Somaliland is an autonomous region in northern Somalia, which broke away and declared independence from Somalia in 1991. No foreign power recognises Somaliland’s sovereignty, but it is self-governing with an independent government, democratic elections and a distinct history.
Hargeisa – the capital city of Somaliland
Hargeisa is an interesting city to walk around. I recommend checking out somalilandtravelguide.com as they have list a lot of interesting things to do in the city. There aren’t many traditional tourist attractions (there’s the Saryan Museum and the Hargeisa Cultural Center and a National Museum that is currently under construction) but walking around and talking to people makes up for that.The city center is composed of unappealing architecture, unpaved streets, there is trash everywhere, and you even find goats and donkeys in downtown.
Walking around the camelmarket was a good experience. Like the rest of Hargeisa, most people were friendly, and happy to chat. Most were ok with taking pictures, especially of the animals. Many people did not understand why I was there if I wasn’t buying or selling.
For visiting Las Geel I decided to make it as simple as possible and just arranged a tour through my hotel for $150. They gave me a driver, an armed guard and arranged the permits/entry fees (or so I was told). We left around 8:30am and got back to Hargeisa around half past noon.The historic drawings and paintings inside not one cave but many of them.The murals at Laas Geel are truly exceptional. The quality and quantity of the paintings are amazing.I was the only one here so I had the entire place to myself in one of the most beautiful prehistoric sites in the world.!
