Djibouti - Post Report Question and Answers
What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
Djibouti has been great for our family. It's quiet and safe, there's great outdoor opportunities for half the year, the school is wonderful for elementary-aged kids, and it's so small that you get back all the time you would spend sitting in traffic in any other city in the world. Djibouti's role as host to so many militaries and it's location make the political/military issues really interesting from a work perspective. - May 2022
You can save money and you have much more leisure time here than in the U.S. or any other major city in the world. You don't have to worry about congestion or traffic. - Apr 2018
Djibouti is pretty low-key despite all of the activity happening around it. There's not the crazy hustle-bustle nor traffic congestion you'd find at other African posts. Everything is close by, maybe 20-30 minutes to get from one side of town to the other. Camp Lemonnier is a definite plus, not only for our safety and security but sometimes you just want American products and Camp provides that fix. - Jun 2016
Djibouti has the best winters I have ever experienced. Highs in the mid-80's F and lows in the mid-70's with fairly low humidity (for a coastal city). There are some natural sites that are interesting to visit, Lak Abbe' and Lak Assal are two large lakes that were seperated from the ocean during geologic events and have interesting attibutes (thermal vents and salt encrusted skulls). The Foret du Day is a high altitude ecolodge that is nice for camping. But the diving is absolutely awesome. The reefs here are not over-visited and are clean with a LOT of fish, including sting rays and manta rays. The whale sharks come into the bay every winter and are cool to swim with. There are restaurants from hole-in-the-wall Yemeni fish bbq (which is amazing) to high end French cafe's (with excellent food). And Indian and Chinese is available and pretty good. It's expensive here so mid-level (Chinese and Indian) is US$25/person. The expensive places are US$100/person. There is places to get pizza and hamburgers that are surprisingly good. The French base has extracurricular activities if you line yourself up with a sponsor. Mine likes to dive so we spend a lot of time with them. Be warned though, summer is hot here. - Aug 2015
Beaches, snokeling/scuba, boating, sun, few crimes against foreigners (muggings, shootings and carjackings are not a concern), clean air, modern grocery stores with gourmet French cheese and such, fascinating (in terms of natural beauty) daytrip options, French schools, French hospital. Americans can eat and watch movies at Camp Lemonnier. The French military has several clubs, - Feb 2013
This is a hardship post, and the experience will be what you make it. The Djiboutian people are very nice and hospitable. Crime is low. There are restaurants and a bowling alley, but beyond that it is pretty much home entertaining. Djibouti is on the ocean, so there are beaches to go to. The whale sharks are here from November to January. - Apr 2010
