Moucha Island

Twenty-odd minutes of boat from the capital's docks, Moucha turns the Gulf of Tadjoura into a small holiday: a low coral islet ringed by reef flats that fall away into snorkelling gardens of parrotfish, angelfish and the occasional turtle, with mangrove channels threading the lagoon side and white-sand pockets between the coral rock. Day trips run out with coolboxes and snorkel gear at the weekends, a small lodge handles overnights for those wanting the island after the boats leave, and in the plankton months the Gulf's whale sharks cruise within reach of the same hulls.

History

In August 1840 a treaty of friendship and commerce between Sultan Mohammed bin Mohammed of Tadjoura and Commander Robert Moresby of the Indian Navy recorded the sale of Moucha Island to Great Britain for ten sacks of rice, on condition of occupation, and Britain held it until 1887, when it ceded the island to France in exchange for France giving up any rights in Zeila and the nearby islands. A quarantine station was built here in 1900 but never used, for lack of medical staff. The island, a small coral islet in the middle of the Gulf of Tadjoura, has about 20 inhabitants, a number that rises considerably in summer (Wikipedia, Moucha Island).

What's there

• The reef gardens - coral heads and fish clouds off the sand spits.
• The mangrove channels - kayak-quiet lagoons on the sheltered side.
• The sand pockets - white coves between coral rock shores.
• Whale-shark season nearby - the Gulf's giants in the plankton months.

When to go

October to May, when the coast's heat is merely hot rather than punishing; winter weekends are the social season with city families aboard. Whale-shark encounters in the wider Gulf peak roughly November to February.

Before you go

Facilities are basic and bring-your-own is the rule - water, shade, reef shoes against the coral rock. Weekend boats can be crowded and music-forward; weekdays or an overnight buy the silence. The reef shows heat-stress scars in patches; the fish life remains generous. Sun here is fierce off the water - respect it doubly.

Nearby

Djibouti City's markets, the Gulf's whale-shark bays and Tadjoura across the water.

Key facts