Sunday 14^th May – Djibouti City

• Arrival at your convenience into Djibouti City – the capital city of Djibouti which is well connected from flights between East Africa, Dubai, Saudi Rabia, Egypt, Ethiopia & Oman.
• Meet our driver at the airport and drop off at our hotel – La Siesta Hotel.
• Pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of our hotel at 4:00pm to discuss tour itinerary and to meet your fellow travellers and YPT guide.
• Head out on our exploration of Djibouti City. During this walk, we’ll go see the two most famous mosques of the country, the Hammoud Mosque as well as the Al Sada Mosque and stop by the old colonial train station.
• After we’ve built up an appetite walking around town, we will head to restaurant Janatein for Yemeni Seafood.
• We’ll then check out the port of Djibouti and stop for drinks in what is probably the busiest nightlife of the Somali world.
• Overnight at La Siesta Hotel.

Monday 15^th May – Djibouti City – Lake Abbe

Morning

• After breakfast, we will start our excursion to Lake Abbe, located on the border between Djibouti and Ethiopia.
• On the road there, we’ll stop by the Little and Grand Bara, which are large fields of white clay, upon which mirages are frequently seen alongside the local gazelles and antelopes.
• On the road, we might also spot some of the local nomad shepherds, who have made this desert region their home, even though it is amongst the hottest and most hostile places in the world.

Afternoon

• Stop for a local lunch along the way.
• Late afternoon arrival at Lake Abbe Camp, which is just on the border of Lake Abbe which offers a spectacular night view. Here the land is flat apart from one hill and mixed with the clouds this is quite the view! The camp will have shower facilities and bathroom.
• Dinner and overnight in Lake Abbe Camp.

Tuesday 16^th May – Lake Abbe – Lake Assal – Djibouti City

Morning

• Wake up early to check out the sunrise over Lake Abbe, a formidable sight as the sun rises unobstructed over the lake with hundreds of natural limestone chimneys, spitting out steam and sulfur. You will wonder if you just woke up on the same planet!
• After breakfast we head out on a trek around the lake before the sun rises and scorches the earth. The trek shall take two hours but will reward us with massive colonies of pink flamingos.
• During this trek, we might meet the local donkey and camel herders and our local guide will introduce us to them.

Afternoon

• Lunch back at the accommodation.
• We then make our way to the second lake of Djibouti, and certainly its most famous, Lake Assal
• Lake Assal is located no less than 150 metres below sea level, making it Africa’s lowest point and the world’s third lowest point. It is crowned by an almost alien chain of volcanoes spewing black lava. The border of the lake is surrounded by salt banks of a white so bright that it looks like snow. This lake is the world`s biggest reserve of salt.
• Once we’ve visited the lake to our heart’s content, we will drive back to Djibouti City, arriving in the late afternoon.
• After our return to our hotel we’ll partake in a well earned shower and then head back into town to check the sights we might have missed on our first night.
• Dinner at restaurant La Fontaine.
• Head for drinks before overnight at La Siesta Hotel.

Wednesday 17^th May – Djibouti City

• Tour concludes – YPT is able to arrange post-tour accommodation or advice for ongoing flights.
• For those wanting to further explore more of the Horn of Africa join us to Somaliland. We recommend booking and boarding the Air Djibouti flight departing Djibouti at 7:15am and arriving 8:00am in Hargeisa.

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