Where Can I Travel In Somali?

By Author: Amar Shah
Total Articles: 215
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Somalia is not your average tourist destination but is strictly a place for travelers with a charmed life and a bullet proofed spirit due to the sporadic insecurity and inter-clan clashes. All in all, Somali contains some of the best sites to be discovered yet. Travel is possible in the northern districts of the self proclaimed Republic of Somaliland, but even the sturdiest of travelers should avoid visiting other areas. The turbulent past of the country hides a country with hugely varied landscape of mountains, deserts, tropical forests, undiscovered beaches and coral reefs along the Gulf of Aden. Located in East Africa, Somalia has a population of approximately 9.1 million people with Mogadishu being her capital. Somali and Arabic are the official languages but Swahili, English and Italian are also spoken while Islam is the dominant religion.

The amazing thing is that traditional dance, music; song and craftsmanship flourish despite gradual modern development. Informal wear is acceptable and there's no objection to bikinis on the beach but visitors should respect customs.

If you were to make your way into Somalia, ...
... then you'd have to employ the services of Jubba airlines or Daalo airlines, water through the main ports in Mogadishu, Kismayu and Berbera or a 4 wheel drive vehicle if road transport is to be used. Within the country, you could make yourself comfortable in the main cities of Hargeisa and Mogadishu where there are international standard hotels. Government run rest houses are located in many places with dormitory accommodation for 4 to 10 people. There are also tourists and hunting lodges in national parks at Lac Badana and Bush-Bush, as well as in other areas. The weather could be harsh especially around January when it's very hot and dry. Short rainy seasons exist during March to June, August then September to December.

In peacetime, visit restaurants in the major cities and be served Chinese, European, and Italian and Somali food. Camel meat and milk is also popular but alcohol is illegal under Islamic law. National specialties include seafood (lobster, prawn, squid, or crab), Somali bananas, mangoes and papaya, roast kid meat and spiced rice, otka (dried meat), and injera (a large, spongy pancake) while the national drinks include black and brown teas usually from China. Get yourself some traditional crafts which include gold, silver jewelry, woven cloth and baskets from the Benadir region, meerschaum and woodcarvings. Later on, enjoy local bands playing African and European music. Other popular traditional feasts include ritualistic and recreational dances, music and folk songs.

Though seemingly constrained, you could visit the Kismayu or the Hargeisa National Park which contains many common and rare East African species or enjoy yourself at Somali's beaches lining the Indian Ocean which are protected by coral reefs. Alternatively, see hundreds of well preserved Neolithic paintings decorating the walls of caves and shelters at Las Geel or admire the Shanghai Old City at Mogadishu. The main mode of getting around is road which employs mini buses, shared taxis or car hire. Alternatively, coastal shipping could be employed. All travel to Somali is advised against because of the dangerous level of criminal activities and internal insecurity. Tension is high so westerners and those working for western organizations have also been targeted. Piracy is also a major problem along the Somali coastline. Take strong security precautions since there's a high threat from gangsters, especially against western tourists.