Sea Mountain And Hiking Tour

DAY 1: Visit to the DECAN refuge

Arrival in Djibouti – transfer from the airport to your accommodation
Our local agency provides a comfortable, air-conditioned apartment for your overnight stay, with breakfast prepared to your preferences. Of course, if you prefer, you may book a hotel room instead.
Lunch at the port restaurant in Djibouti
Afternoon: visit to the DECAN refuge. This is a wildlife park located near Djibouti that houses animals native to Djibouti and other regions of Africa.

Tour of the city of Djibouti
Dinner: at a restaurant
Night: in our apartment or hotel

DAY 2: Excursion and beach at Arta – 55 km

Morning: Hike starting from the refuge, suitable for all levels. For more experienced hikers, walk to the beach (about 2 hours).
Lunch: picnic on Arta beach
Afternoon: fins, mask and snorkel on the reef at Arta beach
During the season from mid-November to January: excursions to observe whale sharks are possible; although these are gentle animals, it is not possible to schedule a meeting with them; therefore, an encounter—though likely—is never guaranteed.
Return to Djibouti in the late afternoon
Dinner with a local family or at a restaurant (according to your choice)
Night: in our apartment or hotel

DAY 3: Djibouti to Randa camp via Lake Assal – 180 km

Morning: Early departure from Djibouti. About forty kilometers before reaching Lake Assal, we will stop to admire the magnificent scenery of the Dimbiya canyon, nicknamed the “Grand Canyon of Djibouti”…
A few kilometers further on, another stop with a breathtaking view of Devil’s Island and the Goubbet.
Located in the heart of Djibouti, Lake Assal is one of the most spectacular natural sites in East Africa. This salt lake lies at approximately 153 to 155 meters below sea level, making it the lowest point in Africa. It is one of the saltiest lakes in the world (more than 300 grams of salt per liter of water). This, together with heavy evaporation due to the intense heat, explains the salt exploitation that has been practiced there for centuries. No living organisms can survive in the waters of Lake Assal. In good weather it is possible to bathe there; wearing plastic shoes is essential to protect your feet from the sharp salt crystals.
The very high temperatures make the place inhospitable, but its legendary beauty, described by the adventurer-writer J. Kessel, makes it an unmissable site.
Lunch: picnic on the Goubbet beach
Afternoon: we will visit the lava field located between Assal and Goubet, where we will observe the rift fault stretching for a few meters, which here measures only a few centimeters wide.
Overnight at Goubbet and after breakfast we take the paved road (which is in poor condition in places) to the Randa guesthouse located at about 900 m altitude.
Night in Randa and after breakfast visit the Randa gardens and its impressive legendary fig tree.
After lunch, visit and immersion in a small nomad camp about 15 km from Randa, with the possibility of sleeping under the stars on site (optional). A unique experience. A rare and deeply authentic moment, suspended out of time, far from the bustle of civilization. Between simplicity and hospitality, a true human parenthesis at the pace of nomadic life.

DAY 4: Hike to the Day camp at 1500 m altitude

Morning: Hike from Randa to Day camp (about 4 hours) – transfer by 4x4 possible
Day camp is equipped with daboytas (traditional huts) arranged on a shaded, well-laid-out terrace. Sanitary facilities are quite satisfactory. From there, it is possible to make excursions into the primary forest of the same name or hikes to other camps in the Goda mountains, provided you are a strong hiker.
Lunch and dinner at the camp

DAY 5: Hike to Dittilou camp

Morning: Hike from Day camp to Dittilou camp (about 4 hours) – transfer by 4x4 possible
The Dittilou camp consists of about twenty daboytas (traditional huts) built on terraces. Located in the heart of lush vegetation at over 600 m altitude, the place breathes serenity. Sanitary facilities are clean and functional. A colony of green monkeys provides entertaining spectacles. Hiking is popular here. Experienced hikers can reach other camps in the Goda mountains.
Lunch at Dittilou (beware of thieving green monkeys)
Afternoon: Visit the village of Dougoum, near Dittilou camp
Dinner and overnight: Dittilou camp

DAY 6: Journey to Ras Ali via Tadjourah – 40 km

Ras Ali camp is located after Tadjourah, on the seashore, at the end of a track of about ten kilometers. The sanitary facilities are basic by European standards, but perfectly adequate and clean. The cooking is excellent and the site is paradisiacal for snorkeling. Kayaking is also possible.
Lunch at Ras Ali camp
Afternoon: swimming, snorkeling, kayaking on Ras Ali beach
Dinner and overnight at Ras Ali camp

DAY 7: From Ras Ali to Ras Bir – 100 km

Morning: Early departure for Ras Bir camp after Obock
Lunch at a restaurant in Obock
In Obock, we will visit the house of Governor Lagarde, a remnant of the French colonization that began in Obock, and we will go to the maritime cemetery which holds the graves of French soldiers who died of fever between 1885 and 1889.
Dinner and night at Ras Bir camp located on the seashore, less than ten kilometers from Obock.

DAY 8: Walk in the Godoria mangrove and return to Djibouti

Morning: Visit the Ras Bir lighthouse – don’t leave too quickly, you’ll need to climb more than 200 steps to reach the top.
We then continue north to the Godoria mangrove where a canoe excursion awaits.
Return to Ras Bir camp for lunch
Afternoon: return journey to Djibouti (1)
Dinner at a restaurant in Djibouti or with a local family (your choice)
Night: in our apartment or hotel
(1) Depending on the day of the week, it is possible to organize a return by ferry.

DAY 9: On the planet Lac Abbé – 200 km

Morning: From Djibouti to Dikhil we travel about 120 km on a paved road; this is the main route used by Ethiopian truckers from the port of Djibouti to Addis Ababa to import the goods necessary for the country’s economy.
We will cross the semi-desert expanses of Petit Bara and Grand Bara where we will observe mirages, dust devils and… gazelles, with some luck.
Lunch at the Gobaad restaurant in Dikhil
Afternoon: After Dikhil, we leave the road to travel 80 km of tracks that are sometimes sandy. We will cross the villages of As Eyla and Koutabouya. At the end of the route we may observe warthogs.

Border site between Ethiopia and Djibouti, Lake Abbé presents a unique panorama. Its limestone chimneys offer a lunar landscape, very popular with photographers from all over the world, especially at sunrise and sunset. The first version of the film “Planet of the Apes” was shot at Lac Abbé…according to the rumor

The sulfur scents escaping from the numerous fumaroles gave the lake its name. Indeed, Abbé means “rotten”!

The unique landscapes of the chimneys which can reach 50 meters in height, would almost make us forget the presence of the lake, on the banks of which we can observe pink flamingos!

Arrival at the Lac Abbé camp in the evening, to watch the sunset

Evening meal and overnight at Lac Abbé camp

DAY 10: Lac Abbé - Djibouti - 220 km

Morning: You will have to get up very early to watch the spectacle of the sunrise in the middle of the chimneys! Then we will try to approach the pink flamingos at the edge of the lake, which from year to year withdraws further and further. We will also observe some sources of boiling water.

Then we take the way back to Djibouti.

Lunch at Arta at Sunny Hill or at the Maison des Randonneurs run by an ex-French legionnaire, who fell in love with the country and is a real celebrity in Djibouti.

Arta is a charming town, "perched" at an altitude of 600 meters, where the notables of Djibouti have a second home to take advantage of its mild temperature, 4 or 5 degrees lower than that of Djibouti.

Arrival in Djibouti at the beginning of the afternoon, which will allow us to visit the city: lively areas such as Mahamoud Harbi Square, the starting point for public transport, Ménélik Square, Ethiopia Street, the shopping street of the Caisses...

Evening meal: Restaurant in Djibouti

Night: in our apartment or hotel

DAY 11: Day at the Moucha or Maskali Islands

With only a few inhabitants, these two coral islands located at the entrance to the Gulf of Tadjourah are conducive to relaxation and idleness.

We reach these islands after barely 30 minutes by boat.

With a bit of luck, we will come across some dolphins…

Snorkeling enthusiasts will prefer the observation of underwater fauna and flora in Maskali.

For an additional fee, a scuba diving day with an oxygen bottle can be offered on Moucha Island.

Lunch will be taken on the island.

Return to Djibouti in the late afternoon

Evening meal: restaurant in Djibouti

Night: in our apartment or at the hotel

Day 12: Relaxing Day in Korambado -15 km

Snorkeling on the program for this day

Lunch in a hut on the beach

You need a good 4x4 vehicle to get down to Korambado. Not far from Djibouti, the site is interesting for the practice of snorkeling (east side). A few "local color" huts, installed by the sea, provide the shade and the meal necessary to spend a very pleasant day there.

Evening meal at the restaurant in Djibouti. On the menu Yemeni fish, the fish that you choose yourself, is cut into two slices placed in a circular oven….

Evening transfer to Djibouti airport

Important :

Our agency is insured to reimburse any payment in case of default and contractually undertakes to reimburse all that has been paid to it if the trip has to be canceled due to a pandemic.

The Price Includes :

Transfer to/from the airport ;
Private vehicle with driver and all transports within the country (ferry...);
Services of guides qualified in French or English during the whole voyage;
Full board meal; meals at the restaurant are included for the fixed price indicated in the detailed program which will be given to you, An adjustment is made at the end of the stay according to the real cost of the meals taken; One and a half liters of water per day per person;
Accommodation in a double room at the hotel in Djibouti city, or in the apartment of our local agency according to your choice;

The Price Does Not Include:

International flights and visa;
Alcoholics beverages;
Medical expense insurance or medical repatriation;
Tips