TRANSITTING THROUGH trip ofEritrea orEthiopia,thisistheplace. in yourwalletbutifyouneedtorecharge thebatteries before (orafter) aseriousoverland well-organised infrastructure? Orvisititssurreal hinterland? Sure, Djiboutiwillputadent Why notsettleinforafew daysandenjoyitsdishevelled nightlife, culinarydelightsand train orbus. Djiboutiismuchmore thanastoppingpointontheroadtoEritrea orEthiopia. your experienceofDjiboutitoafew hoursoreven flight, afulldaywaitingforconnecting is wellconnected toboth,whetherbyairorland. But, youwouldmissoutiflimited ous transitpointforthosetravellers whowanttovisitthetwocountriesina singletrip.It andexports. isnowEthiopia’smainhubforimports bours. Djibouti’sport neutrality. The country’sleaderscleverly maintaingoodrelations withtheirunrulyneigh- seems tobeanever-ending borderdispute, Djiboutistandsoutasahaven ofstabilityand While Eritrea andEthiopia,itslarger neighbours,are andmore embroiled inwhat powerful also wellbethemosttalented or,dependingonyourperspective, themostopportunistic. Djibouti mightbeoneofthetiniest,youngestandleast-known nationsinAfrica; itcould Djibouti Through Transitting 284 © LonelyPlanetPublications As longastheborderbetweenEthiopia andEritrea remains closed,Djiboutiistheobvi- in Djibouti, see theboxedin Djibouti,see text, p288 . inthecentre.right Formore onthingstodo bouti Cityoffers acoupleof lively options financial shock.Ifyou’re intoclubbing, Dji- comecheap – beprepareddoesn’t fora itboastsgoodinfrastructurerough, but their earalljostlesidebyside. men withthelatest mobilephonesstuckto mali glamourkittens andfrazzledbusiness- legionnaires So- (andtheoddGI),sensuous Frenchally robedAfartribesmen,stalwart Tradition- as thelittleDubaiinRedSea. citythattrieshardtoberecognised politan discover thatitisanactive andfairlycosmo- , manytravellers are to surprised ComingfromEritreacapital. oreastern Djibouti Cityisnotyouraverage African CITY DJIBOUTI www.lonelyplanet.com USA France Ethiopia Eritrea Canada the citycentre. are northof located onPlateau duSerpent, Djibouti intheissuing of visas. head fortheFrench embassy, which actsfor countries In without representation, travellers should p359). and p260 (see Eritrea and is scarce,butthere are embassiesinEthiopia Djiboutian diplomaticrepresentation abroad Embassies &Consulates INFORMATION du Serpent) d’Esperey)

While it’snotexactlyadiamond inthe Most foreign embassies inDjiboutiCity

    PRACTICALITIES ( TV programmesare inSomali,Afar, TV Localnewspapersare publishedweekly inDjiboutiis220V. Electricity European and system metric the uses Djibouti % Arab andFrench. Réalité in French. They include plugsaretwo-prong mainlyused. distances are inkilometres. ( ( ( % % ( % 353995; www.djibouti.usembassy.gov; Plateau % 350963; www.ambafrance-dj.or; aveF.350963; www.ambafrance-dj.or; 354961; fax250212;Plateau duSerpent) /fax 355950;PlaceLagarde) . 350718; fax 354803;aveF. d’Esperey) DJIBOUTI CITY ••Information DJIBOUTICITY La Nation and Place du27Juin1977. whocanspeakEnglish.It’soff clinic runbyFrench doctors equipped hospital,southofthecity. BCIMR h Bureau dechange Bureau the airport. change andoneat aroundPlaceLagarde There are bureaus alsotwoauthorised de Union isanagent for funds, theBCIMR best betistorely oncash.Ifyou’re shortof there were noplanstofixthemup.Your Djibouti Citywere notfunctioningand At thetimeof writingthetwoATMs in Money Pôle Médical CHA Bouffard Services Medical Easy Internet DFr300; Filga Informatique Cyber Cafe connections. centre. Thefollowingonesoffer thebest There’s aslewof Internet outletsinthe Access Internet & 4-6pmSun-Thu) h h Sun-Thu); charged. TheaveF. d’Esperey branchislesscrowded. aflatfee ofDFr500is only).For cashtransactions, (Visa travellers chequesbutcandocashadvancesoncredit cards

    FACTS FAST     7.30am-1pm &4-11pmSat-Thu, 4-11pmFri) 7.30am-1pm & 4pm-last departure Sat-Thu,7.30am-1pm &4pm-lastdeparture 4pm-last 7.45-11.45am &4-5.30pmSun-Thu) Doesn’taccept Capital: Djibouti City Borders: Eritrea andEthiopiaopen toMarch Bestseason: October ATMs: twoinDjiboutiCitybutthey Time: GMT/UTC +3h Telephone: country code Money: DjiboutiFranc(DFr); Languages: Arabic,French, Afar, Somali national access code writing were atthetimeof notfunctioning US$1 =DFr175.19

Place Lagarde h ( % Plateau duSerpent 7am-12.30pm &4-10pmSat-Thu, 4-10pmFri) 358885; PlaceLagarde; ( (ruedeLondres; perhrDFr400; ( % % . 352724; ( ( 351351; Boulaos district) Thebest 351351; Boulaosdistrict) % % 358885; 821970; international airport; 821970; internationalairport; ( % h % 353143; aveF. d’Esperey; Sat-Thu) Awell-equipped h (ruedeParis; perhr 00 % h 7.30-11.45am 253; inter- 8.15am-12.30pm Western Western

285

DJIBOUTI DJIBOUTI TRANSITTING THROUGH THROUGH TRANSITTING TRANSITTING THROUGH DJIBOUTI ternational oralocalcallare thevarious The mostconvenient placestomake anin- Post &Telephone Mehta Dilip Corporation totheonesofferedslightly inferior inthecentre. (cashonly)buttheratesare Attheairport Fri) departure 286 by theBCIMR. buttheratesare totheonesoffered inferior MasterCard 6% commission.ItcanalsodocashadvancesonVisaand usually acceptstravellerschequesbutchargesawhopping alsochangescash(nocommission)and family), Mehta h Card butdoesn’taccepttravellerscheques. commission) anddoescashadvancesonVisaMaster- h Ababa (480km) To Addis DJIBOUTI The Ethiopia–Eritreaborderawaits this mapserveasindicationsonly. The internationalboundarieson 7.30am-7.30pm Sun-Thu) doortoDilip(same Next 8am-noon &4-7.30pmSat-Thu) Changescash(no formal UNdemarcation. DJIBOUTI CITY ••Sleeping DJIBOUTI CITY ( % ὄ ὄ E THIOPA 353719; Placedu27Juin1977; (

(Lac Abbé)

Lake Abbe % Gammaré Plain Gammaré Galafi

352857; Placedu27Juin1977; Hanlé Plain Hanlé As Eyla ὄ ὄ Yoboki Depressions E THIOP IA Alol Balho Gaggadé Ardoukoba Plain Volcano ᝲ Dorra Magdoul Forêt de Moussa Ali Assal Dikhil Lac (2063m) Mountains Mount Depression Bankoualé Goda Grand Barra Asa Ragid Petit Barra E RITA Depression Assab Ghoubbet) Gelille Ali Sabieh El Kharab Ghoubbet (Bay of du Day As Dorra Fôret Randa & 4-7pmSat-Thu) ofthecentre. North enceau; sDFr9400-10,500,dDFr12,700; Main postoffice Main centre. telephone outletsscattered aroundthecity a free photocopyofamapthecity. amapofthecountryforDFr300andgives Juin 1977.Sells Sat, Mon&Wed)TothesoutheasternsideofPlacedu27 French; ruedeFoucauld; commodation islimited. Grit yourteeth: thechoice of budget ac- SLEEPING office Tourist Information Tourist Dittilou Arta Plage Hotel AliSabieh Hotel Train andbus to DireDawa (160km) Arta Assamo Tadjoura Hol Tadjoura Gulf of ᝲᝲ Mountains Ambado Dalha Sables Blancs Khor ( Mountains Rahaita Plage des % Mabla Ali Addé Maskali Island (blvddelaRépublique; Moulhoulé Forêt 352800; www.office-tourisme.dj in 352800; www.office-tourisme.dj Doralé

Doumeïra h ( % ( SOMA LIAND) Khor Angor 40km 20miles 0 0 Obock To Borama R ED S EA (130km) 7am-1pm Sat-Thu, 4-6pm DJIBOUTI CITY 353264; ave Georges Clem- 353264; aveGeorges

S OMAL IA

Bab al- Bab www.lonelyplanet.com

ὅὅ ὅὅ ὅὅ ὅὅ Moucha Islands Loyada Mandab Ras Siyan

Les SeptFrères Straits ὅ ὅ Godoria Périm Island (Seylac) Ras Bir a () Zeïla h Y EMN ) Oneof 7am-1pm of Aden Gulf Gaulle; dDFr6500-8500; Gaulle; restaurants in the centre. tothe clubs,barsyou want tobeclose and if alittleanonymous.Handycomfortable, if Roomsarebad) upitssleeves. generous and for budgeteers (goodor withnosurprises this isareassuring choice Place Lagarde, buses tothecentrebuses are withineasyreach. outof It’satad cool off. theactionbutmini- gardenandaniftypoolinwhich to secluded offthefloor,a youcouldeat lously clean with allmodcons,bathroomsso scrupu- residence,bassador’s twogenerous rooms tobean am- gleaming white villathatused after atiringoverland trip.Picture this:a enth heaven topamperyourself ifyouneed pinchers. toblvd de la Close République, DFr11,000/15,200; inthethickofright things. late bathrooms.Anotherplusisitsposition, back-friendly mattresses andtheimmacu- marks gototheclean-smellingrooms, the mostreliable optionsintown.Top www.lonelyplanet.com h rinclbreakfast DFr12,000-15,000; 352176; Le Herondistrict; a you’ll payapainful 10%commission. Credit only)are cards(Visa accepted but and thebathroomsare clean. exceedingly Amenitiesareclubs atyourtiptoes. solid, is agem, withallthebars, restaurants and butitsveryand standards, centrallocation ‘could beanywhere’ initsdécor sensibility Auberge Sable Blanc Auberge Menelik Hotel Menelik Bed & Breakfast La Maison Blanche LaMaison Bed &Breakfast Hotel deFrance Hotel DFr5000 foronemonth. of hours. ItcostsDFr3000for10daysand day or,ifyou’re really lucky,withinacouple and yougetitstampedthenext tion Office attheImmigra- leave yourpassport port: also obtaintouristvisasonarrivalattheair- travellers frommostWestern countriescan is none,fromtheFrench embassy.Note that Asmara ifyou’re inthe Horn) or,where there bouti embassy(includingAddisAbabaand Visas canbeobtainedatthenearest Dji- US$60 andare usuallyvalidforonemonth. need visas. TouristvisascostfromUS$30to All visitors,includingnationalsofFrance, VISAS DJIBOUTI Aug; ) Another good haunt for penny-

ais a

( % )

) La Maison La Blanche issev- The Menelik hasacertain a ( % 351177; Placedu27Juin1977;s/d

DJIBOUTI CITY ••Eating &Drinking DJIBOUTICITY ( % ) A short stagger from Ashortstagger 813781; blvdduGénéral de 351163; s/d DFr6000/7000;

( % 869935, & dinnerTue-Sun) prayer emanatingfromthenearbymosque. bepreparedsleeper, tobelulledbythecall afew. Ifyou’rerooms, soasktosee alight this converted villaboastsamixed bagof toned interior. It’soffPlacedu27Juin1977. Mediterranean twistinawelcoming,light- fare delectable witha French outpostserves vert or sauce) cheese sauce roquefort the won’tfeatureThe Horseed inthepages of Air-con isextra(DFr500). are competitive andtheroomspresentable. not themostprepossessing, buttheprices mains DFr1900-2500; de daurade auseldulacAssal when wevisited. Creative disheslike French venue wastheflavour of themonth Opposite this terribly therailwaystation, of watering holesoffPlacedu27Juin1977. mouthful. Splurge! There’s alsoasmattering from Ethiopia,butatleastit’sworthevery comecheap,doesn’t especiallyifyoucome a testimony totheFrench presence. OK,it restaurants mostpalates – thatwillplease The cityisendowedwithasmattering of EATING &DRINKING Gaulle; s/dwithshared bathroomDFr5000/7500; Gaulle; Hotel Horseed Hotel La Table deJulien Chez Marco or US$50)ifyouapply earlymorning. isalso possible(DFr9000 service same-day day andSundaymornings only.Note thata Friday, butvisasare delivered on Wednes- morning from8.30amto10.30amexcept Visa applicationscanbereceived every DFr7200 orUS$40.Youneedonephoto. Visas are validforonemonthandcost Eritrea VISAS FORONWARDTRAVEL day to Thursday and 9am to1pm Saturday. within 24hours. Open7.30am to1.30pmSun- need tosupply onephoto. They are issued DFr3600 (DFr12,600 forUSnationals). You Visas are valid forthree monthsandcost Ethiopia (chicken Thisvery withlemonsauce)? Condé Nast Traveller

( % Hmm, willitbe (filletof withroquefort beef

828087; mainsDFr1600-2600; h escalope depoulet aucitron ( %

lunch Sat-Thu, dinnerMon-Sat) ( % 352316; blvdduGénéralde 357355; aveF. d’Esperey; and itslocationis filet deboeuf (sea bream (sea h lunch a filet 287

)

DJIBOUTI DJIBOUTI TRANSITTING THROUGH THROUGH TRANSITTING TRANSITTING THROUGH DJIBOUTI DFr2000; place feels surprisinglycosy. Despite thesimplicity of this thesetting, (DFr700toDFr1200). will plumpforsalads shark fillet,craborshrimps.Vegetarians menu andmouthwatering fruitjuices. Try tious jointgets kudosforitswide-ranging this unpreten- totherailwaystation, Close a glassof wine. well-chosen gushing superlatives. Washitalldownwith au chocolat the restaurant’s signature dessert, Assal)cooked fromLake withsalt aswell 288 bread andadevilish withachapati-likebaked fish).It’sserved and onethingonly: the AfricanQuarter isfamousforone thing h Sat-Thu, 7.30-11am &4-9pm Fri) tey; mainsDFr1000-2500; tummy contentedly. bablike dish) andyou’llleave pattingyour stop. Fork outDFr500for ashwarma(ke- istheidealpitfrom therailway station, and cheerful eatery (nosign),a mere skip finger-licking. honey andeitherdates orbanana).Truly Shawarma –7Freres Mukbasa Chez Mahad Restaurant Saba Restaurant        of yourstay: If youare intransitforacoupleofdays,here are themost somesuggestionsonhowtomake KILLING TIMEINDJIBOUTI

dinner) Immerse yourself in the Martian landscapeof ImmerseyourselfintheMartian onwheels across Windsurf Forget outonaporcelain-sandbeachat thehardshipsandflake Take atourto Islandsinthe Dive MouchaandMaskali toJanuary)inthe withwhalesharks(fromOctober Snorkel StrollinthealleywaysofchaoticMarchéCentral in AROUND DJIBOUTI •• Dikhil AROUND DJIBOUTI••Dikhil filmed. Contact filmed. Contact www.aecveta.com). [email protected]). Contact Contact Contact Contact ( [email protected]). [email protected]). phin Excursion % h If moneyreally matters, thischeap 350313; [email protected])or lunch &dinner) (chocolate cake), willhave you

Agence Le Goubet AECVETA (ave F. d’Esperey; shwarma DFr300-500;

(juices DFr150-300; (juices

Lake Assal, ( % AECVETA

( h poisson yemenite ( % %

Thispopularjointin ( 354244; ave Maréchal Lyau- 354244; aveMaréchal % lunch Sat-Thu, dinnerdaily) 350313; [email protected])or mokbasa 351188; ave13;fishdishes 354695; www.aecveta.com) or 354695; www.aecveta.com) Ultrafresh fruit

( the lowestpointonAfrican continent(153mbelowsea level). % Grand Barra,

( h % 354695; www.aecveta.com) or 354695; www.aecveta.com) (puréeof 7.30am-noon 354520). fondant (oven- Gulf ofTadjoura

a great saltyplain.Contact Le LagonBleu Lake Abbé enceau; mainsDFr1600-3200; centre of town. in thisDjibouticlassic,slapbang inthe on freshly prepared dishes fish andseafood hours). andDjibouti City (DFr600, 2½Dikhil There between are regular busservices &Away There Getting City. chakras before continuingontoDjibouti beaconvenientmight stoptoreboot your via Galafi, 118kmwestofDikhil, Djibouti, If you’re comingon a truckfromEthi opia DIKHIL fairly wellconnected tothecapital. You can’treally get stuck there; theyare inthefollowing towns. City, youcanpause toDjibouti straight thanheading Rather AROUND DJIBOUTI with watermelon. It’soff ruedeMadrid. glass of mango mixed withmilkorpapaya so putsomebounceinyourstep with a juices are thedealinthisbuzzingbolthole, r DFr6000) also arestaurant attached.

Dankali Expeditions Dankali Restaurant Ougoul Restaurant Hôtel-Restaurant LaPalmeraie Hôtel-Restaurant Djibouti City Dankali Expeditions Dankali

is the best place to stay. There isthebestplace tostay. is , where ( . Contact . Contact

% Le LagonBleu Bay ofGhoubbet 353036, 250297;[email protected]). Plage desSablesBlancs Planet oftheApes Dolphin Excursion . AECVETA

(

( % %

h ( % www.lonelyplanet.com 353652; ave Georges Clem- 353652; aveGeorges 350313; dolphinexcurs lunch &dinner) . Contact . Contact

353036, 250297; (

% ( % was 350313; 354695; ( % Dol- . Nosh 420164; relaxed, aroundacourtyard. functional roomsset we visited). Itfeatures shoe-box-sized yet there(ask around,because wasnosignwhen freshly-prepared sandwiches. dishes, steaks, couscousand,intheevening, shared bathroomDFr1000) bunk downatthe extent, photogenic andfullof attitude. you’ll finditpretty relaxing and,toacertain vour. Ifit’syourfirst exposure toDjibouti, yet intimate townwithadistinctSomali fla- up yourjourneyinAliSabieh.It’sanactive bus orbytrain,it’snotabadideatobreak fromDireIf proceeding Dawa,eitherby SABIEH ALI www.lonelyplanet.com huts withfullboardDFr8000) Bir– Ougef deRas Campement youcan layyourheadatthebasic to stay, from Assab, inEritrea’s south.Ifyoudecide want totravel toEritrea whocome orthose who postforthose it’s anobviousstaging have itdoesn’t manyfacilities, Although offrontier’ feel thatisnotdevoid charm. with Eritrea, Obockexudesakindof ‘last The lastsignificanttownbefore theborder OBOCK another busheadingtoDire Dawa. Ethiopian border(DFr600)thenchange to first have atthe totake abustoGelille bouti CityviaAliSabieh. three fromDire timesaweek Dawa toDji- also hoponthetrain(DFr1500) that runs (DFr700), mostlyinthemorning. Youcan bouti Cityisbybus.There are dailyservices The mostconvenient waytoget toDji- &Away There Getting mains DFr1000-2000; can beat as adecenton-site restaurant. courtyard,aswell rooms andaleaf-dappled well-appointed rooms,pathogen-free bath- tion when we visited. Ask around. more upmarket option wasunder construc- Aboutmentary. 2kmwestof the centre, a huts and theshared bathrooms are rudi- the beach. Accommodation is intraditional centre. Locationistop-notch on – it’sright r DFr6000; If your purse stringsareIf yourpurse alittlemore You don’thave topayaking’sransom To get toDire DawainEthiopia,you’ll For acheap meal,nothing andtasty a La Palmeraie d’AliSabieh Restaurant duMontArrey Restaurant ) , ontheoutskirtsof town,has h Hotel Gogareh Hotel , justoffthemainsquare lunch &dinner) TRANSPORT IN DJIBOUTI •• Getting There &Away INDJIBOUTI••Getting TRANSPORT , about 5km east of, about5kmeast the

( %

( % 816034, 822446; , with pasta , withpasta

825308; swith ( ( % % 426198; 426191; 27 Juin1977) Place Lagarde) for Eritrean Airlines and Kenya Airways. Airlines and Kenya for Eritrean rue deMarseille) Air France onFriday. closed representative inDjibouti City. Theyare ing to/from Djibouti have ora anoffice isAmbouli traffic Airport. Allairlinesfly- The onlyairporthandlinginternational AIRPORTS &AIRLINES Air passport andavisa. To enter Djibouti youmusthave avalid PASSPORT for arrivalbyair, Djibouti hasoneinternational gateway Djibouti Entering THERE&AWAY GETTING INDJIBOUTI TRANSPORT Djibouti City(aboutDFr1500,3½hours). From Tadjoura there are to morningbuses and Obock(aboutDFr2000,three hours). Tadjouradle alongthedirtroadbetween road, there are irregular thattrun- bushtaxis dhow, aboutthree hours). Iftravelling by about1½hours;by speedboat, DFr700by of thecentre earlyinthemorning(DFr1500 daily toL’Escale,asmallmarinanortheast ordhow.TheyleaveCity isbyspeedboat The mostconvenient waytoget toDjibouti &Away There Getting Djibouti City(DFr2000,30minutes). Obockand basisbetween a twice-weekly Globe Travel Ethiopian Airlines Djibouti Airlines Daallo Eritrea, EthiopiaandSomaliland. landborders withneighbouringalso several about 5km southof Djibouti City.There are exit stamp ifyouenter/leaveexit stamp thecountry. have with anentry/ yourpassportstamped borders isrelatively easytoo,butbesure to a hotel inDjiboutiCity.Crossingatland mention inthecountry;this case, contact beaskedfill in.Youmight foranaddress or simple, withonlytheusualarrivalformto There’s alsoasmallplanethatflieson Disembarkation attheairportisusually Disembarkation ( % ( % 353401; www.daallo.com; ruedeParis) ( % 351010; www.airfrance.com; Placedu 351010; www.airfrance.com; ( % 250297, 353036;Place Lagarde) Agent ( % 351006; www.djiboutiairlines.com; Ambouli Airport 351007; www.flyethiopian.com;

( % 341646) 289

,

DJIBOUTI DJIBOUTI TRANSITTING THROUGH THROUGH TRANSITTING TRANSITTING THROUGH DJIBOUTI .com; rueMarchand) or at the inObock to do iteither atthePolice Office atthe border,don’tforgetpassport stamped of oneup).If you can’tget setting your onthe Djiboutianside (there Office istalk leave whenthey have customers. enough vices, butthere’s nofixed schedule andtaxis of writingthere were ser- abouttwoweekly another 3½hours (Nfa300).Atthetime (DFr2000) andfrom thebordertoAssab about fourhours from Obocktotheborder from MoulhoulétoAssab inEritrea. It’s the border. plytheroute Thenothertaxis Obock toMoulhoulé,thelasttown before from Cruisers) shared (usuallyLand taxis Assab islimited to andObock.Traffic reliable scheduled between transportation of headaches fortravellers isthelackof warned.Themaincause consider yourself bouti) orinAssab (Eritrea) forafew days– risk of getting stuckeitherinObock(Dji- betime-consumingandthere’smight the Travel overland to Eritrea ispossible,butit ERITREA Land (DFr25,000/36,000 oneway/return). to/fromAddisAbaba flight one weekly (DFr15,000/22,000 oneway/return) and to/from Direthree flights weekly Dawa one way/return). DjiboutiAirlineshas (US$195/280 fourtimesaweek Ethiopian AirlinesconnectsDjiboutiand Ethiopia turn, onehour). DjiboutiandAsmarabetween (US$290re- flight tional airline. Ithasatwice-weekly Eritrea isEritrean Airlines,Eritrea’s na- The onlyairlineconnectingDjiboutiwith Eritrea TICKETS Yemenia Yemen Airways 290 Note thatthere’s noformal Immigration with anyairlinewhileinDjibouti. check included inthecostofyourticket; destinations.further-flung Insomecasesit’s neighbouring countriesandDFr5000for taxisDFr3000for departure The airport TAX DEPARTURE TRANSPORT IN DJIBOUTI •• Getting Around INDJIBOUTI••Getting TRANSPORT Police de l’Air et des Frontieres Office Police del’Air et desFrontieres ( % 356579; www.yemenia

( p289 routes. onthemost useful ) fordetails ( Dikhil p288 ), Ali Sabieh( p289 ) andObock There of theGetting &Awaysection See a gravel by4WDs. roadonlypassable to Moulhouléatthe Eritrean border,there’s Tadjoura. From Tadjoura toObockand on aroundtheGulfde 174km fromthecapital road,coversde l’Unité,agood sealed the TheRoutein thecountrywith thecapital. The road networklinksall major villages AROUND GETTING ( ticket onedayinadvanceatthe 13 hours. You’re tobuy your welladvised you DFr3900in1stclass,minimum duration City toDire Dawa(viaAliSabieh),it’llcost leaves three FromDjibouti timesaweek. costs aboutBirr80in‘1st’class.The train Djibouti CitytrainatDire Dawa. Theleg Passengers can hopontheoldAddisAbaba– Train This optionisbestavoided bywomen. (about three days).Pricesare negotiable. LogiyaandDikhil City viaAwash,Gewane, AddisAbabaroute between andDjibouti one of thelegions of trucksthatplythe only)with tion istohitch alift(frontseats via thebordertownof Galafi,theonlyop- you wanttoenter DjiboutifromEthiopia try, andwedon’trecommend it.Still, if Hitching entirely isnever safe inanycoun- Hitching ( from ave 26.Thecompanyiscalled another bustoDjiboutiCity;see p274 . first bustothebordertownof then Gelille, hour rideonagravel road.You’lltake your and DjiboutiCity–astrenuous 10-to12- There isa daily Dire between Dawa service Bus ETHIOPIA ( Police Office inObock. Police Office youtothe –unlesstheysend an exitstamp Police del’AiretdesFrontieres andask for for Eritrea, it’salsobesttogofirst to the Djibouti City.Whenleaving DjiboutiCity day inadvancetobesure of getting aseat. % % % There ispretty limited public transport. leaveFrom DjiboutiCity,buses atdawn See See p274 formore information. 358070; aveF. d’Esperey; 826573, 828838) 350289; h 24hr) . Buyyourticket at leasta insidetheportarea in h www.lonelyplanet.com 7am-noon Tue, Thu&Sat) railway station SPB .

www.lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’ the above -‘Do theright the termsandconditions onoursitefor alongerwayof saying youknow, orresell it.See everyone site,massemailit to only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseit forpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapter isnotdigitally Tomake

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DJIBOUTI DJIBOUTI TRANSITTING THROUGH THROUGH TRANSITTING