The checklist as a PDF
Entry, health, money, transport and safety, laid out for print, with their sources and verification date.
Djibouti
East Africa
Red Sea, paradise beaches, salt lakes and desert. Lake Assal, Abourma rock engravings and the landscapes of Obock.
- On the map
CapitalDjibouti
When to goOctober to April
Suggested length10 days min.
CurrencyDjiboutian franc
LanguagesFrench, Arabic
The Viafro verdict
For whom, and for which trip.
An editorial bearing, with no percentage and no rating: our criteria are written down, and every “good to know” links to its source.
- For which trip
- Djibouti · Île Moucha · Lac Assal · Tedjoura · Lac Abbe
- Best season
- October to April, from Djibouti’s normals
- Length
- Allow at least 10 days for these 5 essentials, one stop every two or three days. (Viafro’s rule of thumb)
Best time to visit
Twelve months, in colour.
Hover or tap a month: its reading and its source appear. Bars measure rain, the figure is the capital’s mean maximum.
Ideal
November
Djibouti: mean maximum 31 °C, 22 mm of rain · dry and mild.
- Mean maximum
- 31 °C
- Rain
- 22 mm
- Station
- Djibouti
Source: Wikipedia (climate normals)
Before you go
The essentials, tab by tab.
Entry, health, safety, money and facts: dated official extracts, never paraphrased.
Visa, passport, customs
GOV.UK advice, written for British passport holders. French travellers: see France Diplomatie (https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/information-par-pays/djibouti/conseils-aux-voyageurs-entree-sejour).
- To enter Djibouti, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive. Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
- You must have a visa to enter Djibouti.
- To enter Djibouti, you must have a certificate to prove you’ve had a yellow fever vaccination if you’re coming from a country listed as a transmission risk. For full details about medical entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see TravelHealthPro’s Djibouti guide.
Vaccines, malaria, water
This is not medical advice: talk to your doctor or an international vaccination centre before you travel.
- At least 8 weeks before your trip:
- Medical facilities in Djibouti are limited. Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation.
Per the ministries
Viafro gives no safety rating: here are the zones and advice published by the French ministry (in French) and the official extracts, with their dates.
Vigilance zones published by France Diplomatie (in French) · page updated on 15 Sept 2026 · see the official map
- Red · Zones formellement déconseillées (en rouge sur la carte)
Il est possible de circuler librement dans le pays mais les frontières terrestres et maritimes sont à éviter.
Au nord, en raison du différend frontalier entre l’Érythrée et Djibouti, il demeure formellement déconseillé d’approcher la zone frontalière par voie terrestre, maritime ou aérienne.
- Yellow · Zones de vigilance renforcée (en jaune sur la carte)
En dehors des zones rouges, l’intégralité du pays est en zone de vigilance renforcée. Il est possible d’y circuler en respectant les Recommandations générales listées ci-après.
L’attention des voyageurs est attirée sur le contrôle que les autorités militaires djiboutiennes exercent sur l’accès à une zone au nord des villes situées sur l’axe Balho, Adaïlou, Ouaddhi, Godoria.
- There is a high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests and British nationals, including from groups and individuals who view the UK and British nationals as targets. Stay aware of your surroundings at all times.
What the country’s law provides
Photography, alcohol, drugs, relationships: the rules published by the ministries, quoted as they stand, without comment.
- Drinking alcohol is allowed, but you can get a 2-year prison sentence for drunken behaviour.
Currency
Djiboutian francViafro publishes no price or budget range without a source: amounts will come from our own expenses recorded on the ground, dated and itemised.
- There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of Djibouti. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.
Express card
Structured data from Wikidata and the CIA World Factbook, re-checked at every site update.
- Population · 2025
- 1,184,076
- Time zone
- +2 h from Paris
- Plugs and voltage
- Type C and E plugs · 220 V
- Driving side
- Driving on the right
- Calling code
- +253
- Languages
- French, Arabic
- Area
- 23,200 km²
- Highest point
- Mousa Ali, 2,028 m
- Main religions
- Sunni Muslim 94%, other 6%
Getting there and around
Airports, roads and transport.
- JIBDjibouti-Ambouli International AirportDjibouti426,854 passengers · official site
- OBCObock AirportObock
- TDJTadjoura AirportTadjourah
- AIIAli-Sabieh Airport
Direct flights from Paris are to be checked on the airport’s or airline’s website.
On the road
- If you are planning to drive in Djibouti, see information on driving abroad. You can use a UK photocard driving licence to drive in Djibouti for up to 12 months.
Destinations
The essentials.
Djibouti
Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east.
Île Moucha
Moucha Island is a small coral island off the coast of Djibouti.
Lac Assal
Lake Assal (Arabic: بحيرة عسل Buḥayrah ʿAsal, lit.
Tedjoura
Lac Abbe
Lake Abbe, also known as Lake Abhe Bad, is a salt lake, lying on the Ethiopia-Djibouti border.
Lac Abbé
Rolf CosarMust-try food
Six dishes, and where to taste them.
Skoudehkaris
Bariis iskukaris, also called isku-dheh karis, is a traditional rice dish from Somali cuisine that is customarily cooked in a single pan or where the tenderization of both rice and stew occurs at some point in a single pan. The name isku-dheh karis literally m
Fah-fah
Fah-fah is a Djiboutian soup, mostly eaten in southern parts of the country, as well as northern Somalia. It is popular in East African cuisine. Fah-fah is typically made of goat meat with vegetables and green chilies.
Lahoh
Lahoh (Arabic: لحوح, romanized: laḥūḥ [laħuːħ], Somali: laxoox) is a spongy, flat pancake-like bread. It is a type of flatbread eaten regularly in Somaliland, Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Yemenite Jewish immigrants popularized th
Maraq
Maraq (Arabic: مرق) is a broth or soup dish commonly eaten in the Greater Somalia region and the Arabian Peninsula. It can also be found in Indonesia.
Sabaayad
Sabayad, (Somali: Sabaayad) also known as Kimis, Kibis or Ceesh, is a chewy, slightly flaky type of square Somali flatbread eaten in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Injera
Injera, also known as taita, is a sour fermented pancake-like flatbread with a slightly spongy texture, traditionally made of teff flour. In Ethiopia, injera is a staple. Injera is central to the dining process in Amhara society, like bread or rice elsewhere,
Culture and etiquette
Customs, dress, useful words.
- Bonjourhello
- Mercithank you
- S’il vous plaîtplease
- Entries checked on Wiktionary.
- Religions: Sunni Muslim 94%, other 6%.
- Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar.
Festivals and events
The big dates.
- National holiday
Independence Day, 27 June (1977) ; independence: 27 June 1977 (from France).
Fixed dates and moveable events, each with its source; moveable dates change every year and are to be checked on an official calendar.
Did you know?
Three things to remember.
The country’s highest point, Mousa Ali, reaches 2,028 m.
1,184,076 inhabitants in 2025 on 23,200 km², about 51 per km².
Independence on 27 June 1977 (from France).
Gallery
See it before you go.
Real photographs: free images under a verified licence and Viafro images. Never a generated image. Credits in the footer.
Share your trip with #viafro: the best images will join this gallery, with your credit.
Live, work, invest
A few key figures.
Sourced data (World Bank). No investment advice.
GDP per capita (current US$)3.9World Bank · 2025GDP growth6.5 %World Bank · 2025Inflation (consumer prices)-0.3 %World Bank · 2025Unemployment (ILO estimate)26 %World Bank · 2025
World Bank data (World Development Indicators), consulted on 28 Oct 2026. Tourist arrivals are the latest year published.
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Sources and verification dates · 20 sources, checked on 28 Oct 2026
Travel advice · GOV.UK (FCDO)Entry, visa, safety: the official page, kept up to date by the ministry. Travel health · US CDCVaccines and precautions from a reference medical source. World Heritage · UNESCOThe country’s inscribed sites and tentative list. WikidataCapital and currency, verified structured data.
- Wikidata · Djibouti (Q977)
- World Bank · World Development Indicators
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Djibouti · Foreign travel advice · Entry requirements (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Djibouti · Foreign travel advice · Health (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Djibouti · Foreign travel advice · Safety and security (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- Wiktionary · Checked entries (French)
- Wikipedia · Bariis iskukaris (en article, dish verification; Viafro description)
- Wikipedia · Fah-fah (en article, dish verification; Viafro description)
- Wikipedia · Lahoh (fr article, dish verification; Viafro description)
- Wikipedia · Maraq (fr article, dish verification; Viafro description)
- Wikipedia · Sabaayad (en article, dish verification; Viafro description)
- Wikipedia · Injera
- Wikipedia · Djibouti
- Wikipedia · Île Moucha
- Wikipedia · Lac Assal
- Wikipedia · Lac Abbe
- CIA World Factbook · Djibouti (public domain) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
- France Diplomatie · Djibouti · Travel advice · Security (zones, in French) (page updated on 15 Sept 2026)
- Wikidata · Airports of the country (IATA code, traffic) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia (climate normals) · Djibouti · monthly normals (Hong Kong Observatory (temperature and rainfall),{{cite web) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
Information checked on 28 Oct 2026. Check the official source before you travel. Viafro gives no safety rating and publishes no price without a source.
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