Safety in Djibouti: what overland travellers should know
Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 31 May 2026.
Safety
- Convoy, fuel and water — The ministry asks you to make every movement inside the country in 4x4s and, where possible, in a group of at least two vehicles. Both should carry enough fuel and enough water for the whole journey.
- Border areas — Travel to the border areas with Eritrea, in particular the Obock and Tadjoura districts, and with Somalia is advised against: security there is precarious and tensions latent. Stay on the busier routes and use experienced local guides.
- Stay on main roads — Djibouti was declared free of mines in 2004, but the advice is still to stay on the main roads, especially in the Tadjoura, Obock and Ali Sabieh districts.
- Terrorism — Djibouti's position on the Bab el-Mandeb strait, its closeness to Somalia and Yemen and the many foreign military bases on its soil keep the threat from Islamist extremism high, above all in the capital, where embassies, bases and the hotels and restaurants used by westerners are the exposed spots. No Islamist attack has been recorded since 2014, but the alert level remains high. Avoid crowded, exposed places such as shopping centres, places of worship and bus stations, the surroundings of foreign military bases, and public transport.
- Regional instability — Unrest or conflict in Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia or Yemen can feed through into security in Djibouti, and possible incidents include attacks on ships in transit and Houthi activity from Yemen. The presence of Somali, Yemeni and Ethiopian refugees, and lasting tensions between the Somali, Issa and Afar groups could bring fresh clashes, as happened between February and April 2024.
- Floods and drought — The country has a high risk of prolonged drought, heavy flooding and sudden storms. It also sits in an active seismic zone and has active volcanoes.
Before you rely on this
This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 31 May 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Djibouti before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.
Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 31 May 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.