It was “Day 10” of Untamed Borders’ Horn of Africa – Ethiopia and Somaliland itinerary. I spent the past two days mouth-feeding hyenas in the ancient city of Harar [see post: Mouth-Feeding Hyenas in Harar]. After a morning of driving, the group and I arrived at the Ethiopia-Somaliland border and crossed into one of the world’s least visited “countries”.
Somaliland
Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991. The self-declared state has everything from a functioning democracy to their own army, police, and coast guard, and even their own currency. However, it does not have sovereign recognition. Given that Somaliland is not an internationally recognized country, there are very few countries in the world where you can obtain a Somaliland visa. I waited until I arrived in Ethiopia to obtain a visa at the Embassy of the Republic of Somaliland in Addis Ababa.
Hargeisa
We arrived in Hargeisa early that afternoon. Currently, Somaliland is secure and has escaped the trouble that has devastated Somalia.
Our guide and driver left us at the Damal Hotel to check-in and eat lunch, before sending another guide and guard to walk us around Somaliland’s capital city.
The pouring rain created flash floods that made it difficult to wander around.
After a brief tour of the market, the guide left us for the evening. We waited out the rain and felt safe enough to finish exploring the city on our own.
Laas Geel
Early the next morning, we left Hargeisa for Laas Geel – cave formations located on the outskirts of Hargeisa. On the way out of the city, we stopped at the camel market.
Hidden in the middle of the desert, on the overhangs of a rock, are some of the world’s best preserved cave paintings dating from 5,000 years old.
Unfortunately, Somaliland’s internationally unrecognized status prevents Laas Geel and its paintings from being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
With our guide and security escort, we spent the first half of the day wandering the complex of caves filled with ancient art depicting cows, people, dogs, and even giraffes.
On the way back to Hargeisa, we stopped for a panoramic view of Somaliland’s capital city.
The next morning concluded Untamed Borders’ Horn of Africa itinerary. After saying my goodbyes, I was off to Khartoum via Addis Ababa for a short stopover in Sudan [see post: Two Days in Sudan].
