GO·SOYour Gateway to SomalilandPlan trip
Illustrative image of a turquoise bay below dry hills, evoking coastal places to visit in Somaliland

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Places

Cities, coastlines, landscapes and landmarks: the places to visit in Somaliland, waiting to be explored.

Places to visit in Somaliland

The places to visit in Somaliland range from ancient rock art to quiet coral reefs. Just outside Hargeisa, the painted shelters of Laas Geel hold rock paintings thought to be 4,500 to 5,500 years old. On the Gulf of Aden, Berbera pairs a coral-stone old town with empty beaches and a busy fish market.

Further west, the stone minaret and old walls of Zeila recall a port that was once the gateway between Africa and Arabia. Inland, the road from Berbera climbs through hairpin bends to Sheikh, a cool mountain town in the Golis Mountains. And about an hour from Hargeisa, the rescue centre at Geed-Deeble cares for more than a hundred cheetahs. Each guide helps you choose the places to visit in Somaliland and plan your trip.

Front of the Edna Adan University building in Hargeisa, with its sign, stairs and balconiesPhoto: Clay Gilliland, CC BY-SA 2.0Edna Adan Hospital: The Hargeisa Hospital That Changed SomalilandEdna Adan Hospital in Hargeisa began as one nurse-midwife's plan and grew into a teaching hospital and a university. Here is its story, the woman behind it, and how visitors and health workers can support it.Read the storyCrowds of camels and traders at the Hargeisa camel market, with a minaret behindPhoto: O.Mustafin, CC0Hargeisa Camel Market: A Visitor's Guide to the Livestock MarketThe Hargeisa camel market is where herders, brokers and exporters meet to trade camels, sheep and goats, often sealing deals with a silent handshake. Here is what you will see, how the trade works and how to visit with respect.Read the storyAn asphalt road curving between acacia trees towards a hill in SomalilandPhoto: Vladimir Lysenko, CC BY-SA 4.0Day Trips from Hargeisa: Rock Art, Cheetahs, Hills and the CoastThe best day trips from Hargeisa reach ancient rock art, granite hills, rescued cheetahs, farm country and, on a long day, the sea. Here is how far each one is, what you will see and how to plan the trip.Read the storyGreen mandarins and red apples on a fruit stall at a market in Hargeisa, where Waheen Market is the largestPhoto: O.Mustafin, CC0Waheen Market: Inside Hargeisa's Busiest MarketWaheen Market is where Hargeisa comes to buy, sell and talk. Here is what you will find in its lanes and nearby. We also tell how it rose again after the fire of 2022, and how to make the most of a visit.Read the storyTurquoise water and white surf at Berbera beachPhoto: Zak Abdi, CC BY-SA 3.0Batalaale Beach: Berbera's Favourite Stretch of SandBerbera beach life centres on Batalaale, a long strip of sand at the edge of town. A new beachfront has added walkways, shade and lights, so here is how to enjoy it, and how to swim safely.Read the storyA modern office building in central BuraoPhoto: Siirski, CC BY-SA 4.0Burao: A Profile of Somaliland's Second CityBurao is Somaliland's second-largest city and the capital of the Togdheer region. Here is its story: a seasonal river, some of the largest livestock markets in the Horn of Africa, and a central place in the events of 1991.Read the storyRooftops and streets of Borama, the capital of Somaliland's Awdal region, with hills behindPhoto: Mashhuur, CC0Borama: History, Amoud University and the Ruins of AwdalBorama is the capital of Awdal, Somaliland's far western region. It is a university town with a long history, from medieval stone towns to the 1993 conference that shaped Somaliland's government.Read the storyThe ruined stone minaret and walls of an old mosque in Zeila under a blue skyPhoto: Walter Callens, CC BY 2.0Zeila: Somaliland’s Ancient Port on the Gulf of AdenA stone minaret, crumbling walls and a turquoise sea. Zeila was once the gateway between Africa and Arabia. Today it is one of the quietest, most atmospheric places in Somaliland.Read the storyAncient rock paintings of cattle at Laas GeelPhoto: Theodor Hoffsten, CC BY-SA 3.0Visiting Laas GeelA cluster of rock shelters outside Hargeisa holds some of the earliest known and best-preserved rock art in the region. What you will see, how to get there, and how to visit responsibly.Read the storyThe beach at Berbera on the Gulf of AdenPhoto: Zak Abdi, CC BY-SA 3.0Berbera: Where the Desert Meets the SeaAn ancient trading port, a crumbling coral-stone old town, empty beaches and one of the newest container terminals in the Horn of Africa, all on the same stretch of the Gulf of Aden.Read the story

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