… No matter what the price is, tourists will have access to similar facilities there.
Both guide and driver met us early at our hotel. We’d then take the asphalt road to Ethiopia until Dikhil, the last city on the main road. After that, the vehicle should dive deep in the desert to Lac Abbé. A couple of desert villages are seen near the dirt road.
Some segments of the road are really scenic, so we occasionally stopped along the way for some photos. As the 4×4 arrived to the chimneys of Lac Abbé, our guide let us walk the way left to the campsite, where we would arrive just before sunset.
The campsite is a really, really modest place to say the least. Half a dozen bungalows, 10-15 tents, a few toilets with basic showers and millions of mosquitoes (repellent is mandatory). The meals (dinner and breakfast), however, are typical and not bad at all.
The next morning we would wake up early to watch the sunrise at the chimneys, after which we would hike for some time to witness the nearby geological phenomena and to see the lake itself. After breakfast, we would return to Djibouti City but not without some sightseeing first.
The first stop was Lac Assal, the second lowest depression and third lowest point on Earth. It is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. Nomadic Afar tribes occasionally come here to collect salt. From the coastal road to Lac Assal one can see the Devil’s Island, a rounded rock formation in Lake Ghoubet.
Note: The Galilean Sea is the second lowest point on Earth but belongs to the same depression as the Dead Sea.
The last stop was the Djibouti Canyon, not very far from Lac Assal. If all goes according to plan, the tour should end in Djibouti City at around 17:00.
Day 3: Gulf of Tadjoura
On this day we planned a guided tour to see the whale sharks on the Gulf of Tadjoura. Whale shark season goes from November to January, but sights are still likely in February. Unfortunately, our tour company notified us that there were no sightings on the week before, so we changed our plans and went kayaking and snorkeling instead.
We went with Rushing Waters Adventures and had a great time! It’s a family business run by American expats. We totally recommend them: they were really sincere by telling us about the whale shark sightings, which allowed us to change for a cheaper tour package instead (kayaking and snorkeling tour = 370$ / 350€, total price for two). Also, they are very experienced in kayaking and stayed with us for the whole time.
The tour duration was about 8 hours. We kayaked to the beginning of the reef and snorkeled all the way back, with a brief pause for lunch on a deserted beach. Just like popular Red Sea hubs such as Hurghada and Aqaba, water conditions for snorkeling are perfect! On the way back to Djibouti City, we took the long way to visit the village of Arta, which has beautiful sights to the Gulf of Tadjoura.
Day 4: Djibouti City
Note: on this day we tried to get on the ferry to Tadjoura, but catching it seems to be a chaotic mess everyday. Military controls who’s entitled to buy tickets, which seemed to us a very arbitrary process. Being tourists on foot and speaking average French, we had an obvious disadvantage. Other option to visit Tadjoura would be a taxi, but it would mean a lot of hours on the road and 200$/185€ less in our wallet. We gave it up and visited Djibouti City instead.
The city is a somewhat uninteresting capital, and Djibouti might be the first country we’ve visited without a national museum (that we’re aware of). The major highlights are the French and Islamic Quarter, with traditional colonial and arabic architecture, respectively. A rudimentary mosque and the nearby bazaar are the heart of the city.
Wandering around town requires caution. Policemen are extremely corrupt and will use schemes to extort some money from tourists. Cameras usually trigger them to act: they’ll ask for a “tourist card” (that doesn’t exist) in order to allow tourists to photograph the city. As there’s no such thing, the next step is to demand a fine of 100$ / 93€.
The above paragraph happened to us, but we threatened to call the embassy. We eventually ended in the police headquarters and had to show our photos one by one. After some talking with the chief of police, he released us with a warning. From that time on we only took photos with the smartphone, after being sure there were no policemen around.
Day 5: Douda Beach
On our last day we were meant to leave the country by dinner time. Giving up Tadjoura yielded some spare hours on our agenda. Beach would allow us to relax before returning home, so that’s what we did on our last morning in Djibouti.
Douda Beach is located between Djibouti City and the border with Somaliland (Somalia). Although it is just a short drive from Djibouti City, Somalia is just another 10km away. For this reason, security is tight: to reach Douda we had to cross two military checkpoints. We fixed a price (around 30$/28€) with a taxi driver for a two-way ride and his waiting time (2h) because the beach is isolated and we would not find a taxi there to take us back. The parking fee for a car is 500FDJ (2,80$/2,60€).
Expect calm and shallow waters, very safe for a swim. A neighbouring mangrove forest is a good place for a walk and do some birdwatching. If you’re willing to spend the whole day at the beach, there’s a restaurant/bar near the parking lot.
And that’s it for our 5-day trip to Djibouti! If you have any questions or comments about it, please use the section below and we’ll answer it as soon as we can!