Travel and Tourism

Travel and Tourism in Djibouti

Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Djibouti.

Practical Information

Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.

Travel Alert Status: Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Time Difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Currency: 177.7
Climate: Djibouti has two seasons. During the May-to-September hot season, daytime temperatures average over 100°F and often exceed 120°F. The high temperatures are sometimes accompanied by hot, sandy winds called the "Kahm Sin." The beginning and ending months of the hot season are also marked by high humidity. The cooler season, from October through April, has clear skies, refreshingly cool breezes, somewhat lower humidity, and temperatures in the 80s. Because of its geographic location between the Ethiopian and Yemeni escarpments, Djibouti gets little precipitation. Occasional rains occur mostly in the hills in the interior, but the average annual rainfall is only 5 to 10 inches. Rains most often come to Djibouti City in the fall and spring; some years are rainless. Because of a high water table and lack of drainage, the rare heavy rain can cause flooding in and around the capital.
Ethnic Groups: Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5%
National Holiday: Independence Day, 27 June (1977)
Geographic Coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 00 E
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Airports: 13

Health and Safety

Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.

Medical Facilities and Care

Medical Facilities and Health Information: Adequate medical facilities in the capital of Djibouti are limited and trauma services are only for stabilization and air ambulance transfer. Medical services in many outlying areas are nonexistent. Even in the capital, hospitals are unable to treat many ailments and frequently recommend medical evacuation. Visitors to Djibouti should purchase medical evacuation insurance. Hospitals in Djibouti require up-front cash payment for services and do not have service agreements with U.S. insurance companies. Cash payment will be requested in full before the patient is allowed to depart the hospital – reimbursement may then be requested by the U.S. Citizen through their insurance company in the United States. U.S. Motorists should be especially aware that, in case of an accident outside the capital, emergency medical treatment would depend on assistance from passersby. In addition, cell phone coverage in outlying areas is often unavailable, making it impossible to summon help. Ambulance service in Djibouti is limited in effectiveness, must be scheduled and paid for in advance and is only a means of transportation. U.S. Citizen visitors to Djibouti are not permitted to access Embassy or U.S. Military medical facilities and must depend entirely on local medical facilities. Malaria and dengue fever are endemic to Djibouti. Travelers who become ill with a fever or flu-like illness while traveling in a malaria-risk area and even up to one year after returning home should seek prompt medical attention, tell their medical provider about their travel history and what anti-malarial drugs they have been taking. In 2013, polio was found in Djibouti’s neighbors (Somalia and Ethiopia), and health professionals strongly suspect it is present in Djibouti. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all infants and children in the United States should receive four doses of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) at 2, 4, 6–18 months and 4–6 years of age. Adults traveling to polio-endemic and epidemic areas and who have received a primary series with either IPV or oral polio vaccine should receive another dose of IPV. For adults, available data does not indicate the need for more than a single lifetime booster dose with IPV. Tuberculosis is a serious health concern in Djibouti, including multi-drug resistant strains. For further information, please consult the CDC's information on TB. In May 2006, avian influenza was confirmed in three chickens and one human in Djibouti.
Accessibility: While in Djibouti individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodations very different from what you find in the United States. The government does not mandate accessibility to buildings or government services for persons with disabilities, thus accessibility is limited. The constitution does not prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities; however, the labor code prohibits discrimination in employment against such persons. Such persons have access to education and public health services.

Disease Risk

Degree of Risk: High
Diseases Note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds
Food and Waterborne Diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne Diseases: dengue fever

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