Tuesday 14^th May – Djibouti City

• Arrival at your convenience into Djibouti City – the capital city of Djibouti which is well connected from flights between Dubai, Doha, Paris, Istanbul and Addis Ababa.
• Meet our driver at the airport and dropped 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. We’ll go see the two most famous mosques of the country, the Hammoud Mosque as well as the Al Sada Mosque, stop by the old colonial train station, take a photo at the ‘I love Djibouti’ sign, and finish with a walking tour of downtown Djibouti city to purchase flags, football jerseys, magnets and other Djibouti souvenirs.
• After we’ve built up an appetite exploring around the city, we will head to the most famous restaurant in the city which has been around for decades and serves Yemeni style seafood dishes and other local dishes.
• 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 – the first ever tourist hotel built in Djibouti with a prime location along the Siesta Beach with fantastic views. The recently renovated rooms offer AC and WiFi.

Wednesday 15^th May – Djibouti City – Lake Abbe

Morning

• After breakfast, we will begin 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 gazelles and antelopes.
• We’ll stop at a town that used to hold thousands of refugees from Yemen before they were relocated to other parts in Africa. There’s a train station that’s now defunct with an old French train left behind rusting under the sun.
• On the road, we’ll arrange a stop to meet 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 picnic 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 has basic shower facilities and a bathroom.
• Dinner and overnight in Lake Abbe Camp.

Thursday 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 sulphur. You will wonder if you just woke up on the same planet!
• We’ll trek along 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.
• Return to camp for breakfast, pack up and move on.

Afternoon

• We then make our way to the second lake of Djibouti, and certainly its most famous, Lake Assal
• On our way we’ll stop at Belvedere Sul Canyon – this spot offers fantastic views where the three tectonic plates of Africa, Somalia and the Arabian plate are pulling 2cm apart each year.
• 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 dinner at Saba restaurant for a feast of fresh seafood, meat or salads.
• Head for drinks before overnight at La Siesta Hotel.

Friday 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.

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