Travel report: Somalia
Country ranking by area: #43
Country ranking by population: #73
Date of visit: October 2017
Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world (if not THE most dangerous) and travelling there sounds like suicide, doesn’t it? Although Somalia is not a classic travel destination, it is possible to go there. And so did I. I have visited Iraq a few months before, which was my first difficult country, and I didn’t want to wait long until the second one.
There is more than one way to visit Somalia. You can join a tour to Mogadishu, where you will be heavily guarded by numerous soldiers. This costs a fortune though. Calculate with 2’500-3’000 Dollars for two day, as the security is so expensive. The easier way is travelling to Somaliland. Somaliland is the Northern part of Somalia, which is more or less safe, at least if you compare it to the rest of Somalia.
Somaliland is a self-declared independent country that is not recognised by any other country. The reason why the world doesn’t want to recognise Somaliland is that it doesn’t want to encourage other separatist groups in Africa. Moreover, they see how the declaration of independence has worked in South Sudan, which is a failed state now. Nevertheless, Somaliland has an own government, currency, military, own borders etc. It functions like an independent country.
Getting a visa for Somaliland is a bit tricky, as you need a separate visa for this part of Somalia. That means a Somalia visa won’t get you access to Somaliland. I have written an article about the process of getting the Somaliland visa and you can find it here.
While traveling through Ethiopia, I met Colin from Ireland in the Simien Mountains and later in the Danakil Depression. When I told him the first time that I was going to Somaliland, he called me crazy. The more he thought about it, the more he considered joining me. Finally, he made a decision: he would opt for what was my plan C. He would take a flight to Addis right after the arrival in Mekele and get the visa from the Somaliland embassy the next morning. I wished him good luck and wondered whether I would see him at the airport. He showed up at the gate just about an hour before departure!
The Trip to Somaliland (Somalia)
Somalia is the 61st country I’ve visited, as Somaliland is part of Somalia. However, Somaliland is in reality not the same as Somalia, as it is much safer than the rest of the country. Technically, I have been to Somalia… but I haven’t! You know what I’m trying to say.
Colin and I arrived on a Wednesday afternoon. We both had no idea how Hargeisa would look like and how the people would react to us. The airport was like I had expected though. It was a very small airport, very basic and small. The arrival hall was maybe twice the size of my living room back home. Colin had a visa in his hand and I didn’t. The immigration officer let me wait two minutes, and I’m not even sure if he really find the paperwork the hotel should have sent them. But he waived me in.
Our driver was waiting outside. A young kid grabbed my luggage and took it to the car. When I gave him 1 Dollar, he shook his head and pointed on his t-shirt, on which I could read: “Luggage service for $5!” What a rip off, this kid earned 5 Dollars in 15-20 seconds. I gave him what he wanted and entered the car. Another tourist was sitting inside the car, a Somali from Birmingham, who visited his family. “I should have told you about the 5 Dollars,” he said. Never mind.
We arrived at our hotel 30 minutes later. A friendly woman wearing a hijab executed the check-in. “No alcohol and drugs are allowed in the hotel,” she said. Somaliland as well as Somalia are dry countries. “What? No drugs? Why did I come here?!” I sarcastically answered. The woman laughed. I was really surprised about the quality of the hotel. It was actually a very nice place. Even nicer than all the hotels I had in Ethiopia and cost only 40 Dollars per night. It was already getting dark and we were hearing the prayers of the muezzin outside of the hotel. I was thinking that Hargeisa was probably the most special place I’ve ever been to.
Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland
I was not only surprised about the quality of the hotel but also about Hargeisa itself. Although I didn’t have something specific in mind, I expected the city to be more run-down. The centre of Hargeisa is really nice though. Of course, it is not Dubai, but I have seen worse city centres in the world. As the capital of a Muslim country, Hargeisa is a very conservative city though. You don’t see women not covering their hair, and you hear the prayers five times a day. Obviously, we had to dress modestly there with jeans instead of shorts.
Colin and I went out for dinner. Hargeisa is actually that safe that you can easily walk on the streets at night, at least in the centre. That’s even better than in many other African countries. Honestly, I never felt unsafe in Somaliland, not even when I left the city to Laas Geel. Everything seems calm and peaceful in the self-decleared independent republic.
Several blogs say that it is a very special feeling when you’re in Hargeisa. People would approach you all the time and try to befriend with you. Well, I believe that times have changed. In 48 hours in Somaliland, less than five people said hi to me on the streets. Not sure if I should take it personal. 🙂 I would even say it was because of my dark hair, but Colin has brown hair and is white. They didn’t pay him too much attention either.
I don’t know, there might be more flights nowadays and people became used to foreign people. That could be the explanation for the fact that we were almost ignored. There was one situation though, in which one guy was yelling something at me. There was an election going on these days and I thought I heard a teenager yelling “hey Motherf*cker!” towards me, when he was supporting the campaign of his party. But I may have misunderstood.
Laas Geel
When it comes to sightseeing, there is not much to do in Hargeisa. However, there are tours available to Berbera, a beach town a few hours away from Hargeisa, or to Laas Geel. We chose the latter. Lonely Planet calls Laas Geel Africa’s best kept secret. Laas Geel are cave paintings 40-50km outside of Hargeisa. They were created 7’000 years ago and discovered in 2002 only by a French expedition.
Colin and I booked a day trip, which cost 80 Dollars per person. If you leave Hargeisa, it is mandatory that you have a military escort with you. The last thing Somaliland needs right now is the headline that a foreigner got killed in their country. That wouldn’t help their fight for independence. That’s why the government is a bit overprotective, and I think that the soldier accompanying you is not necessary.
The tour was kind of weird. A tour guide showed us all the paintings; he did not speak English though. Therefore, the tour was more or less like walking from cave to cave and the tour guide commented the paintings like “dog… cow… man… onetwothreefour… cow… woman… milk…” It was a bit bizarre and it did not last longer than 15 minutes.
“Do you think it was worth the 80 Dollars?” I asked Colin. At least, we have seen something that many people haven’t so far and the paintings were indeed impressive. However, it’s probably not the best deal for travelers on a tight budget. Moreover, I’m not sure if Lonely Planet would make a big deal of Laas Geel, if it wouldn’t be in Somaliland. Sure, the paintings looked nice and interesting, but the tour wasn’t worth the 80 Dollars.
Somali food
Somaliland food doesn’t have the best reputation. It relies heavily on camel meat and camel milk, which apparently isn’t delicious. I wasn’t in for adventurous meals anymore anyway. The two weeks in Ethiopia were enough, although I enjoyed most of the food there. But I wanted to eat international food again.
Colin and I went to the Ambassador hotel – one of the best in Hargeisa. Their international cuisine was a huge disappointment though. Although I’m not a good cook, I could have done everything in a better quality… I did not finish my meal and when the waiter came, he asked why I had not finish my soup with a big smile . “I didn’t like it.” I answered. He didn’t react for maybe 10 seconds. He just continued staring at me with a big smile as if that was the strangest thing he had ever heard in his life. “Oh, you are full?!” he said and I just said yes in order to avoid an uncomfortable situation.
In the end, it wasn’t the most clever idea of mine to answer like that. I usually tell the restaurant if I’m not happy with the food, but in certain cultures that’s a no go.
My travel experience in Somalia (Somaliland)
I never felt unsafe in Somalia. Most of the time I had the impression that people are not even noticing me. Of course, there is always the threat that extremists like Al-Shabaab make assaults in Somaliland, but this can happen in European cities too (by other militant groups).
Before I made my choice for Hargeisa, I was actually considering going to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. I was in touch with two operators that organize city tour in Mogadishu, but I didn’t do it. Not because I had concerns, the price for all the security you need was just too high. Just ten days before I arrived in Somaliland, one of the worst terror attacks in recent years killed more than 300 people in Mogadishu. There was another assault in Mogadishu just a few days after I left Hargeisa. I’m not sure whether I would have gone to Somalia’s capital after hearing the news or if I had booked something else instead.
To summarize, the trip to Hargeisa was something special, but it wasn’t what I expected. That’s neither negative nor positive, I just expected it to be different. Anyway, it’s still cool to have seen a place that many people never will. It is also very possible that Somaliland will be an independent country someday. And if that happens, Mogadishu is certainly on my radar again. But first, Djibouti was waiting for me.
Find the travel reports of the other countries I’ve visited here!
