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If you’re a long-time follower of mine, you may well know that I won’t be taking a job with the Djibouti tourist board any time soon. However, even I can’t deny the extraordinary – almost otherworldly – beauty of the country. While it may not be the easiest of destinations, there are still plenty of reasons to consider a visit. These then are the best 9 things to do in Djibouti.
1. Explore the capital
Jutting out into the still waters of the Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti City has the air of someone that’s difficult to impress. Low-slung and short of major sights, it’s nonetheless a city as intriguing as any other in the region.
Studded with stout minarets and French-era structures, narrow streets remain lined with traditional souks while wider boulevards are reminiscent of its former colonial rulers.
Despite the air-conditioned SUVs with tinted-windows and buzzing smartphones life in Djibouti City continues to follow long-held patterns. The city grinds to a halt five times a day as the Muslim-majority population observes their prayers. Shops also shut up on Fridays to observe the weekend.
2. Visit the lowest point in Africa
A putative UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lake Assal probably simply means ‘salt lake’. Not only is it one of the largest reserves of sodium in the world, but also the lowest point anywhere in Africa. The third lowest point in the world, it is only bested by the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.
More than 150 m below sea level, its salinity level is ten times greater than the sea, meaning it’s all but biologically dead. Stretching roughly 20 km (12 miles) long by 6.5 km (4 miles) wide, it’s a crater lake.
Much of Djibouti’s current wealth is probably based on the salt harvesting that has taken place for centuries. It makes the lake one of the most important sites for understanding the development of the country.
3. Go on safari
The term safari might be a little strong, yet Djibouti does offer wildlife viewing opportunities. While the arid desert landscape might not seem that promising a habitat, there are far more than lizards and tortoises to keep an eye out for.
Your best chances of a memorable wildlife encounter are undoubted at the Decan Wildlife Refuge a short journey south from Djibouti City along the RN2 highway.
Here you’ll find lion and leopard as well as more unusual species such as caracal and kudu antelope. If anything, the refuge is a reminder of the wildlife that was one free to roam the horn of Africa before poaching and human expansion beat down their populations.
4. Head back to prehistory
Unknown before 2008, Abourma Rock Art Site lies in a panorama of rocky hillsides and narrow gorges strewn with boulders.
To walk to the site is therefore to pass through a landscape that has hardly changed in centuries or millennia. The prize for completing the 3.5-hour trek are artworks that date back to neolithic times.
The life-like depictions include images of creatures that hint at a much greener past for the region. Giraffe are perhaps the most obvious animals missing from today’s Djibouti. But you’ll also find sketches of oryx, kudu, ostrich and stone age humans too.
So grab a guide, plenty of water, and take in a site that’s barely made it into the guidebooks as yet.
5. Take tea with the locals
Life in Djibouti is somewhat contradictory. On the one hand the country has a large expat community due to the massive naval bases belonging to the French and Americans. On the other, it’s rare to encounter anyone hailing from outside Ethiopia or Somalia.
In this regard, Djibouti is a relatively tight-knit community that’s difficult to decipher. It can take time to understand the cultural norms. It can also take time to breakdown what I read as distrust of outsiders and get to known people in the country.
Tea is one of Djibouti’s great levellers. Spending time on the street-side tables of a small café is great for people watching and for getting to know fellow café-goers too.
6. Spot whale sharks in the Gulf of Tadjoura
The Gulf of Tadjoura is a vital sea link, connecting the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea with the Red Sea and Suez Canal. It is also known for its visiting whale sharks – the largest fish on earth.
Shark spotting tours are still in their infancy, like much of the tourist industry in Djibouti. And you won’t face any Jaws-style moments since these creatures are some of the gentlest in the ocean. Unless you’re a tiny piece of plankton that is.
Even though they grow to up to ten metres long, whale sharks can be surprisingly hard to spot. Yet between November and February of each year Djibouti is one of the best places in the world for just that.
7. Join a khat boat to Obock
The leafy stems of the khat plant can be seen in every marketplace and on every street corner in Djibouti. Illegal in the UK, khat contains natural chemicals that have a mildly stimulant affect.
Grown predominantly in neighbouring Somalia and Yemen, the arrival of the latest daily delivery puts into action a well-oiled operation that would impress many armies.
To reach the small fishing village of Obock on the opposite side of the Gulf of Tadjourna, the leaves are placed in speedboats. It’s sometimes possible to convince traders to let you hitch a lift, and if you’re really lucky you might be accompanied at least some of the way by a flying fish or two.
8. See Earth at its most raw and real
The land around Ardoukoba Volcano is as barren as anywhere you can imagine. Much of it is covered in a layer of loose volcanic rock resulting from the last eruption in 1978. This occurred after 3,000 years of lying dormant.
Known in the field as a fissure vent volcano, Ardoukoba has a rift 18 km (11 miles) long that delves some 800 metres below the Earth’s surface. At the same time, its summit rises to a height of about 300 meters, giving it clear vistas over much of the surrounding area.
9. Dive among the Seven Brothers Islands
Whale sharks are not the only marine wonder to behold in Djibouti. Also known as the Seba Islands, the Seven Brothers Islands are home to warm waters filled with life.
Thanks to their position on the continental shelf, it’s possible to spot more than 200 different species of coral, sponges, colourful nudibranchs and numerous fish.
Currents can be strong, so it’s best to have a decent number of dives under your belt before considering Seven Brothers Islands. But I can’t see you being unhappy that you made the effort.
Top things to do in Djibouti
It’s incredibly difficult to encapsulate Djibouti in just a few sentences. The range of attractions in my list of the best 9 things to do in Djibouti perhaps demonstrates this more than anything else I could say.
