Djibouti Dream Destination

Djibouti Dream Destination

Flying to Djibouti is not easy. We flew to Paris, then Istanbul. And from there directly to Djibouti. The capital bears the same name as the country. At the airport guide Omar and driver Ali await us. They drive us to our resort. It takes 3 hours. On our way we see a lot of signs of factories in Chinese. As in the rest of Africa the Chinese influence here is huge.

African people are not that enthusiastic about the Chinese influence. Yes roads and factories are built – by the Chinese. No employment opportunities for Africans. Big Chinese fishing boats have the right to fish in coastal Djibouti waters, leaving less fish for the locals.

We stay in Tadjourah. The place is called ‘Sables Blancs’. To call this a nice place is an understatement. It’s more like the Garden of Eden in a beach setting. Only 4 lodges and a small restaurant.

The resort is directly located at the beach. A lot of snorkeling thus while entering the sea in front of our house! These endless snorkeling trips permit us to see the beautiful underwater world. All the colorful fishes! We are most lucky to spot a Crocodile fish.

Some birding. Also small wildlife around, squirrels, hyraxes. The hyrax is a small herbivorous mammal. They are well-furred rotund animals with short tails. It was great fun watching them all climb in a tree to feed. We called that tree the hyrax-tree.

This place really is one of the most idyllic we ever visited.

While driving to the capital we pass Tadjourah. A sleepy town. The creator of ‘Corto Maltese’ (a series of adventure comics starring sailor Corto Maltese), Hugo Pratt lived here for a few years. There is a nice hotel ‘Le Corto Maltese’.

On our way we spot several Gazelles. Then we arrive at Lac Assal. It’s a crater lake in the desert. More than 150 meter below sea level it’s the lowest point in Africa! The wet section of the lake is a body of extremely salty water. The dry section features a white salt bed. Salt is extracted from this section.

There’s a small souvenir shop. They sell animal skulls covered with salt. Also crystal stones from rocks nearby. A local camel route crosses this place. Transport by camel like in the old days. The view of Lac Assal is impressive.

As we drive further we spot some people walking the road. And somewhat later we encounter another group of walking people. Refugees from Ethiopia or Eritrea looking for a better life, we are told. Alas the prospects for these people are not as good (or call it human) as in European countries. Each day a truck picks up these refugees and takes them back to the border.

In the afternoon we check in in hotel Atlantic in the capital. Lunch in La Chaumiére. You overlook a charming square. It’s quiet and peaceful. That wasn’t the case in may 2014. Then some grenades were thrown at the restaurant targeting American soldiers. There were some casualties and some wounded people to regret.

When drinking coffee at La Chaumiére, a man sitting behind us overhears us talking. He recognizes our language. We talk a little. Patrick is from Belgium and works for the European Union. He is curious about us. We explain we just like to see the country. Like him we also noticed there’s not that much tourism in Djibouti. Later, on a different trip, we will meet a colleague and friend of Patrick, in Sierra Leone, on the other side of Africa. Small world.

Unlike in some other African countries people are willing to be photographed. When I friendly ask most people pose with a smile.

Walking around the city. There are a lot of shops where they sell khat. It is a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa. People chew on it cause it leads to excitement and euphoria. Kind of a drug, so to say. Tea on a terrace overlooking the bus station. Lots of people. We visit the Market Les Caisses. Virtually everything is for sale here. Want to see African life, visit a market.

Next day we do the city tour. Looking at the Djibouti port first. No pictures allowed but so lovely I do it secretly. The supermarché Géant – a big African market, half inside, half outside. Unlike in Northern countries life in Africa happens mostly outside in the sun or – preferably – in the shade.

La gare de Djibouti – the big train station. Every day a large train filled with goods and people leaves for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Because Ethiopia is a land-locked country most of their imports reach Djibouti first. So Djibouti earns a lot of money being the gateway to Ethiopia.

You could call the location of Djibouti strategically. And it’s a quiet country. Therefor some powerful countries (the US, France, China, Japan) have a military base in Djibouti. And then some countries spend more money on that than others. During breakfast in the Kempinski Hotel (not one of the cheapest) we spot a lot of Japanese soldiers who obviously stay at Kempinski’s.

We walk close to the jetty. Water tide is low. We see some movement. To our surprise a moray eel is moving along the rocks and the sand. That’s surely something you don’t see everyday !

Close to Kempinski Hotel is a very nice outside restaurant called Melting Pot. The lady owner is originally from Romania. We dine excellently, our main course being barracuda.

With guide Abraham on a small boat spotting whale sharks. This species is a slow moving filter feeding carpet shark. It’s the largest known extant fish species.

In a big bay – let’s say Whale shark bay – we spot a great one. No other boats around. There are few places where you can swim with whale sharks. For instance Mexico, Belize or Australia. But those places are then crowded with tourists. Here there’s no-one. Another possibility, at the right time of year, would be Saint Helena, which is somewhat more remote.

So my wife takes the challenge. She plunges in the water and for half an hour or so she swims next to the whale shark. The latter one doesn’t seem to mind. Of course it’s a great photo opportunity.

Swimming all alone along a whale shark. Let’s keep this nice Djibouti experience a secret…

This trip was made in 2018.

If you have any thoughts or questions feel free to leave a comment!

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