Things to Do in Somaliland

Las Geel rock shelters

A 45-minute drive north-east of Hargeisa halts at a granite outcrop. 5,000-year-old cow-and-giraffe paintings still blaze in red, ochre, saffron. You crouch inside low shelters. Rock cools your palm while the guide's torch lifts out hunters with bows and plump cattle that once grazed this now-arid plain.

Berbera coral reefs

The port's abandoned colonial warehouses face water so clear you hear pebbles clink as waves roll them across the reef shelf. Snorkeling off the old pier you float above brain coral the color of sunrise. Men on deck chew khat and shout cheerful directions even though you're already in the water.

Hargeisa war memorial camel market

Every morning the patch around the downed MiG-17 bustles with herders hawking long-lashed camels that grunt like old tractors. Dust, dung and diesel mingle. Auctioneers in sarongs slap backs and shout prices in rapid Somali. Even if you're not buying, the organized chaos is worth a wander.

Naasa Hablood sunset hike

Twin breast-shaped hills rise south of the city. The 30-minute scramble up the western dome rewards you with a view of Hargeisa's tin roofs turning copper and the distant Sahel smelling of warm sage. Kids sometimes tag along offering wire-wound walking sticks they've twisted that afternoon.

Sheikh mountain forest

A two-hour road northeast climbs to 2,000 m where junipers breathe cool pine and monkeys rustle above roadside stalls selling hot cardamom tea. The old British hill station still sports stone classrooms that echo when you step inside. The hush contrasts with wind hissing through nearby cactus fences.

Area 1: Central Hargeisa (near Oriental Hotel), leafy pocket with morning bird calls and cafés that smell of cardamom

Area 2: Mohamed Ali Avenue, budget pensión-style guesthouses handy for late-night shaah stalls

Area 3: Koodhibuur District - mid-range business hotels, quieter after 10 p.m.

Area 4: Airport Road strip, smart new builds with generators and small pools, good if you have an early flight

Area 5: Berbera seafront, salty breeze and creaking ceiling fans inside 1950s Arab merchant houses turned guest lodgings

Area 6: Sheikh town, simple eco-lodges among junipers, expect cool nights and star-filled silence