Things to do in Djibouti

25 things to do in Djibouti

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Swim in the lowest lake in Africa at Lac Assal

  Float effortlessly in the hypersaline waters of this stark white crater lake, surrounded by vast salt flats and black basalt cliffs, at one of Africa's most surreal landscapes.

  Lac Assal, Dikhil Region

• Wander among the smoking limestone chimneys of Lac Abbé

  Walk a bizarre landscape of towering mineral vents that spout steam like a planetary film set, especially dramatic at dawn when the plains glow pink below.

  Lac Abbé, Dikhil Region

• Scuba dive the Godoria Reef drop‑off

  Plunge into warm, clear waters where table corals, gorgonians and passing eagle rays hug a steep wall just minutes from the capital, offering world‑class drift dives.

  Godoria, Djibouti City

• Snorkel with whale sharks off Arta

  Swim beside gentle giants in plankton‑rich waters of the Gulf of Tadjoura during the annual whale‑shark season, an intimate encounter with the ocean's biggest fish.

  Arta Beach, Arta Region

• Haggle at the Central Market of Djibouti City

  Immerse yourself in the heady aroma of frankincense, fresh‑ground spices and tropical fruit at this bustling open‑air souk, where Afar herders and Somali traders converge.

  Place du 27 Juin, Djibouti City

• Admire the Hamoudi Mosque’s turquoise minaret

  Stand before one of Djibouti’s most beautiful mosques, a 1906 neo‑Islamic gem with intricate stucco work, standing proudly in the European quarter as a symbol of the city.

  Hamoudi Mosque, Djibouti City

• Stroll Place Menelik’s old colonial arcades

  Walk under the shady colonnades of the French‑built administrative square, lined with pastel‑washed buildings that tell the story of the capital’s early 20th‑century layout.

  Place Menelik, Djibouti City

• Hike through the juniper forest of Day National Park

  Climb Mount Goda’s cool, green sanctuary where endemic junipers shade shy colobus monkeys; a rare highland escape with sweeping views over the Gulf of Tadjoura.

  Day Forest National Park, Tadjoura Region

• Lounge on Moucha Island’s blinding‑white sands

  Dive from pearly beaches into glass‑clear lagoons, where sea turtles and rays glide overhead; an idyllic castaway island a short dhow ride from the capital.

  Moucha Island, Gulf of Tadjoura

• Snorkel the untouched coral gardens of Maskali Island

  Slip into a silent underwater world of table corals and butterflyfish around this uninhabited islet, known only to experienced divers for its pristine reef.

  Maskali Island, Gulf of Tadjoura

• Decipher the ancient rock engravings of Abourma

  Trace hundreds of petroglyphs depicting giraffes, cows and hunting scenes carved into dark sandstone outcrops—testimony to a greener Sahara 5,000 years ago.

  Abourma, near Dorra, Tadjoura Region

• Soak in the natural hot springs of Arta

  Follow a dusty trail to geothermal pools tucked in acacia‑studded hills, where locals come to bask in therapeutic sulphurous waters under an open sky.

  Arta hot springs, Arta Region

• Cross the Devil’s Throat by dhow at Goubet al‑Kharab

  Sail a traditional wooden dhow through the narrow, current‑churned channel that links the sea to a milky‑turquoise lagoon, framed by surreal black cliffs.

  Ghoubbet el Kharab, Djibouti

• Feast on grilled lobster at the Port de Pêche

  Pick your own rock lobster and red snapper fresh off a wooden boat, then have it grilled on‑the‑spot at a no‑frills waterfront stall in the salty sea breeze.

  Fishing port, Djibouti City

• Share tea with an Afar family near Lac Abbé

  Visit a woven‑mat home on a wind‑whipped plain, learn how nomadic herders read the desert, and taste cardamom‑laced tea poured in three traditional rounds.

  Afar encampment, Lac Abbé area

• Watch a roaring dhaanto dance in Djibouti City

  Feel the rhythmic stamping and chanting of Somalia’s classic warrior dance drummed into the night at an outdoor cultural show, a vibrant slice of the city’s soul.

  Cultural venue, Djibouti City

• Explore the Old Railway Station’s colonial ghosts

  Stand beneath the decaying roof of the Djibouti–Addis Ababa railway’s former terminal, where vintage locomotives rust quietly amid bougainvillea and forgotten platforms.

  Gare de Djibouti, Djibouti City

• Hike the fissure crater of Ardoukôba volcano

  Trek across a still‑warm volcanic fissure that burst open in 1978, stepping over fresh black pahoehoe lava and peering into hissing steam vents near Lac Assal.

  Ardoukôba, near Lac Assal

• Photograph a camel caravan crossing Lac Assal’s salt pan

  Wait for a line of laden camels led by Afar traders to trek across the blinding white crust, an ancient salt‑route scene unchanged for centuries.

  Lac Assal salt flats

• Visit the ghostly Cossack outpost of Sagallo

  Stand on a windswept beach where a doomed 1889 Russian colony tried to settle, leaving only a few scattered stones and a compelling, little‑known imperial story.

  Sagallo, Tadjoura Region

• Dive the Sirène wreck in the Gulf of Tadjoura

  Descend to a 1960s cargo ship resting upright on a sandy bottom, now encrusted with soft corals and home to batfish, lionfish and curious barracuda.

  Sirène wreck, off Djibouti City

• Camp under the stars in the Grand Bara Desert

  Drive into a vast, cracked‑clay plain where nothing moves but the wind, then lie back at night as the Milky Way sprawls from horizon to horizon without a single light.

  Grand Bara, Djibouti

• Savour a plate of skoudehkaris at a local eatery

  Tuck into Djibouti’s national comfort dish—spiced lamb and rice cooked in a rich tomato‑onion sauce, served with a banana on the side—at a bustling city lunch spot.

  Restaurant in Djibouti City

• Get lost in the fabric lanes of the African Quarter

  Weave through narrow alleys draped with bolts of colourful Somali kikoi and gauzy Indian‑import fabrics, while tailors work treadle machines in open‑front shops.

  African Quarter, Djibouti City

• Wander whitewashed alleyways in Tadjoura

  Stroll this sleepy 12th‑century port’s lime‑washed lanes, past carved wooden doors and the seven‑arched Kori Dowbar mosque, with the turquoise sea always in sight.

  Tadjoura, Tadjoura Region