Berbera beach, SomaliaPhoto: Zak Abdi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Find your Bliss in Somalia
Somalia, made clearer: ancient rock art, white beaches and a warm welcome home
Somalia has the longest coastline in mainland Africa, some of the oldest rock art on the continent at Laas Geel, a famous poetry tradition and a diaspora that returns every summer. It is also a country where security shapes every plan. This guide sets out the honest picture on entry, money, safety, regions and getting around, so you can decide and prepare with clear eyes.
Your trip, step by step
- Before you flyTravel advice, visas, insurance and contacts, answered honestly
- LandingMogadishu and Hargeisa airports and the first hour explained
- Your days in SomaliaFamily, the coast, the old towns and the rock art, planned with care
- Home againDeparture checks so the last day is calm too
Where to go, eat and stay
- Plain answersClear, honest guidance on the questions visitors and returning families actually ask.
- Official sourcesEntry, health and safety facts point you to official pages to confirm.
- No sugar coatingWe say plainly where official advice warns against travel, and why.
- Free to useEvery guide and the trip planner are free.
Our promise
A trip to Somalia should be a considered decision, not a leap in the dark. We explain the regions, the rules, the money and the risks before you commit, so that if you go, you go prepared and can find your Bliss in time with family, history and the sea.
Coming home from London, Minneapolis, Toronto, Stockholm or Nairobi to see family in Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Bosaso or Kismayo? This guide was written with you in mind too.
How to use this guide
Four steps from first idea to a trip that feels prepared.
- Read the travel adviceStart with your own government's current advice for Somalia and for the specific region you plan to visit.
- Choose your placesMogadishu, Hargeisa, Laas Geel, Berbera or Bosaso: see what each offers and how they are reached.
- Sort the essentialsVisas, insurance that covers Somalia, cash in clean US dollars and mobile money, checked against official sources.
- Plan your routeUse the free trip planner to shape your days around flights, family and trusted local arrangements.
Everything your Somalia trip needs
Free tools and guides for every stage of the journey.
Destinations
Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Laas Geel, Berbera and Bosaso, each explained in depth.
Explore destinationsPlaces to visit
More than a hundred restaurants, markets, beaches, mosques, museums and stays, from classics to quiet corners.
See places to visitFlights and stays
Search flights into Mogadishu, Hargeisa and Berbera and stays in each city.
Plan travelPlaces finder
Restaurants, sights and stays mapped around each city.
Find placesFree trip planner
Tell us your dates and plans and build a route that fits.
Plan your trip
The Somalia few people see
Rock art, old ports and a very long coast
Most leisure visitors focus on the north, where Hargeisa is the base for the painted caves of Laas Geel and the old Red Sea port of Berbera, with its coral stone houses and wide empty beaches. In the south, Mogadishu is rebuilding fast: Lido Beach fills with families on Fridays, seafood grills line the shore and the old quarter of Hamar Weyne still stands. Every region has different rules and risks, which this guide explains.
- Neolithic cave paintings at Laas Geel
- Friday afternoons on Lido Beach
- Camel milk, sambuusa and fresh fish by the sea
- Berbera's old town and quiet Gulf of Aden beaches
Plan with care
Your route, with eyes open
Distances are long, roads between regions are often unsafe and flights connect the main cities. Our free planner helps you think through a realistic route, the order of family visits and the questions to ask your hosts and hotels before you go.
- Which cities connect by air
- What to ask hotels about security
- Where to base yourself
Where to go in Somalia
From Mogadishu's seafront and Hargeisa's markets to painted caves, an old Red Sea port and the trading city of Bosaso.
Banadir
Mogadishu
Somalia's seaside capital, rebuilding fast, with Lido Beach, an old stone quarter and the country's best seafood.
Read the guidePhoto: Mohamed Bashir Osman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Maroodi Jeex, Somaliland
Hargeisa
Somaliland's busy highland capital, the base for Laas Geel and the most visited city for leisure travellers.
Read the guidePhoto: Ridwan Bukhari, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Maroodi Jeex, Somaliland
Laas Geel
Granite rock shelters near Hargeisa covered in vivid Neolithic paintings of cattle and people.
Read the guidePhoto: John Pavelka from Austin, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Saaxil, Somaliland
Berbera
An ancient Gulf of Aden port with coral stone houses, fresh fish and long, empty beaches.
Read the guidePhoto: Aziimi11, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Bari, Puntland
Bosaso
Puntland's trading port, framed by mountains and the sea, and the gateway to frankincense country.
Read the guidePhoto: Omar Abdulkadir, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A note from our founder
A note from our founder
My first time visiting Kenya, I was genuinely surprised with how fast it began feeling like home. The people are so friendly, the food is delicious and familiar, and the accommodations are modern and upscale.
During my travels throughout the continent, I commonly hear tourists share stories about being scammed or taken advantage of, which is both frustrating and disheartening.
Living in Kenya for the last 2 years, I have had the great fortune to meet a network of wonderful Kenyans who have continuously help guide my family's journey. Their shared knowledge has not only greatly enhanced our overall experience here, but it has also saved us tons of time, energy, and resources.
With BlissPoint Travel, my hope is to build a global community that is willing to share useful, uncommon knowledge so that we can all blissfully enjoy the wonders our world has to offer.
Questions we hear most
Is it safe to travel to Somalia?
Several governments, including the UK, US, Canada and Australia, advise against all travel to most or all of Somalia because of terrorism, kidnapping and armed conflict. Risk varies a lot by region. Read your government's current advice for the exact places you plan to visit, and check that your insurance covers you.
Do I need a visa for Somalia?
Most visitors need a visa. The federal government runs an official electronic travel system for Somalia, while Somaliland in the north runs its own separate entry rules. Rules vary by passport and change, so check the official sites before you book.
What currency is used in Somalia?
The Somali shilling is the official currency, but US dollars are used for most larger payments and mobile money is everywhere. Somaliland uses its own Somaliland shilling. Bring clean, newer US dollar notes and expect few card machines.
What languages are spoken?
Somali is spoken everywhere and Arabic is the second official language. English is common among younger people, in Somaliland and among returning diaspora, and Italian is still known by some older people in the south.
When is the best time to visit?
The cooler, drier months from about December to March are the most comfortable for most of the country. The coast is hot and humid in the middle of the year, and many diaspora families visit in the northern summer.
What is Somalia known for?
Its oral poetry, camel herding, the frankincense trees of the north, the longest coastline in mainland Africa, Laas Geel's rock art, its food and a huge, close-knit diaspora.
Thinking about a trip to Somalia?
Use the free trip planner to think through your route, family visits and timings with clear eyes.