5 Surprisingly Fun Things to Experience in Djibouti

” You’re going where”?

“Djibouti”.

“Dj – Booty, who’s that”? It sounds like an up-and-coming Dee-jay.

It’s not a “who”, it’s a country.

Ah, this is how our typical conversation began when we announced our trip to Djibouti. To start off, Djibouti is located in the Horn of Africa, (dare, I say it), bordering Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia. Actually, Djibouti has been a French Colony for almost a hundred years. Thus, they speak French there. According to the CIA Factbook, ” with a population of over 600,000, the capital Djibouti city accounts for 76% of the county’s total population of 865, 267. I could go on but, you can read all about it on Wikipedia.

When we were planning our trip to Djibouti, we were hoping to ask some of our seasoned traveler friends for tips on what to do and see. Most people we approached, never even heard of Djibouti before and the handful of people who went (or thought of going) told us, “there was NOTHING to do there [Djibouti].” Hmmm, a country where there is “nothing” to do? Djibouti sounded appealing (yet, too good to be true). To parents of an active and vim pre-schooler, we welcomed the idea of doing “nothing”, even for a day.

So, being the curious backpackers we are, we HAD to find out more, see for ourselves, and explore this exotic territory first-hand. Besides, Djibouti was only a twelve hour train ride from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We were full steam ahead!

Djibouti intrigued us and to our surprise, we found many amazing things to do and see in the Horn of Africa. Here is a list of 5 of our surpringly fun things to experience in Djibouti.

1. Explore the salt of the earth in Lac Assal

Did you know that Lac Assal is a crater lake situated in the centre of Djibouti? This lake is located at 155 metres below sea level, which is the lowest point in Africa. What’s so astounding is Lac Assal is ten times saltier than the sea. Not to mention, temperatures reach 50+ Celscius degrees during the day!

There’s not much around Lac Assal except it’s natural wonder. It was definitely a beautiful sight to witness all the different shades of blue. At times, it felt as if we were walking on a different planet as we felt the rough texture of salt below our feet. Still, it was an experience we will never forget and one we highly recommend!

To get to Lac Assal from Djibouti City, hire a taxi, it only takes 2.5 hours one-way. Make sure your cab has AC that works as it will feel as if you’re in a boiler room. Lac Assal was definitely, one of our favourite places to visit in Djibouti.

2. Savour the famous Yemeni fish dish

A full day of exploring deserves a fancy seafood dinner. Our friend Hamda took us to this authentic Yemen restarant that makes the most delicious baked fish! Sprinkle some lime juice and eat it with freshly baked bread and you’ll see why we left with our bellies full of delight. Truthfully, to get the most authentic dining experience, do what the locals do, and eat with your hands. What a truly satisfying experience!

To find the best Yemeni fish in the city go to Saba Restaraunt.

3. Find euphoria in khat

Everywhere we went, we would see both men and women chewing leaves of khat and throwing the leftovers on the floor. Khat is a popular plant that is chewed on in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Like tobacco, chewing on the shrubs of khat releases chemicals such as cathine and cathinone which gives one the feelings of “euphora or extreme happiness”. We were going to give it a try, but the smell of this plant was just too strong! We’ll take everyone’s word for it though. It seemed that one of the obvious local pastimes was all about the khat.

In Djibouti, there are khat vendors at every corner. You don’t have to look far to find them, usually khat sellers find you.

4. Make friends with locals

I would have to say, meeting locals and getting to know about the country through their “eyes” is one of our favourite things to do. Perhaps, Djibouti would have been just another country on our travel bucket list, if it hadn’t been for our dear friends Hamda and Mouna. Luckily, Hamda and Mouna took us to their cool hangouts and shared a snippet of what their lives are like as women living in Djibouti. To his day, we can’t thank them enough for their kindness.

5. Wander through the city streets and fruit markets

Djibouti is nothing, but a crossroads and has always been. The city is extremely diverse. As you walk the narrow alleyways you can never know who you may run into: Japanese, French or Yankee GIs, Yemeni refugees selling oranges, proud Afar tribesmen, Somali women in colourful dresses, Ethiopian chat merchants, Chinese construction engineers…

The city has seen it all, except perhaps, children in strollers that invite a lot of curiosity. Just like everywhere else, having a kid makes starting a conversation easier and helps to make everlasting connections. Isn’t this what travel is all about?

Honestly, it was hard to find “nothing” to do (and we tried)! Djibouti certainly has a plethora of amazing things to do and see. Unfortunately, we only had 4 days to jam pack everything we were interested in. If we had more time, we would do an overnight trip to Lac Abbe or Moucha island. In 2018, Lonely Planet listed Djibouti as one of their “Top 10 Destinations for Travel.” Now, we know why.

Have you heard of Djibouti before? What do you think about travelling to countries that are considered ‘off the beaten path?’ Please share in the comments section below. Thanks!

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