Djibouti
Djibouti does not rank highly among African tourist destinations, but it is an interesting country nonetheless and certainly worth a visit if you have exhausted all the mainstream possibilities.
Situated above the horn of Africa Djibouti consists of a small capital port city with a hinterland populated largely by nomadic herders. The strategic position of the country allows for it to serve as a clearing house and handling facility for trade along the busy Red Sea shipping routes besides which there is little economic activity, and Djibouti remains one of AfricaÂs least developed and poorest countries.
A long time Francophone interest in the region, French is the official language and French colonial influence very noticeable in the capital. Thanks to its strategic location Djibouti is a favorite for French and US military training and deployment and at any time hosts large numbers of military personnel. The principal religion is Islam, and Djibouti sees itself as bridging Islamic Africa and the states of the Arabia Peninsular.
Notwithstanding a few instances of internal strife Djibouti has largely avoided the bloody history of the region, and on the whole remains a stable and safe destination, albeit one that you can see in its entirety in a few days.
Travel To & Within Djibouti
Flights To Djibouti Hotels In Djibouti
Why Travel To Djibouti
The natural heritage of Djibouti is barren and forbidding but is intensely beautiful. Lac Abbé is a popular destination with its flamingo lake and contrasting landscape of stone chimneys and desolate desert. This was the film set for the Planet of the Apes.
For beach and dive enthusiasts a visit to Tadjoura is as close in Djibouti as you will get to a beach culture, with great reefs and a slow and ramshackle atmosphere, it is an excellent dive and snorkeling venue.
The capital of Djibouti City itself is situated on a peninsular and has a jaded but nonetheless tangible French ambience. The markets are lively, in particular when the local narcotic leaf Khat arrives daily from Ethiopia. A legal high in this region Khat is not particularly potent as narcotics go but it is worth a try if you like that sort of thing.
When To Visit Djibouti
Expect hot weather all year round with the winter months between November and March being the most pleasant. Rain is scarce but what rainfall does occur tends to be concentrated around the period of late December and January.
Travel Warning
Djibouti may have avoided much of the trauma common in the region but it still lives in a violent neighborhood so as a general rule stay clear of the border region with Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Thanks to the fact that most of the population is Muslim, and that American and French troop deployments are a common feature, the risk of terrorist attack is not insignificant.
Petty crime is common but this is rarely accompanied by violence, and the usual rules of common sense apply, particularly in the urban areas.
Homosexuality is illegal.