Djibouti

Djibouti (جيبوتي) is the capital city of Djibouti and has a population of around 400,000.

[edit] Understand

The city was founded in 1888 and was designated the capital of French Somaliland three years later. The city has some beaches along its eastern shore.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Ambouli Airport (JIB) serves the city, and there are regular flights by Air France (to Paris-CDG), Ethiopian Airways (Addis Abeba) and Kenya Airways (Nairobi via Addis Abeba) flights. There are also regular flights with Fly Dubai (to UAE-Dubai-DXB terminal 2).

[edit] By train

There is a frequent service connecting the city with Addis Ababa - a journey of more than 700km, taking around 24 hours, with a stopover about halfway, in Dire Dawa. Reservations are strongly recommended.

[edit] Get around

Get around by Green TaxiCabs. Some people will tell you to avoid the taxi's with the drivers chewing Khat. Khat is not a narcotic, but a stimulant (more mild than Meth, or Coke). It gives the local Djiboutians and Somalis something called Merran (the Somali word for 'energy').
Taxis range from 500fr to any amount, depending on how far you go.
Some Guidelines:

Camp Lemonier to Downtown 1,500FR

Downtown to Kempinski 2,000FR

Base to Kempinski 2,500FR

Again, negotiate and you may get a lower price, but there are better things to do than to argue over 500fr (3 American dollars).

[edit][add listing] See

• Beaches on the eastern shore.
• Kempinski Palace.  edit
• Djibouti Palace Kempinski, Ilot Du Heron P.O. Box 1960, ☎ +253 32555 5. Expensive but luxurious.  edit

[edit][add listing] Do

• Aden Bay Casino, ☎ +253-356549. Open Fri-Wed 6PM-4AM, Thu 6PM-5AM. Located in the Sheraton Hotel, this casino sports 40 poker machines, black jack, poker and roulette tables.  edit

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit][add listing] Eat

French and Somalian influences make up some of the food in Djibouti.

[edit][add listing] Drink

• Club Hermes. Underground club, low key. Good security at the door. 1,000 Djiboutian francs per beer.  edit
• Sham's. Decent DJ, small dance floor. 1,000 Djiboutian francs/beer and 1,500 Djiboutian francs for mixed drinks.  edit
• Club Menelik. Inside the Menelik Hotel, security is good here. Drinks are 1,000 Djiboutian francs/beer & 1,500 Djiboutian francs/mixed drink. The music here ranges widely, but often times consists of '90's to current hip-hop & R&B.  edit
• La Mer Rouge, Ambouli (near airport), ☎ +253 340005. For genuine seafood lovers, a new restaurant specialized in seafood: crab, fresh fish (snapper, king fish, shark, grouper, etc.), live lobster, clams, and mussels. 10.  edit
• La Galette. La Galette. Wonderful Underground Club... 1,000 Franc Beers, 1,500 Franc Mixed Drinks and 1,000 Francs for sheesha (hookah). This place is awesome! Updated March 30, 2009 from somebody who just left after spending 7 months there.  edit

• La Oasis. Nice place with a second, smaller bar upstairs. Very fun place.  edit

• Le Maries. Nice place with a dancefloor in the front alongside a bar. In the back are a bunch of couches where all the Sheesha smoking takes place (again, 1,000 francs to participate).  edit

• Golden Club. This place could hold a special place in your heart... 1,000 Franc Beers, Pool for 500 Francs and a dancefloor. The best sheesha in Djibouti here also (of course, for 1,000 francs). No trip is complete without stopping in there.  edit

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid range

[edit] Splurge

• Djibouti Palace Kempinski (Ilot Du Heron), ☎ +253-325555, [1].  edit

[edit] Stay safe

All cab rides are different (none is the same). Make sure you go with someone who knows the city; otherwise, you will pay way more than needed.

[edit] Get out