Visiting Somaliland: On the list of popular travel destinations, Somaliland would likely be somewhere near the bottom. However, in the Horn of Africa, there is a small, isolated country called Somaliland. Although not officially recognized as a country, it maintains its own form of “government” and issues its own passport visas.
By Henry Itani
On the list of popular travel destinations, Somalia would likely be somewhere near the bottom. It’s notorious as a lawless land which doubles as a hang-out spot for pirates. However, in the north, there is a small isolated country called Somaliland. Although not officially recognized as a different country, it maintains its own form of “government” and issues its own passport visas. Because of this, it is possible to visit the Republic of Somaliland without having to go through a lot of the hassles or deal with any of the other associated unpleasantness.
In order to visit Somaliland, it is necessary to get a visa at the embassy is Addis Ababa. The process is fairly simple and can be done in a day. Unlike the rest of Somalia, Somaliland is relatively safe to visit and can be easily reached via flight from a trip to Ethiopia in 2013. Happily showing up at the Somaliland consulate in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
So after arranging for my visa in Addis Ababa, I was prepared to visit Somaliland – a place that had been near the top of my to-go list due to its questionable status.
Upon arriving in Hargeisa, I made my way to my hotel and got my hands on the local currency, the Somaliland shillings. Due to the lower economic status of the country, the currency is fairly deflated in value, and as a result, large quantities are needed to purchase everyday items. I ended up having to withdraw multiple stacks of the local currency just to afford the tour that I booked at my hotel.
After settling into my hotel, I made my way around the city – more of a town in comparison to many other destinations. There were multiple markets selling various things and various other shops to browse.
I had only planned to be in Somaliland for a few days, so after spending a day in the capital, I arranged for a tour to the nearby cave paintings at Laas Geel and the neighboring city of Berbera.
Despite being “safer,” the area is still a bit unstable, so it was necessary to bring an armed guard along on the tour. We traveled by car to the rock art, which took around an hour or so to reach. Upon arriving, I was taken to the rock art and browsed them while the armed guard waited by my side.
Shortly after that, we made a brief stop for lunch before proceeding onward to Berbera.
I arrived in Berbera with enough time to go to the beach before retiring to my hotel room. The beach was interesting as it was nearly deserted. The shore was fairly rocky, and there were people strolling about.
There were also camels nearby, which was an interesting and unexpected turn.
In all, Somaliland was a very interesting destination. I might not have gone if not for the fact that it remains a very unique travel destination. Not many people go, so it remains a bit of an untouched gem. It is unlike anywhere else I had been, and the experience of being escorted around by an armed guard is something I probably won’t experience again anytime soon.
About Me
Hi, my name is Henry. I love traveling, trying new things, and generally living an active lifestyle. While in college, I got the idea to create a bucket list in order to better organize the many ideas I had for all of the different things that I wanted to do.
Fast forward to graduation and my roommate and I decided to take a trip through Southeast Asia the summer before we started our jobs. To say that the experience was life-changing was an understatement. It gave me an unrivaled passion for travel and trying new things – something that I carried with me upon my return to modern life.
After starting my new job and trying to readjust to day-to-day life, I began to find things disappointingly unexciting I started to plan out future trips with the hope that someday I might once again have time available to travel and explore. With this, my bucket list began to grow and expand as I stumbled across new ideas and potential opportunities.
As time went on, things began to move very slowly in my day-to-day life. None of my other colleagues shared my passion for adventure, so I found myself planning many of these potential escapades alone.
Luckily, my college roommates shared a similar interest in life, and, over the course of the next year, we managed to meet up multiple times for various trips, including a week-long excursion to Cuba.
While these were great adventures, they somehow still couldn’t compare to the wonder of Southeast Asia and the freedom of being able to travel for 45 straight days. I had met other travelers who were doing round-the-world trips, and some of their stories were unbelievable. If only I had the time to do that, I would be able to see some pretty incredible things. There was a whole world waiting to be explored, and here I was stuck in an office.
In 2016, I left the corporate world and set off on a 4-month backpacking trip through South America, and I have been traveling the world since.
If you’re interested in hearing more about my stories while traveling, check my blog Tales from the Bucket List
To follow along with my various journeys, check out the My Trips section of my blog
To see more photos of my travels, check out my instagram
To see videos from my trips, check out my Youtube channel
