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Full article on http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20151118-is-africa-getting-a-dubai
Bordered by Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Djibouti is an oasis of peace in a part of Africa marred by piracy and instability. It is this privileged position that has made the country into an exclusive military playground, home to Africa’s largest US army base and France’s biggest Foreign Legion deployment. Currently, the 53,000 civilians who visit each year are mainly business travellers, and the largely empty planes to the country are virtually devoid of tourists.
But all this looks set to change over the next two decades. This tiny speck of a country has quietly been making headlines for its aspirations to become the Dubai of Africa. (Credit: Andrew McConnell/Alamy)
Island life
But what Djibouti has that Dubai doesn’t, however, is extensive natural resources along with stunning geological, marine and cultural sites.
Djibouti’s 324km coast is the gateway to the Red Sea, drawing both wreck divers and whale shark lovers from October to February when the waters are at their warmest. Stunningly empty Moucha Island, with only 20 inhabitants, and minuscule Maskali Island, famous for its corals, offer mangrove kayaking and white sand beaches, along with excellent snorkelling and scuba diving. The ongoing construction of a luxury resort on Moucha Island, however, may attract renewed interest on this empty speck of fine sand, particularly by neighbouring Ethiopians looking to enjoy the beach life they lack. (Credit: Andrew McConnell/Alamy)
Natural wonders
The country is packed full of geological oddities to rival Iceland’s surreal landscape. Lake Assal, 90km southwest of Djibouti city, is the third lowest point on Earth, at 155m below sea level. It’s lower than the Dead Sea – and with a higher salt concentration.
The few visitors who make the trek here will see a kaleidoscope of colours in the water, thanks to the natural biodiversity found here: green from the algae, brown from the minerals, blue from the sun’s reflections and white from the salt. Floating on the saline waters without another person in sight is a fascinating experience that rivals the crowded Dead Sea shores. (Credit: Prisma Bildagentur AG/Alamy)
In Djibouti City, however, there are luxury accommodation options to be found. Dubai’s Nakheel – real estate developers credited with building such far-fetched projects as The Palm and The World – financed the construction of the grand 300-room Djibouti Palace Kempinski Hotel.
Located on a man-made island by the existing Port terminal, the hotel’s two swimming pools are inviting, if empty, and sunsets can be enjoyed from the rooftop bar, the highest point in the city. Opened in 2006, in time to host the Convention of Eastern and Southern Africa Heads of State, the hotel was Kempinski’s first property in Africa and it prematurely anticipated the country’s tourism and business growth prospects. Today it’s mostly home to the smaller armies in town that don’t own a base like Spain or Germany. (Credit: Mar Pages)
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20151118-is-africa-getting-a-dubai
Who came up with that name,
My father actually worked in Djibouti as a mechanic/engineer fixin up cars and some UN peacekeeping equipment 35 years ago . Thats where he met my mother. He was trained by some Germans after fleeing from the Red terror genocide of 1978 in which hundreds of thousands of educated Ethiopians were massacred by the socialist government including his own father , I probably owed them Germans my life since they were the ones who sent a positive referral to the Aus government which had a labour shortage at the time. They pretty much lied to the gov and told them my dad had 10 years experience instead of just one as they felt things were getting bad in the refugee camps and the German UN engineers who were s close to ,our family didnt want my dad raising us in some impoverished desert tent village.
