GO·SOYour Gateway to Somaliland
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.

A 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 storyClose-up of a cheetah in profile at the CCF cheetah rescue centre in SomalilandPhoto: GO SomalilandSaving Somaliland’s Cheetahs: Inside the Rescue Centre at Geed-DeebleMore than a hundred cheetahs, most of them rescued as tiny cubs from smugglers, now live in the acacia scrub outside Hargeisa. We went to meet them.Read the storyA road winding through green mountain slopes on the way to Sheikh, SomalilandPhoto: Abdifatah Y. Barwaaqo, Public domainSheikh: Somaliland’s Mountain Town Above the CloudsHairpin bends, green slopes and cool air after the heat of the coast. Sheikh is the reward at the top of one of the most beautiful roads in Somaliland.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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