Djibouti - Facts
- COVID-19 coronavirus: New procedures are in place for arriving yachts – see Biosecurity for details.
- Djibouti is located in the Red Sea, opposite Yemen, and is a small country of just 23,000 sq km.
- The population is made up of Somalis (60%) and Afars (35%) and in the second half of the 19th century became a French colony (called French Somaliland) which gained independence in 1977. Djibouti port is the main supply route for land-locked Ethiopia.
- Djibouti is a convenient port of call for both east or westbound yachts. Those bound for the Mediterranean arrive in Djibouti during the NE monsoon, mainly between January and March.
- The Djibouti authorities are keen to promote the area and welcome visiting yachts. It is straightforward to gain permission to cruise the coast and obtain a cruising permit. Exploring the Gulf of Tadjourah and Ghoubet Al Khareb should not be missed.
- Diving here is excellent as industrial fishing is banned and the coral reefs are healthy. It also helps that the water temperature is close to 30 degrees. Between November and January the coast if frequented by the 40m long whale-shark.
- Djibouti sits on the Afar Triple Junction where the African, Somali and Arabian tectonic plates meet. As a result, the scenery is spectacular with volcanic rock, lava flows, hot springs, salt lakes, petrified forests, and an almost extra-terrestrial landscape.
- The French maintain a naval base in the port which means that provisioning is good, better than Aden, although as the majority of goods are imported they tend to be more expensive.
- Repair facilities for yachts are very limited, although you may be able to find a few workshops capable of carrying out simple repairs.
- Lac Assal is a saline lake located 155 m below sea level and the world’s largest salt reserve. It is connected to the sea by a subterranean channel.
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Report received from Sailing Vessel TUVALU from Barcelona, Spain [www.tuvalubarcelona.es]
Update Gulf of Aden:
Between the 12th to the 26th of February 2023, we sailed with our Dufour 40 Performance TUVALU from the Maldives (Uligam) to Djibouti. It was a fast trip with most of the day’s nice winds between 10 to 15 knots, so we have been running the engine only for around 48 hours.
The European MSCHOA and the British UKTMO who are protecting the area are still present, contrary to the latest news (saying that they will cease military protection at the end of January 23). We had flyovers twice by a military airplane, talking to them on VHFCh. 16. We also sent to both organizations our daily position through IridiumGo, starting the reports once we left Maldives. We had absolutely no issues with pirates.
We sailed the 600 miles of the ETCM virtual channel in between the transiting cargo ships channel, in a 2 miles-wide area. There are many cargo ships, and at all times you can see several of them – so, you are never alone! But if you are sailing in the area in between, then you are free of them and it’s quite safe.
We left our AIS on, as MSCHOA recommend yachts do, as well as our PredictWind Tracking page: https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SV-Tuvalu/
We are about to leave Djbouti after an enjoyable weeks stay. We heartily recommend Ahssan as agent. His will go beyond to help and while Djibouti is expensive his fee is reasonable. The 2 day trip to Lac Abbe is fantastic.
I just want to let you know that Djibouti is open since 17th of July. I saw that it still stated that it is closed, but that information is not correct anymore. I hope someone can adjust it.. thanks!
Marjolein