 | Djibouti Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 35 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Other Things To Do Tips | All Tips (35) For you VTers who are Geology buffs this is a very import spot know as the The Afar Depression. Lake Abbe is a plate tectonic triple junction where the spreading ridges that are forming the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden emerge on land and meet the East African Rift.
AND, the central meeting place for these three pieces of Earth's crust is right here around around Lake Abbe. The Afar Depression is one of two places on Earth where a mid-ocean ridge can be studied on land, the other being Iceland.
And you luck VTer you got to visit it on line how about that!! Leave a Comment Directions: 50 miles west of Lake Assal and 90 miles west of Djibouti Ville
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The VTer can visit the Lowest and hottest Point in Africa which is Lake Assal, Djibouti: 512 feet / 156 meters below sea level. Lake Assal is also the saltiest body of water in the world -- yes more than the dead sea. The other cool thing for a VT geek like me is that it is where the Great Rift Valley flows on its way to the Red sea. The rift valley is what makes up the great lakes in Africa, what the Victory falls flow over and than leads into the Red sea across to Asia and ends at the Dead sea. The former lake floor is a huge salt flat that is great to Wind sail on. When salt trading was king this was the place.
You can see the salt Beds in photo four below Leave a Comment Directions: 50 Miles west of Djibouti Ville
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Menelik Square has been the main hang out for the French and the cruse ships passagers going through the Suez Canal since 1897 when it was named after Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia in honor of the agreement between the French and Ethiopia when the boundaries of the protectorate, marked out in 1897.
You can sit here have a nice French coffee and watch the French foreign legion hang out when they are off duty. Leave a Comment Address: Place Menelik
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You can take a dhow ferry to the second largest and oldest city in Djibuti, Tadjoura. This was the originally like Zanzibar and “Arab” trading port and it was the the seat of the Afar Ad-Ali abli Sultanate. By about 1840 or 50 Tadjoura was a major slave market; with about 6,000 people a year left mostly from Ethiopia enslaved via this ports. Once Tadjoura came under French control, the slave trade was abolished there by decree on 26 October 1889. When the French move the capital and built the Franco-Ethiopian railway Tajoura's importance declined.
Today Tadjoura is home to about 27,700 people and is one of those African mystery cities from another time -- the whitewashed buildings glisten in the sunlight as you come in by ferry and is known for its beautiful white beaches. Really is a place time has forgotten and not at all touristy ---yet!!!! Leave a Comment
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At night the unbearable heat of the day becomes just a bit less opressive, the darkness covers most of dirt, with only finer buildings lit-up, and the flies are asleep.
This is then the best time to walk around the city - despite all the poverty around, I felt it was safe to do so, at least in the European Quarter. Leave a Comment
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Just south of the decaying European Quarter, the Central Market is probably the heart of Djibouti City.
Its food section bears the dubious distinction of being one of the dirtiest markets I have ever seen - the thick clouds of flies made us afraid to talk lest we swallow some if we open our mouth.
A bit to the east there is a tourist-oriented souvenir market, mostly selling junk from Kenya. Leave a Comment
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Since ancient times, Djibouti has been a trading center because it sits at the crossroads of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean shipping lanes, and its strategic location between the Middle East and the east coast of Africa. Nowadays, the Port of Djibouti is one of the busiest ports on the African east coast.
Serious development of Djibouti's port occurred between 1948 and 1957. During that period, four deep-water quays were constructed, access channels were dredged, warehouses and oil-storage facilities were built, electricity and water supplies were developed, and railroad lines linking Djibouti with Ethiopia were laid. In 1985, a new container terminal, dry port, and the establishment of a Trade Free Zone helped the Port of Djibouti become a regional shipping hub.
Because neighboring Ethiopia is now a landlocked country (after losing its coastal areas to what is now Eritrea in its civil war), most of the goods shipped to Ethiopia pass through the Port of Djibouti. The Djibouti-Addis Ababa Railway carries about 60 percent of Ethiopia's foreign trade, and the main highway between Djibouti and Ethiopia is busy with large trucks transporting all sorts of goods and products to Addis Ababa and beyond. Leave a Comment
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Easily the most beautiful piece of colonial architecture in Djibouti, the Presidential Palace overlooks the busy harbour on the waterfront. Of course it is closed to visitors, and even photographing it is forbidden.
This sneaking shot taken in the evening is the best I could manage. Leave a Comment
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The Decan Refuge was founded by veterinarian Bertrand Lafrance as a refuge for cheetahs that have been confiscated from smugglers and poachers by the Djibouti government. The idea for such a refuge began when Lafrance saw a captive cheetah for sale in a local restaurant. He took action and began rescuing captive cheetahs. When he had seven in his garden at home, he decided it was time to establish the refuge. Nowadays, the Decan Refuge is working in collaboration with Doué la Fontaine zoo in France on a breeding program for cheetahs.
In addition to cheetahs, the Decan Refuge takes in other African animals, such as gazelles, and rehabilitates them for eventual release into the wild. Those that cannot be released back into the wild are kept at the refuge and are well cared for.
The refuge is set amid acacia trees and scrub on an arid, dusty plain south of Djibouti City. Visitors can walk along trails through the acacia, view the animals (some of which are used to people and are not in any sort of enclosure), learn about Djibouti's wildlife in the sparse but interesting visitors' center, and get an overview of the refuge from the watch tower. Leave a Comment Directions: The Decan Refuge is located on the unnamed road to Somalia, about 15 minutes south of downtown Djibouti City.
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No one can avoid noticing the slums that make up much of the capital, Djibouti City.
They just seem to stretch endlessly in all directions, starting just south of the Central Market and the European Quarter.
Even if you live a sheltered life at an army base or in an upmarket hotel, they will be a constant reminder of what life is like for the Djiboutians. Leave a Comment
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on November 21, 2006
on April 30, 2005
on November 30, 2007
