The country of Djibouti is small enough that most of its highlights are accessible as day trips from the capital. The landscape outside the city shifts dramatically from the coastal lowlands to lunar volcanic fields and extraordinary salt lakes — a geological intensity that makes Djibouti one of the more visually remarkable countries in Africa. A 4WD is necessary for most excursions; hire one with a driver through your hotel or a local operator.
Lake Assal is the most visited day trip: one of the lowest points on Earth and the saltiest lake outside Antarctica, surrounded by jet-black lava fields and crystalline salt flats that shimmer in the heat. The drive from the city takes about an hour and a half.
Lac Abbé is the more remote and more extraordinary destination: a surreal landscape of limestone chimneys exhaling steam from geothermal vents, used as the filming location for the original Planet of the Apes. Allow a full day and consider an overnight stay to see the chimneys at dawn.
Tadjoura is the oldest town in Djibouti, a whitewashed coastal settlement across the Gulf of Tadjoura. Reachable by ferry from the city waterfront, it makes for a pleasant half-day excursion with good seafood at the waterfront restaurants. The Goda Mountains behind the town shelter the only forest in Djibouti.
The Moucha and Maskali Islands offer good snorkelling and are a popular half-day trip by boat from the port. Whale shark snorkelling runs from October to February at Arta Plage, about 40km west of the city — operators in town can organise this.