Goubet al-Kharab: the gulf of Demons

The spelling retained is “Goubet al-Kharab”. The place is also written Ghoubbet el-Kharab, Goubbet al-Kharab or Goubet El Kharab depending on the source. It is the same place: a cove closed by a narrow channel, between the Gulf of Tadjoura and the corridor leading to Lake Assal.

What is the Goubet al-Kharab?

The Goubet al-Kharab is a cove of the Gulf of Aden, in the Tadjourah region, closed in on itself by a narrow channel with a violent current. It is that channel which separates it from the Gulf of Tadjoura, and which gives the place its character: an inland, enclosed sea, where water moves fast.

The Dalmar catalogue attributes a tectonic origin to the cove: a collapse of the earth’s crust. The landscape matches — black or tawny rocks, frozen lava, peaks, outlines of former craters, and rare patches of green clinging to the relief.

Around it, mountains and cliffs close the horizon. The catalogue and the article on the Ghoubbet put them at 600 metres high; the cove itself is described as 200 metres deep, with walls plunging straight into the sea.

A geographical clarification, because both readings circulate. The article on the Gulf of Tadjoura includes the Ghoubbet in its western part, and recalls that the gulf was itself born from the opening of the East African rift. The article on the Ghoubbet insists, for its part, on the channel that isolates it. The two descriptions do not contradict each other: they describe the same bay at two scales — the end of a gulf, and a body of water that its narrow mouth makes almost autonomous.

Why is it called the “gulf of Demons”?

The name is a translation from Arabic: Goubet al-Kharab, the gulf of Demons. Two accounts overlap.

The first is a story of jinn. Djiboutians tell that supernatural creatures, able to take varied forms, draw in those who approach the islands. The second account, reported by the catalogue in its description of the beach, tells of a great mountain crowned with fire, swallowed by the waters, leaving behind a gulf in which the demons remained imprisoned.

These accounts are not geological data, and nobody presents them as such. They do explain why the place has remained, in the local imagination, a place apart — a place where you do not linger after sunset.

Reference	Data	Origin
Nature of the site	Cove of the Gulf of Aden, closed by a narrow channel	Catalogue and article on the Ghoubbet
Cliffs	600 m high	Catalogue and article on the Ghoubbet
Depth of the cove	200 m	Catalogue and article on the Ghoubbet
Islands	Two volcanic islets, known as the Devil’s islands	Catalogue and article on the Ghoubbet
Announced origin	Collapse of the earth’s crust	Catalogue
Neighbourhood	The Ardoukoba volcano separates it from Lake Assal	Catalogue and article on the Ghoubbet
Level difference	Up to 1 m with sea level, depending on tides and winds	Article on the Ghoubbet
Region	Tadjourah	Catalogue

What are the Devil’s islands?

In the middle of the cove emerge two volcanic islets, with rounded shapes and modest altitude. These are the Devil’s islands. Their dome silhouette is one of the most reproduced images of Djibouti.

The catalogue notes, on those islets, oyster shells and the tools used to open them, dated to more than 6,000 years according to those data. That is an archaeological indication of the first importance — it suggests an ancient use of the site — and we report it as a catalogue datum, without being able to cross-check it against an accessible publication.

So plan to look, not to dig. A site of this nature is visited without taking anything.

Why is the current so violent?

It all comes down to the geometry of the place. The cove is almost closed: water enters and leaves only through a narrow channel. At every tide, a considerable volume of water has to pass through a reduced mouth, which accelerates the flow.

The article on the Ghoubbet adds a measurable effect: the cove can show up to a metre of difference with sea level, because of the narrowness of the channel, the tides and the winds.

Practical consequence: the current is not constant. It strengthens and weakens with the tide, and it can turn an easy site into a difficult one within a few hours. That is precisely what attracted divers and scientists here — Commander Cousteau is cited by the catalogue as one of the site’s visitors — and it is also what makes supervised diving essential.

What can you do in the Goubet al-Kharab?

The catalogue cites several uses: fishing, kitesurfing, snorkelling and scuba diving. The article on the Ghoubbet specifies that the richness of the waters attracts fishermen from the city of Djibouti, and that the seabed holds fish and sharks, driven by the currents of the gulf.

For diving, the cove combines naturally with the rest of the Tadjourah coastline. Our page on diving in Djibouti describes the country’s sites and the levels required.

On land, the cove is discovered from the heights. The viewpoint overlooking it is a classic stop on the route to Lake Assal, and the Ardoukoba volcano, just beside it, can be visited the same day.

Where is the Goubet and how do you reach it?

The cove occupies the inner end of the Gulf of Tadjoura, in the Tadjourah region. It belongs to a remarkable geological corridor, between the Ardoukoba volcano that separates it from Lake Assal and the road linking Tadjourah to the rest of the country.

Two accesses coexist. By road, you discover the cove from above: the viewpoint offers the view over the Devil’s islands and the cliffs. By sea, you discover it from inside: boat, fishing, snorkelling. A camp allows you to sleep on site, which avoids heading back in the afternoon heat.

We publish no journey time: it depends on the departure point, the state of the track and the stops. For logistics, see 4×4 rental with driver and our page on camps and ecolodges.

What should you know before going?

• The current is not negotiable. Swimming and snorkelling in the calm areas only; supervised diving for the channel and exposed sites.
• There is no bathing supervision and no organised rescue on site. Nobody will come looking for you.
• Bring plenty of water and sun protection: the site is mineral, without shade, and reflection off the water is strong.
• The wind gets up quickly. A boat trip can be cut short or cancelled without notice.
• No wildlife sighting is guaranteed, neither the sharks nor the whale sharks reported in the sector.
• Take nothing from the islets, shells included: they are remains, not souvenirs.