Djibouti is a little bigger than El Salvador but nowhere near as green; it is mostly a hot desert waste with virtually no arable land. Vaguely foetus-shaped, you can divide it into three regions to make sense of its geography: the coastal plain, the volcanic plateaus in the south and centre, and the mountain ranges up north. It shares borders with Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia on the Horn of Africa, and you can make out the coast of Yemen across the waves of the Red Sea.

Lac Abbé is where you'll see flamingoes feeding in the mornings, and while it's not designated as a national park it's one of the few places where you will see wildlife of any kind. When you consider Djibouti's weather, 'torrid' and 'dry' come quickly to mind. It's too hot and there's too little water anywhere to support much more than the odd nomad's camel. The cooler season, which sometimes brings rain, averages 25°C (77°F), but at the peak of the hot season the mercury nudges 45°C (113°C).

Djibouti is not as cheap as some of the countries to its south, but it still offers good value to the traveller. If you're intent on sleeping in budget accommodation and eating cheaply, you should get by on US$30-40 a day. If you're seeking a few more creature comforts, the privacy of your own, air-conditioned hotel room - and you'll need that outside of the cool weather - and more to choose from in meals, expect to pay around US$75 a day. If you want to stay in the best hotels and don't mind what you spend on food, expect to spend US$150 and upwards.

There is no currency exchange at the airport, and banks in central Djibouti are only open from 7.30 am to 1.30 pm. Authorised moneychangers, most of whose shops are on the southeast side of Place Ménélik, are open all day. You'll get a better exchange rate on travellers' cheques and cash for French francs or US dollars than for any other currency. Most of the larger and western shops, restaurants and hotels in Djibouti city accept credit cards, but you'd be better off to rely on cash in the smaller towns.

In the more 'European' restaurants you normally tip about 10% of the bill, but otherwise try and find out what locals are tipping, if they are at all. Bargaining is normal in the markets, and even in some places to stay, but not, of course, in top of the range hotels.

November to mid-April is the best time to visit, as it is too hot for the rest of the year.