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Djibouti to Massawa – 1000 km through the backyards of
Djibouti and Eritrea
The trip from
Djibouti to Massawa
is one of the most beautiful and remote routes one
can travel in Africa. It is by no means easy, going
is slow for most of the trip, and there are sections
that will test your driving skill and your vehicle’s
ability (and your ability to accuracy copy
co-ordinates into your GPS). The scenery and terrain
is mostly desert and semi-desert, there is an
abundance of rock, gravel and sand, but it’s
unspoilt and the geology is raw and exposed. If you
liked Namibia, you will love this.
We left Djibouti on a Tuesday afternoon and got to
Massawa on Sunday evening having spent most days
driving from early morning to late afternoon. Be
prepared to spend a week without any inputs from
anywhere, though you can get food, water & fuel in
Assab. Bush camping is the only option throughout
this trip and it’s easy as locals tend to ignore you
and there is little or no traffic. Remember in
Eritrea it is not advisable to venture off visible
tracks as land mines from the recent wars still
abound.
We used GPS co-ordinates and route descriptions that
we copied from “Durch Afrika”. Since this
information was compiled the route appears to have
changed significantly in places, so the information
given here is a combination of that from the book
and that which was encountered along the way.
Distances are approximated because it depends on how
often you get lost and exactly which of the multiple
tracks one drives and how far you drive off the
track to camp.
Section 1 – Djibouti town (Djibouti) to Assab
(Eritrea): approx 450 km
Djibouti – Tadjoura: approx 200 km of good tar road,
including a 35 km detour to Lac Assal. The last
section has some bad erosion and undercuts on the
seaward side so don’t stay too close to the edge.
Several rivers have taken the road with them where
they have crossed it.
Tadjoura – Obock: approx 59 km
Leave Tadjoura via the north west part of town,
looks a bit like you’re travelling through a garbage
dump, follow the road up the steep embankment. At
the first fork in the road keep going straight.
Road/track is clearly discernable all the way to
Obock. For the largest part a good gravel road
through the hills. It is clear that maintenance is
not a feature in this region of Djibouti as the rain
has washed out some sections of the road very badly.
The most difficult sections of the entire trip are
encountered here. The most significant obstacle is a
stretch of several hundred metres where none of the
road remains, only the original boulders. Good
ground clearance and low range gears are a must. If
your vehicle is top heavy you might be in for some
additional exhilaration. Luckily the boulders are
rounded (as they are for most of the trip) so at
least your tyres don’ get cut to shreds.
- N11º50.496’ E42º55.262’ - take the right fork
- N11º50.742 E42º59.299’ - take the right fork: the
more worn track which rejoins a couple of hundred
meters further Obock – Assab: approx 180 km
Fairly easy driving. Desert track all the way,
mostly on gravel with stretches of sand that get
muddy after rain. The track remains flat and close
to the sea all the way.
- N11º58.759’ E43º17.990’ - town intersection: head
through the river bed towards the guard post and
light house
- N12º17.37’ E43º21.52’ – deserted military post
(single building)
- N12º23.04’ E43º20.05’ – village, ANDOLI
- N12º35.38’ E43º11.75’ – village, MOULHOULE –
border post for Djibouti at the military base.
Passport and vehicle documents cannot be stamped
here but make yourself known anyway. Will be
required to show your Eritrean visa (or Djibouti
visa if heading south from Eritrea).
- N12º43.49’ E43º05.01’ – village, RAHAYATA –
Eritrean border post. Cannot complete immigrations
or customs formalities here either. Do this at Aseb
(Assab) Port
- N12º44.96’ E43º03.66’ – turn left insight of but
before reaching the village. Name unknown.
- N12º45.19’ E43º00.61’ – intersection and take the
right split.
- N12º46.20’ E42º58.53’ – turn left onto gravel road
at the large sign. Do not go right on the gravel
road as this goes to a Military security zone at
Halib Island.
- N12º49.97’ E42º46.88’ – turn right off the gravel
road onto a track.
- N12º52.495 E42º44.247 - join up with the line of
telephone poles and remain parallel to this line of
poles.
- N12º57.30’ E42º42.60’ – end of track turn right
onto tar road into Assab.
- N12º58.47’ E42º43.75’ – outskirts of Assab (for
the south bound route into Assab)
- N13º00.363 E42º44.689 – Assab port for customs and
immigration purposes.
Petrol and diesel are available in Assab. The only
petrol available is from the Mobil station on the
main route into town. Mr Addonai has the keys and
may not always be available. Basic food supplies can
be bought here but everything closes from 12:30 to
16:00.
Section 2 – Assab to Massawa: approx 630 km
Assab – Tio: approx 380 km
The track varies a lot on this section from good
gravel to driving in river beds. Most of the time,
if not distance, is spent driving across or along
river beds. Initially these are very rocky but they
become sandier the closer you get to Tio. Approach
and departure of the river beds is seldom very
steep.
We would have liked to stay longer in this section,
but the information that we had did not include the
good gravel road from Tio to Massawa (which can be
travelled in a single day, rather than in 2-3 as
indicated by our information).
- Leave town on the tar road heading north towards
the airport.
- N13º03.468’ E42º39.951’ – tar road ends and turn
right onto gravel road (detour around a mining
complex)
- N13º07.590’ E42º32.936’ – the road splits take the
left fork (road appears less used)
- At the 30 km mark a ruin of a single house on the
left hand side of the road.
- N13º15.77’ E42º19.90’ – village, HLELIKA. Gravel
road head at 300º through acacias.
- N13º10.75’ E42º02.86’ – village, GAHARA. The good
gravel roads ends here at approx 96 km.
- N13º10.749’ E41º53.906’ - a settlement/village,
WADE at approx 115 kms and the track heads out of
the village at 360º (north).
- N13º22.918’ E41º46.457’ - approx 140 km, a pass
(930 m) at the base of the RAMLO volcano.
- At approx 157 km cross a river bed with vertical
sides, approach and departure o the track is good.
- N13º34.16’ E41º30.89’ – village, AFAMBO, also U.N.
base visible from the village. Cold cokes are
available here!
- N13º29.875’ E41º41.234’ – road forks – keep left.
- Shortly thereafter there is another fork in the
road, keep right. (If you miss this one then you can
correct by leaving the river bed at N13º34.659’
E41º26.605’ and continue along the ridge, proceeding
left at the next intersection.)
- N13º48.59’ E41º24.04’ – village, BEL’BUY, from
here the track runs through river beds almost the
entire distance to TIO, going is slow because of
large stones.
- N13º57.765’ E41º11.998’ - a pass of approx 850 m.
- N14º12.42’ E41º10.66’ - village, IGHIROLI,
possibility of obtaining water here.
- N14º00.848’ E41º12.800’ – another small pass.
- N14º16.789’ E41º08.639’ – settlement with red
roofs on some buildings, river bed crossing approx 2
km further where the track splits but rejoins.
- N14º21.630’ E41º07.377’ – very rocky pass (approx
300 m) with sand dunes on the right just before this
pass.
- N14º28.332’ E40º59.332’ – final pass (approx 360
m).
- N14º38.841’ E40º57.598’ – road splits, keep left.
Shortly thereafter turn left onto the good gravel
road.
- N14º39.24’ E40º56.39’ – turn off to TIO, continue
straight towards MASSAWA or turn right here to TIO
approx 5 km further north. Food and cold drinks are
available in TIO.
Tio – Massawa: approx 250 km
On this last section the former track has been
replaced by a fairly good gravel road. In parts the
road is as good as any tar road, with exceptions of
the numerous dips into riverbeds that can be muddy
or rocky. Other sections the road is very corrugated
or stony and sometimes the river has reclaimed the
road. The last 20 km outside Massawa looks like the
building of a tar road is imminent.
- N15º06.85’ E40º04.76’ – village, GHELA’ELO,
military/customs control post – we passed through
without being stopped.
- N15º04.75’ E39º44.50’ – village, IRAFAYLE.
- N15º15.82’ E39º37.22’ – village, FORA –
administrational centre for the region. Food and
cold drinks are available here. Road traverses a dam
wall prior to entering the village.
- N15º32.116’ E39º27.210’ – village on the outskirts
of MASSAWA. Continue northwards into Massawa.
This route was travelled in February 2002, after
some rain, in a 2.6 l (petrol), 109 Series III Land
Rover.
Information from
Riff Raff
Overland Expedition 2001 with Thomas and Bridgett |
