Djibouti
Djibouti Trip Planner
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Djibouti Overview
Salt water lakes, extinct volcanoes, limestone formations and some breath taking beaches make Djibouti one of the most under rated yet one of the most beautiful lands that Africa has tucked inside its arms. Want to learn about ingenious tribes while marvelling at the nature- well then Djibouti is the perfect example for you. With mineral formations that are one of its kind, Djibouti is brushed off by the free spirited air of Ethiopia on one side and is kept grounded by the presence of Eritrea and Somalia on the other.
Visa Procedure
There is no country that is exempted from requiring a visa while on a trip to Djibouti. All countries can obtain a visa on arrival except for those coming from India, Yemen and Syria. People who have the EU and North American (USA/Canada) passports can obtain a visa on arrival for 10,000 DJF which is a 3-day transit visa. For, 15,000 DJF one can obtain a one-month tourist visa. You need to have a proof of return ticket as well as hotel reservation in Djibouti. Ethiopian Airlines will refuse to take you on the flight which is on the way Djibouti if you do not have a ticket, even if you have a visa.
If you plan to enter by land, then you need to procure a visa well in advance. If there is no Djibouti embassy in your land then you can apply to the French embassy to obtain one. The types of visas that you can apply for are: Entry (visa de séjour); Tourist (visa de tourisme); Business (visa d’affaires); and Transit (visa de transit).
When to go
The best time to visit Djibouti is during the months of November to Mid April. Apart from this time all the other months are unbearably hot. You can easily go kayaking, scuba diving and explore the nature completely. Make sure to visit during November so that you get decent deals on accommodation.
Destinations to cover
There is plenty of places to see and many things to do in Djibouti. Some of the main cities that you should definitely visit are Djibouti, Ali Sabieh, Balho, Dikhil, Khor Angar, Obock, Tadjoura and Yoboki. If you want to dive deep into the natural beauty of the land then you should definitely make it a point to include Lake Abhe, Lake Assal, Maskali Island and Moucha Island in your Djibouti travel guide. You can also go scuba diving and kayaking as there are various points to do that in the country.
Get in and around
There are plenty of ways when you are thinking of how to reach Djibouti. The most convenient is through air. The Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport connects Djibouti to various destinations like Eritrea, Egypt, Tanzania, Madagascar, Dubai, Madagascar, Saudi Arabia and many more. There are plenty of ways to get to Djibouti by car as well but the roads are very unsafe and it is highly inadvisable to travel by these roads. You can also opt for mini buses which leave once they are full and use the flat fare system. There is a ferry service from Yemen as well. There are taxis available in abundance and you will almost always find one when in the main city of Djibouti.
Hotels and Food
There are plenty of hostels available for budget accommodation and there are also various mid range along with luxury hotels available if you wish to shell out little more. Food is quite cheap, but the availability of food for vegans is much lower. To absorb the experience completely, be ready to have a lot of spicy dishes, such as a vegetable stew called "yetakelt w'et" and a boiled beef soup called "fah-fah," or "soupe Djiboutienne." Rice and lentils are also quite a prominent part of the diet. The national dish of Djibouti is "skoudekharis,".