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tvsle.com

Saturday, 6 February 2010

The Republic of Somaliland

There are some places you just can't consider for a vacation.

While even Iraq has recently opened up to carefully handled tours, Somalia remains out of bounds. What with an Islamist movement proudly proclaiming its ties to Al-Qaeda, and a decades-long civil war between rival clans, there's no chance of exploring the Somali culture and landscape, right?

Actually, that's only half true.

Anyone paying attention to the news knows that Somalia hasn't been a unified nation for quite some time, but this one region, a little larger than England and home to 3.5 million, has managed to bring stability and a developing democracy to its people.

Born out of the colony of British Somaliland, it gained independence in 1960 and immediately joined former Italian Somaliland to create what we now know as Somalia.

A brutal dictatorship and a civil war later, it declared independence in 1991 and has quietly built a nation as the rest of Somalia disintegrated into chaos.

But no other country recognizes Somaliland as an independent state, which makes it very hard to get international investment and attention.

Now Somaliland officials are hoping an increase in tourism will help to literally put their country on the map.

It already has regular contact with its neighbors Ethiopia and Djibouti, and has representatives in several major capitals.

The Tourism Ministry is busy making plans and there's a good website highlighting Somali Heritage and Archaeology.

...With a countryside only thinly populated by nomads, Somaliland has good potential for safaris. Lions, cheetahs, zebras, antelope, and other animals are easily spotted.

Even more stunning are the well-preserved paintings at Laas Geel, believed to be some of the oldest in Africa.

They're located near the capital Hargeysa and remained unreported until 2002. Colorful paintings of hunters and animals date back an estimated 9,000 years.

Other towns to check out are Barbera and Zeila, two ports with excellent coral reefs as well as old colonial buildings from British and Ottoman times.

More important than bricks and mortar, though, is the chance to interact with a culture that has had comparatively little contact with the outside world.

This is a rare chance to see a country unaccustomed to tourism, where there are no "tourist sites" and "local hangouts".

For the adventure traveler, it's still pretty much uncharted territory.

After almost 20 years of independence, Somaliland is beginning to get some recognition from adventure travelers.

The most recent edition of Lonely Planet Ethiopia has a short section on the country, and three young backpackers recently posted a video of their trip there on YouTube.

A reporter from the Pulitzer Center has also covered the country on an online video. Somaliland could become the adventure travel destination of the new decade.

While Somaliland has some good potential, travelers should take care. Government bodyguards are required (costing $10 a day each) and there are few facilities for visitors.

The country has also attracted the ire of Al-Shabab, an Islamist group with ties to Al-Qaeda that wants to take over the Horn of Africa. In 2008 a series of deadly car bombings blamed on Al-Shabab left two dozen dead in Hargeysa.

Also, the countryside is not yet safe enough for foreigners to travel overland from Ethiopia on public transport.

There are regular flights to Hargeysa from Addis Ababa and other regional capitals.

The office for Somaliland in Addis Ababa (which is not recognized as an embassy by the government of Ethiopia) can issue visas and give advice.

If you do decide to go, it's best to plan well in advance and talk to the government as soon as possible.