Dittilou

Dittilou is a small settlement high in the Goda mountains above Randa, with a camp of stone and thatch huts run by the community and paths running out into the Day Forest and along the ridges. At over a thousand metres the nights are genuinely cool, which in Djibouti is worth the drive on its own. Gardens are terraced on the slopes and juniper stands survive above. The Day Forest above holds the last substantial juniper stand in the country, and the paths from the village are the usual way into it. The forest has shrunk by well over half in living memory.

What you actually see

• The mountain camp - stone and thatch huts run by the community.
• The forest paths - routes out into the Day Forest from the village.
• The altitude - over a thousand metres, cool at night.
• The terraced gardens - cultivation worked on the slopes.

When to go

November to March is the cool season. Nights at this altitude are cool year round. The track up is difficult after rare rain.

Honest expectations

The track up needs four wheel drive. Accommodation is genuinely basic with no power. Supplies and water must largely be brought.

Nearby

Randa is below, and Day Forest is nearby.