City Rating: Hargeisa
Population: 1’500’000
Date of visit: October 2017
Attractions & sights: 1/5
Nightlife: 1/5
Safety: 3/5
Infrastructure: 2/5
Low budget factor: 4/5
Total: no rating
The city in a nutshell:
Hargeisa is the capital city of a country that officially does not exist, and therefore one of the most special travel destinations in the world. Somaliland is the former British colony of Somalia in the North. Although Somaliland claims to be an independent country, almost no country do recognise its independence.
Where to stay:
Somewhere near Independence Road. Damal Hotel or the better budget option Hotel Oriental are good choices. The latter is also good for booking a tour to Laas Geel or Berbera. There are some high-class hotels, but they are not within walking distance from the centre.
The Good:
Hargeisa offers a unique experience: it’s a city with almost no tourists and generally no white people. The only tourists are the Somalis from abroad who visit their family.
The lively centre is quite interesting and the people are hospitable. There aren’t many sights and attraction in the city though, but you can do trips to Berbera or Laas Geel instead. Both can be done in one (long) day. The trip to Laas Geel is a half day trip only.
Taxis are pretty cheap. A ride within the city shouldn’t cost more than 5 USD. If you change money to Somali Shilling (they accept USD, EUR and Ethiopian Birr) be prepared to receive a gigantic staple of money.
The Bad & The Ugly:
There isn’t a lot to do in Hargeisa, and therefore I recommend keeping it short in the capital city of Somaliland. Two days is the maximum amount of time I would spend in the city. Getting there can be a bit tricky. You’ll need a Somaliland visa (a Somalia visa doesn’t count). I had a bit trouble getting it, but it worked out in the end.
Although Hargeisa is a relatively cheap city, it gets expensive when you leave the city. It is mandatory that a soldier accompanies you if you leave the city, and you will also need a driver. We paid 80 Dollars per person for the half day trip to Laas Geel, which was quite expensive for what we got in the end.
Somaliland’s capital has no alcohol, no nightlife and is very conservative. The reputation of the local cuisine could be better. Even though Hargeisa is pretty safe, it is still Somalia. That means there no guarantee that nothing bad will happen, as terrorism doesn’t know borders.
Tip for the arrival at the airport: don’t let the guys in the arrival hall help you with the luggage. They will carry it for 15 seconds and you have to pay 5 Dollars for this service.
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