DJIBOUTI
Photo Credit: Mila Penrith
CLEARING IN
(As of February 2023), It is easy and rather cheap to clear into Djibouti by yourself.
The process was straight forward, there were no requests for any “tipping” or any confusion about the prices of things, and all the officials we dealt with spoke adequate to excellent English.
An Agent is NOT MANDATORY which saves you a whole US$ 300-400.
The Clearance Process (Done independently) is as follows:
- Hoist Yellow Quarantine Flag and Call Port Control on VHF Channel 12 before entering Harbor to ask for permission to anchor.
- Take your Dinghy to the Commercial Harbor to the East of the anchorage to Visit the “Capitainerie du Port” (Harbor Master) Mr. Aden is very friendly and helpful and speaks perfect English. His WhatsApp is +253 77 81 96 39.
He will take a couple of papers off you, such as crew list and boat registration. You will also pay the daily anchor fee to him at the end of your stay. (Around $10 for the first 3 days, and then a little cheaper the longer you stay). - Go to Immigration (only a few meters away) with Passports and Crew List. Here you will get your Visa and Stamp in the Passport. The Visa cost US$ 30/pp (It is better to have exact cash or ask for local currency in exchange.
DONE!
Using the Marina's Dinghy Dock
There is a small marina to the South of the Anchorage, this is a convenient place to leave it when going ashore. The Mall is only about 5 minutes walk from there. Beware that you might be done for a fee of US$ 50 for just 5 days dinghy docking here from the Marina. You will also be hassled for “Dinghy Safety Keeping fees” by various guys working in the Marina. These fees are very high and not necessary. We just kept saying no, and it was fine. But you have to be stubborn!
SUPPLIES
WATER:
Non-Drinking water is available in the Marina for free (or if you get charged for keeping your dinghy there, it will be included).
Drinking water is available in one of the small shops within the Marina. They can fill directly into your Jerry cans for a whooping US$ 3.4/20L
DIESEL:
The price of Diesel fluctuates quite a bit. But as of Feb. 2023 the price at the Pump was US$ 1.12/L It was not an issue bringing jerry cans to the station, nor was it hard finding a cheap taxi to transport them there and back. (It will cost you about US$ 1.5/L if you go through your agent, but he will then deliver it)
LPG:
We tried and tried, but we had no success getting our Australian Bottles refilled here. Instead we bought a local bottle and a new fitting and hooked that up instead. (However, you will be able to get your bottles refilled in Suakin if you can wait.)
FOOD:
You can buy literally everything in the malls here, but it is significantly higher priced than in the small shops and markets.
There is a small fresh market in the street when you walk straight through the roundabout from the Marina. The food here is very cheap.
ALCOHOL:
This is the LAST place to buy alcohol before the Mediterranean so stock up, because you will need it on the way up for both pleasure and sanity. AND it is quite cheap, with bottom shelf liquors sold at only about US$ 6 / bottle.
GETTING AROUND
The cheapest way of getting around is with local bus, which cost less than US$ O.50 to town. But taxies are also quite cheap and always available. A trip from the port to the city center should be around 500-600 DJF (US$ 3-4).
You MUST determine the price before you get in the taxi, and you MUST hackle if you want a good price.