Visiting Djibouti City

I’ll admit that I’m not particularly proud of the city photos I took in Djibouti, but I promise to fix that when I return! This was one of my first views of the country, taken from my hotel rooftop on the day I arrived. Djibouti City is the capital and by far the largest city in the country.

I found it fairly easy to get around Djibouti City. Walking through the streets, I was offered a taxi seemingly every five minutes, and the fares were reasonably priced. Almost as common as the taxis were stands selling khat, a leaf traditionally chewed for its stimulant effects. Khat has a strong cultural presence in Djibouti and neighboring countries.

During my visit, Ismail Omar Guelleh was president of Djibouti. I frequently saw his portrait displayed in government buildings and shops around the capital. Islam is the predominant religion in Djibouti, with the large majority of the population following Sunni Islam.

I didn’t go inside any of the main mosques, but I did photograph some of the minarets around the city. This one was my favorite because I thought it almost resembled a lighthouse. Although Djibouti is overwhelmingly Muslim, there are also Christian churches in the city.

Markets and Everyday Life

This market was located in what was commonly referred to as the African Quarter. I walked around much of Djibouti City and often crossed through this intersection on my way to different places. Most times there was a large food market operating until the sun began to set. I never really stopped here for long because I was usually headed somewhere else, but it was a great place to watch everyday city life.

These were two kids I tried talking to while walking through the market. Djibouti sits at a cultural crossroads between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and those influences can be seen throughout the city, particularly in its food and markets. I’m not sure what the vendor below was cooking, but judging by the little card displayed at his stand, his restaurant seemed to be pretty popular!

I tried somewhere new for food almost every day, but this juice bar was amazing. It was on a dusty road, so at first I was a little hesitant about ordering a drink, but the inside was clean and well taken care of. The owner was from Yemen and always came out to shake my hand when I stopped by. I seriously went here almost every day I was in Djibouti!

Exploring the Neighborhoods

I eventually found myself wandering through some of the city’s residential neighborhoods. There was a striking contrast between different parts of Djibouti City. Despite the country’s international military presence and strategic importance, some neighborhoods were clearly very poor.

I never like focusing too much on negative observations about a place, but a few streets in these neighborhoods had serious problems with trash. At the same time, my personal experience with the people of Djibouti was overwhelmingly friendly, and I felt comfortable walking through much of the city.

Nightlife in Djibouti City

Moving into what was commonly called the European Quarter felt like entering a very different part of the city. There were more international restaurants, bars and clubs, along with newer vehicles and businesses catering to expatriates and visitors.

The nightlife district wasn’t just a collection of a few bars. People actively walked around trying to convince visitors to check out different establishments. While exploring with a friend I had met while traveling, we were constantly approached and handed cards advertising different clubs. These were three of the cards I ended up with.

Djibouti probably isn’t a place many travelers would visit specifically for the nightlife, but compared with some countries in the surrounding region, there were plenty of options. I’ve never been much into clubs, but I did go out for a beer at the end of the night with a Swiss traveler I had met. We also stopped at a bar with several pool tables and spent some time exploring the area.

Where I Stayed

There was a wide range of accommodation in Djibouti City. I chose one of the cheapest places I could find, so my room was pretty humble. One morning I woke up to find my bed covered in baby roaches. Gross! At the completely opposite end of the spectrum was the Kempinski Palace, one of the city’s luxury hotels.

The hotel had all the luxuries you’d expect from a high-end resort. I wanted to use the internet here, but at the time it cost an outrageous $5 for only 15 minutes! At least nobody charged us to use the pool, which my friend and I took advantage of.

Wildlife Along the Coast

Within Djibouti City itself, the animals I saw most often were stray dogs and cats, along with herons and crabs near the coast. These photographs were actually taken just outside the Kempinski Palace.

When I return to Djibouti, one of my priorities will be visiting the Goda Mountains. The higher elevation brings cooler temperatures and supports vegetation and wildlife that are dramatically different from the country’s hot coastal desert. I didn’t make it there on this trip, so that’s something I’ll have to save for next time.

Djibouti’s Port

My friend and I tried to visit Tadjoura, the former capital of Djibouti. It’s separated from Djibouti City by only about 20 miles of water, so we figured we’d take a ferry rather than make the much longer drive around the Gulf of Tadjoura.

We arrived too late for the commercial ferry but found a small cargo boat carrying Coca-Cola whose crew offered us a ride. Their English wasn’t very good, but they gave us the impression they would be leaving soon. While we waited, I even helped carry a large box of Coke onto the boat! After hearing that they’d be leaving “very soon” for quite a while, it became obvious we might be waiting for hours, so we eventually gave up.

Instead of Tadjoura, we ended up visiting the Moucha Islands. I’ll have to save Tadjoura for my return to Djibouti!

While riding out of the capital’s port, I passed two Japanese naval ships. At the time of my visit, piracy off the coast of Somalia was a major international problem, and Djibouti’s location made its ports strategically important to naval forces operating in the region.