Tips and how one can journey to Somaliland in 2020

It is a extremely patriarchal culture- particularly Muslim republican- where I conceive gals have very little claims, and I don’t recall ensure a single woman not wearing a hijab, in the field I toured at least.

Other than that, Somalis are nice, warm and welcoming beings but, of course, this is an extremely poor country and sometimes you do assemble people who at first, seem they just want to have a conversation but then they ask for money.

This is something I have noticed a great deal in Africa. While in Muslim Asian countries such as Iran немесе Pakistan, parties are always willing to offer their help for free, some people I when backpacking in Somaliland( not all, of course) are later asking for a tip.

You too need to be careful with your camera, and ever invite first, because countless Somalis don’t like cameras, and they can get very angry, even though they are you take a shot from far away, and I am talking here by own experience.

In any case, most interactions and knowledge with the local people are truly great.

Chewing khat Eating khat is kind of a lifestyle in Somaliland. All mortals eat it and mostly, life in its own country stops after noon until the evening. Regardless of all the social issues khat has brought to the Somali society, it’s an interesting occasion to see and ordeal. Khat get you high-pitched( if you get a good-quality one, which payments from $10) but you need to munched it( and swallow) for a couple of hours at least, laundering it down with soda or any sugared guzzle because khat is extremely bittered.

A regional buster present me some khat

Language

All Somalis speak Somali a Cushitic language, the family of many languages spoken in northeastern Africa.

It’s difficult to describe how it sounds like, but what I can tell you is that they use some Arabic words, as Arabs have been trading in this region for centuries and in fact, Arabic is widely taught in schools.

As per their script, they use the Latin Alphabet.

Do they speak English?

Since this used to be a British colony, you fulfill many Somalilanders speaking impeccable English and most people is common knowledge certain basic words.

In fact, “theyre using” countless English oaths in their language, like figures for example.

The language shouldn’t be a barrier when traveling in Somaliland.

Cuisine: what are you going to eat when calling Somaliland?

Fact: nobody is trips Somaliland for the food.

Actually, this is one of the worst countries I have been to when it comes to food.

All right, it’s not that bad, but it’s just boring, basic, and there’s nothing memorable to bring back home, except for some fresh fish I had in Berbera. That was good.

Their star dish, which they eat throughout the day is a lentils stew announced ” penis”, and literally enunciated like “penis” , no kidding.

When you walk in a cafe, you just say you require a “penis” and they will bring you these lentils.

Other than that, pasta with tomato sauce is also the staple but, as you may imagine, it is not good pasta.

They ever ingest with their handwriting, even a dish of spaghetti with tomato sauce.

Alcohol is illegal in Somaliland It is only available in the black market but some locals do make their own at home and you are likely to see some drunk parties at night. I arrived in the city of Boroma at 3am and, while looking for a hotel, there was this creepy local who approached me deeming a plastic bottle with some quirky matt grey liquid in it. He was massively wasted, drooling, and trying to hug me or something, but it was very easy to push him out. After a few days, a young, well-educated local told me that home-made alcohol is a big deal in Somaliland, but most of it is just so strong and basically, very dangerous, so meeting beings fucked up like that guy from Boroma is very normal.

My neighbourhood friend feeing some penis in Zeyla

Is it safe to travel to Somaliland?

In short: Somaliland is safe but Somalia is not.

All the negative things you see in the media about Somalia referring to pirates, missiles, or Al Shabab, happen in Somalia mainland.

There have been some terrorist attacks in Somaliland, yes, but the last one was back in 2008, a long time ago and, since then , good-for-nothing has happened so far, plus the country enjoys one of the lowest crime rates in the world.

Can it happen again or, could there be possible kidnappings?

Look, I am no professional, and the FCO advice claims that all the country is a massive NO-GO, but you already know that their conviction is very biased and all I can tell you is that so far, all travelers have had a great time traveling in Somaliland.

Just apply common sense and proceed safe!

Check this video from this very isolated, hence very safe place in Somaliland 😛 TAGEND

Solo female expedition in Somaliland

I have only talked to one noblewoman about her journey to Somaliland and all she told me was that she had a great time there, but I am afraid she didn’t give me any further details, but she was a woman with a large traveling experience in traditional Muslim countries, and I feel the experience in Somaliland as a solo wife shouldn’t differ much from the one in Sudan немесе Pakistan.

If you are a woman who traveled to Somaliland( solo or accompanied) let me know if you’d like to write a guest post for Against the Compass or merely communicate me your experience to joan @againstthecompass. com.

Somali ladies spawning butter from camel milk, in the camel market of Hargeisa

Do there is a requirement a police escort for moving separately in Somaliland?

Before traveling to Somaliland, I heard that in some areas, basically anywhere outside Hargeisa, a police bodyguard was mandatory, and they would assign you one upon your entrance in that destination.

This wasn’t my case nevertheless( and I inspected numerous homes and went through a lot of checkpoints ).

In the beginning, I thought that may had been an aged guideline which didn’t apply anymore but I discover there was a solo female traveler who toured Somaliland just a few weeks before I and the police did ascribe her an escort.

This means that it might just depend on the policeman’s feeling and sensing and, since Somalis are an extremely patriarchal civilization, you might have a higher chance of getting a police escort if you are a solo female traveler.

In any case, your experience regarding this topic is very welcome in specific comments division

Funny story: this guy was an enormous fraud who followed me for like 1 hour, feigning he was a police escort and, as a proof, he was wearing a shirt that clearly said ” bodyguard”, but he was too stupid to understand that his shirt necessitated being a male escort( like a female accompany ). He made up this story to get some coin, of course

Need to know about fund: currency, exchange, credit cards Currency

Somaliland has its own currency, which is the Somaliland Shilling and, approximately 😛 TAGEND

1USD= 8500 Sh

Their currency has suffered a massive devaluation and today, their biggest is note worth 5000 Sh, which is barely 60 cents.

On the other hand, USD are widely accepted, to the fullest extent that in most plazas, you are eligible to even pay a bottle of spray in USD and get the change in Somaliland Shillings.

Exchanging coin

Theoretically, if dollars are professed everywhere, you would not need to exchange, but get some regional money is more pleasant as, in traditional places, you will ever get the price in shillings, so you don’t need to make unnecessary calculations.

You can easily exchange in many residences but I recommend you go to the money market in Hargeisa, which is an attraction in itself, as you to have seen neighbourhoods loaded with hundreds of cash bricks but, in fact, most bricks are comprising representatives of 1000 notations, which means that they aren’t carrying much coin in their hands.

Ascribe posters

International credit cards are not accepted, but there are a few ATMs in Hargeisa from where you can withdraw some USD at a 3% commission.

I could cash out several hundreds with my Mastercard.

These banks are Premiere Bank and Dahabshil Bank and you can find their ATMs in downtown Hargeisa.

Check the money market of Hargeisa 😛 TAGEND

How much does it cost to travel to Hargeisa?

Somaliland is the cheapest country I visited in the Horn of Africa , is not simply because expenditures are low, but likewise because there is nothing to spend money on.

Price of “the worlds largest” conventional things:

Meal in a regional sit( penis ): 10,000 Sh Meal in a neighbourhood region( with meat ): 20,000 Sh Meal in mid-range place: 30,000 -4 0,000 Sh Main course in a top restaurant:$ 8- $12 Fresh juice: 10,000 Sh Water 1L: 2,000 -3, 000 Sh Local bus to pretty much any township: 20,000 -4 0,000 Sh Budget accommodation: $10 – $15 Mid-range housing: From $25

Median daily budget for backpacking in Somaliland

Other than that, the only expensive things I had to pay were the admission to Las Geel ($ 35 with guide included) and the 4×4 expedition from Zeyla to Borama ($ 50 ).

Somaliland money

How to move around: transportation

Moving around the country is very easy and cheap.

Most towns are connected by bus, including Boroma, Berbera, or Burao and you exactly need to go to the bus station and ask for departure epoches. In Hargeisa, the bus terminal is in the city center.

Moving around is slow though, as the roads are not in very good condition.

If you want to go south of Boroma, to Zeyla and Djibouti border, there is a requirement a 4×4 but you can share it with other neighbourhoods if you go to the station.

Where to stay in Somaliland: housing

Somaliland is surprisingly well-sorted of hotels.

There is actually some domestic tourism, particularly among foreign Somalis who are visiting the country. I met a few of them in 2 different hotels.

Hotels I abode at 😛 TAGEND

Zeyla: Kaboode Guest House- There existed 1 guest house and paid $20 for one light. Most overpriced( it’s a rudimentary shanty ), but it can be negotiated if biding more lights. Borama: Oslo Hotel- Basic but clean-living, and paid $15. Hargeisa: Maamu Hotel- Super value-for-money, around $20 – $25 per nighttime, but they have many different offices. Berbera: Barwaqo hotel- Basic but clean and paid $10 for a private chamber with its own bathroom. The inn eatery provides stunning fish.

Internet& SIM Card Wi-Fi

All inns I stood had Wi-Fi , not very fast, but it manipulated reasonably well.

Outside of my hotels, except for a illusion restaurant in Hargeisa, I never envisioned Wi-Fi.

SIM Card

I got my SIM Card in a street stall right at the Djibouti-Somaliland border.

I went Telesom and I remember I paid like$ 3 for a SIM Card with 1GB internet and calls. It’s so cheap.

Books about Somaliland

Somaliland travel guide by Bradt- The only proper travel guidebook to Somaliland is the one from Bradt, published in December 2018, so it is quite updated and sacrifices a great overview of “the two countries “. I adore Bradt.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK PRICES

Becoming Somaliland by Mark Bradbury- Great analysis to understanding the story of Somaliland, from declaring independence to becoming a democracy in one of the most turbulent parts on Earth.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK PRICES

More intelligence for traveling to Somaliland

Read: Fear and loathing in Somaliland

Also, spoke my travel guide to Eritrea

And my travel guide to Sudan

Interested in the Middle East? Check out all my navigates and articles

Read more: againstthecompass.com

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