What to Wear in Djibouti City

Packing for Djibouti City is a balance between staying cool under a relentless Red Sea sun, dressing respectfully in a predominantly Muslim society, and protecting your skin and feet during marine and volcanic day trips. Synthetic fabrics trap coastal humidity quickly; build your wardrobe around loose, airy natural fibres in pale colours.

What to wear in town vs out on the water and salt flats

• Loose linen and lightweight cotton covering shoulders and knees: when walking around Place Ménélik, Hamoudi Mosque and Marché Central, both men and women feel most comfortable in loose trousers or long skirts paired with short- or long-sleeved cotton or linen shirts. You will see Djiboutian men wearing the breezy wraparound macawiis sarong in residential quarters and women in colourful patterned dirac dresses and headscarves.
• A long-sleeved UV rash guard and reef shoes for the gulf: when snorkelling with whale sharks or swimming off Moucha Island and Khor Ambado, you spend hours floating horizontally under intense equatorial UV reflection. A long-sleeved UPF 50 swim shirt protects your back far better than sunscreen alone (and prevents lotion from washing off near marine life). Swimwear is fine on hotel pool decks, Moucha Island boats and Khor Ambado beach, though you should cover up before returning to road checkpoints or village stalls.
• Closed-toe trainers or rugged sandals for Lake Assal: the crystallised salt polygons and black basalt lava fields around Lake Assal and the Goubet have razor-sharp edges that slice through thin flip-flops. Wear sturdy closed shoes or thick-soled water sandals, and bring a bottle of fresh water to rinse supersaturated salt brine off your ankles immediately if you wade into the lake shore.

Sunglasses, sunhats and indoor air conditioning

Do not underestimate the glare on Lake Assal: the vast white salt pan reflects sunlight from below just like an alpine glacier, so pack polarised category-3 sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat with a chin strap that will not blow off on a speedboat across the Gulf of Tadjoura. Finally, carry one light cotton overshirt or scarf for hotels, cafés and the Nagad railway carriages, where air conditioning is kept icy cold. Check seasonal weather before you pack.