SEA FRONT

The beach of Tadjourah and its jetty will delight travellers who are looking for the very special atmosphere of the Red Sea shores. It is the most lively place in the city, where you really feel that here everyone knows everyone else. Along the beach, small low houses with sometimes nicely painted walls stand close together. They house small restaurants or cafes, shops selling building materials, school supplies, a small telephone and photocopy centre, a political party headquarters, a bank. Everything appears modest to visitors, but this is where the city breathes. Narrow streets lead to the waterfront, bustling with vendors (including butchers) and free-moving goats, and coloured by the shimmering outfits of the women.
On the muddy beach, boats are beached, fishermen mending their nets. When it is too hot and the children are not bathing, the local cats, goats and Egyptian vultures take advantage of this to look for food. The site is often drenched by the sun, the activity slowed down by the humidity. Especially from May to September when the air becomes heavy and the torpor so typical of the region sets in. This does not prevent some men from playing a game of pétanque. And every day, the arrival of the qat creates animation. The beach also welcomes the fishermen's boats, while the commercial dhows are sheltered near the pier.