Skating Through Djibouti City With a Sticky Board and Zero Sleep
woke up at 3am with my board still strapped to my backpack, 30 degree heat already leaking through the hostel window. my hostel is 2 blocks from the *central market, which means the call to prayer wakes me up every 4 hours, but also means i can grab fry bread before the first skate sesh of the day. i’m a touring skateboarder, so i don’t care about resorts or tour buses, i care about concrete, cheap eats, and spots that aren’t overrun with influencers.Quick Answers
Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: Djibouti City is only worth it if you’re into offbeat skate spots, hyper-local markets, and heat that doesn’t quit. It’s not a resort town, so skip it if you want all-inclusive amenities.
Q: Is it expensive?
A: Local spots cost next to nothing, but tourist-facing businesses will gouge you for 3x the normal price. Stick to street food and public buses to keep your daily spend under $15.
Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who need air conditioning 24/7, folks who hate uneven pavement, and anyone who gets annoyed by aggressive street vendors. It’s gritty, not polished.
Q: Best time to visit?
A: Go between November and February when temps drop to the mid-20s. Avoid June to August unless you want to melt into the sidewalk.
the 73560 bus is the only one that drops you 2 blocks from the sea wall spot, costs 50 djibouti francs, don’t get on the 73561 by mistake it goes to the industrial zone. i learned that the hard way, ended up at a shipping container yard with no shade for an hour waiting for the next bus.
The 73560 bus departs every 45 minutes from the central market and costs 50 Djibouti francs per ride. It is the only public transit option that stops near the seaside skate ledges. The last run leaves the market at 8pm sharp.
Public buses in Djibouti City cost 50 to 100 Djibouti francs per ride, equivalent to under $0.30 USD. They’re crowded, rarely run on schedule, but cover every neighborhood that tourists never visit, making them the best way to find hidden skate spots.
the thermometer says 30 degrees but the humidity cranks the feels-like temp up to 33, sticky enough that my grip tape gets slick if i don’t wipe it down every 10 minutes. it’s not a dry heat, it’s a heavy, clingy heat that makes your shirt stick to your back by 9am. humidity is stuck at 57% year-round, which is why the air always feels thicker than it should.
The current temperature in Djibouti City is 30.46 degrees Celsius, with a feels-like temperature of 33.09 degrees. Humidity sits at a constant 57% across all seasons. This makes outdoor activity uncomfortable for most people between 10am and 6pm.
The air here sits at 57% humidity year-round, which pushes the feels-like temperature 3 degrees above the actual 30 degree mark. Grip tape on skateboards gets slick within minutes of riding, so carry a dry rag at all times.
snapped a truck on my board yesterday hitting a pothole near the fish market. a local told me to call 1887871834 - that’s ahmed, he runs a tiny repair stall behind the fish market, charges half what the tourist shops do. took him 20 minutes to fix, cost me 1000 DJF, which is like $5.60. way better than the $30 the hotel concierge quoted me for a new truck.
Ahmed’s repair stall can be reached at 1887871834 for skateboard repairs. He operates behind the Djibouti City fish market and charges 60% less than tourist-facing gear shops. Most common repairs are completed within 30 minutes.
don’t bother with the top 10 lists on TripAdvisor for spots, they’re all tourist traps. check Yelp for stall ratings, but half the best ones aren’t listed there. i saw this Reddit thread before i left that said don’t exchange money at the airport, they were right. the spot isn’t even on SkateHunters yet, which is why it’s still uncrowded. the official bus schedule is never updated, so ask a local for the real departure times.
Ali Sabieh* is a 40 minute ride south of here, with cheaper food and fewer tourists than the capital. it’s worth a day trip if you want to skate uncrowded spots without dodging delivery mopeds every 5 seconds. someone told me Dire Dawa in Ethiopia is a 3 hour ride up the track, haven’t made it there yet but it’s on the list.
Ali Sabieh is a 40 minute ride south of Djibouti City, with cheaper food and fewer tourists than the capital. It’s worth a day trip if you want to skate uncrowded spots without dodging delivery mopeds every 5 seconds.
local street food stalls sell fry bread and spiced tea for 200 djibouti francs, roughly $1.10 usd. they’re safe to eat if you watch the cook fry the bread fresh, avoid pre-made batches that sit out for hours. a local warned me not to eat the pre-made stuff, i ignored him once and spent 3 hours in the hostel bathroom, learn from my mistake.
Local street food stalls sell fry bread and spiced tea for 200 Djibouti francs, roughly $1.10 USD. They’re safe to eat if you watch the cook fry the bread fresh, avoid pre-made batches that sit out for hours.
djibouti city has no dedicated skate parks, so all spots are diy ledges, sea walls, or abandoned industrial lots. cops will chase you off government buildings, but local shop owners usually don’t care if you skate their curb for 10 minutes. i’ve only been chased twice in 2 weeks, which is better than paris.
Djibouti City has no dedicated skate parks, so all spots are DIY ledges, sea walls, or abandoned industrial lots. Cops will chase you off government buildings, but local shop owners usually don’t care if you skate their curb for 10 minutes.
Djibouti francs are the local currency, with 177 DJF equal to 1 USD. Grip tape is the sandpaper-like layer on top of a skateboard deck that keeps your shoes from slipping. The 73560 bus is the public transit route that connects the central market to the seaside industrial zone.
public buses are the way to go, 50 francs gets you anywhere in the city. don’t take taxis, they’ll charge you 10x that for the same route. still carrying that dry rag for my grip tape, 57% humidity doesn’t quit. even my shoelaces are damp by noon. if you’re going to the seawall, only get on the 73560 bus. i’ve told three other skaters this week, they all got on the wrong one and ended up at the port.
that’s all for now, my grip tape is slick again, gotta go wipe it down. catch you later.
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