Djibouti · DJ

Maskali Island

Maskali Island is a low coral speck in the Gulf of Tadjoura, just a short boat ride from Djibouti City, where powder-white sand meets shallow reefs teeming with tropical fish. Protected together with neighboring Moucha Island as one of Djibouti's first marine conservation zones, Maskali offers snorkeling, swimming, and a rare chance to spot green turtles gliding over seagrass beds—all within easy reach of the capital. The islands are tiny—barely 1.7 km long and 280 m wide, rising just two meters above sea level—yet their position at the biogeographic crossroads of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean makes them a pocket of surprising marine richness and a beloved escape for locals and visitors alike.