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Somalia Travel Guide


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Popular Things To Do | Other Things To Do Tips | All Tips (16)
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MEET MR. ABDIRAHMAN IBRAHIM JAMA
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  • Abdirahman is the Head of a school that has 4818 students (1890 are girls), 22 teaching staff (12 are graduates) and runs a new location in Berbera with another 400 students. They teach several subjects, mainly English. English will help them in the future with internet commerce, tourism and international trade. They desperately need training materials, preferably from the USA.

    Textbooks, cassette tapes and workbooks are all needed. I have listed the address below. Please send any worthwhile donation or email any school, university or charity you think can help. Because Somaliland is not recognised or have a Postal system, it often is overlooked. DHL will deliver and the school checks for packages several times a week.

    YOU could help with the successful future of a new generation of African children trying to build a peaceful and prosperous future in a Democratic society.

    GO FOR A VISIT!
    If you plan to go to Hargeisa, please contact Abdirahman by email and or telephone. The students would really appreciate a visit! His email is:
    gorod@hotmail.com
    Telephone is 252 1 302 767

    The mailing address is:

    DHL Somaliland C/O Sunmail & Cargo

    Mr. Abdirahman Ibrahim Jama
    Waberi Institute
    DHL Hargeisa
    Somalia

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    THE MONEYCHANGERS
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  • Updated By DAO on December 22, 2007
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  • Somaliland only has one currency note in circulation – the 500 Shilling note. You get about 6000 to the $(USA). So that’s 60 notes for $5! Just to show you how safe Somaliland is and the state of the currency, just look at the pictures of the Moneychanger’s tables. Notes are stacked up in their thousands! Out in the middle of the market. These guys will give you a better rate than the Airport or hotels. There is no need to carry more than $5 except on Fridays. Fridays are prayer days and they are harder to find. There are banks, but they just seem to do business bankings. Do not be afraid to carry loads and loads of these notes in your bag. No real crime and it does not actually add up to much. In the markets and shops you can safely hand over a handful of notes and they will count out the correct amount for you and hand any extra back. What a great place!

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    MEET MR. MAHAMED AHMED WARSAME
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  • Mahamed found me rather than I finding him. I am really glad he did! Mahamed works with the Ministry of Youth and Sport and acted as my Tour Guide for several days in Hargeisa. He works primarily with Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball and Soccer. These sports do not require a lot of equipment and are very popular with the children here. Because Somaliland is not recognised, they do not get any support to fund proper facilities and really need your help! There is one very good basketball facility for boys, and one for girls. The city of Hargeisa has 700,000 people! I toured several basketball facilities where they did not even have a metal hoop to play and certainly no nets.

    Football is played in the dust and they have very few soccer balls, uniforms or goals. Again, no nets either. They are also desperate for ANY coaching materials, in any format, in English. Any donations from new equipment to old soccer outfits in good condition would be well used and appreciated! I watched a team that had to trade shirts every time someone came onto the field because there were not enough tops to go around.

    Mahamed is a friend of Mr. Abdirahman Ibrahim Jama and he can be contacted through Abdirahman. If you would like to meet Mahamed and see Hargeisa and/or sports sites, please contact him ahead of time.

    ADDRESS FOR DONATIONS:

    MINISTRY FOR YOUTH AND SPORT
    MR. MAHAMED AHMED WARSAME
    DHL Hargeisa
    Jirdeh Aw Ali Building
    26 June Avenue
    Hargeisa
    Somalia

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    CHEW KAT
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  • Whether you spell it Chat, Qat or Kat, it is very popular to chew in this region. Supposedly it is mildly narcotic. I find that it tastes like grass, but does settle your tummy and wakes you up like a couple of cups of coffee. Kat is small leaves from a tree and all across large markets you will find stalls selling this every day. The stalls all have numbers and or names and fiercely proclaim they have the best Kat in town. Behind the front of the stall is a large wooden container and they wrap the Kat in cloth sacks and or fresh hay. Water is applied to make sure you receive the freshest and most moist Kat.

    Kat is also chewed on social occasions, but is slightly frowned upon here by older people. They believe, and not without good reason, that young people should be engaged in education and work during the day, not sitting around chewing.

    Try a little bit, it is seen as a sign of respect for their culture if you have a little bit in your mouth.

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    SOMALILAND VISA
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  • Updated By DAO on January 26, 2008
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  • Want to go to Somalia? SOMALILAND is the peaceful and Independent part of Somalia and an excellent place to go for a visit. Before you go you must have a visa PRIOR to arrival by airplane or on a land border. There are only 5 ‘Embassies’ for Somaliland in the world: USA, UK, Italy, Ethiopia and Djibouti. This tip is about my very easy and friendly experience with their office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    The Embassy in Addis Ababa has a few security concerns so they do not advertise their address or have any markings on their building. Do not worry! My Taxi driver knew the general directions off Bole Rd. and we stopped and asked the neighbours until we found it. It is in a very rich neighbourhood. They are open Monday – Friday 8:30am-12:30pm and 2:00pm-3:30pm. I arrived without contacting them beforehand, but I took my passport, 2 passport photos and $40. They finished it in about 10 minutes. That’s it. If you want better directions, just telephone their office ahead of time. They speak English.

    If you live in a country that does not have a representative, either get it in Addis Ababa or contact the closest Embassy by telephone or email and arrange to do it by post. They even have the Visa Form you can download here:

    SOMALILAND GOVERNMENT

    All Passport holders need a visa and they seem to accept everyone without question.

    Due to space limitations on VT I have listed their 5 Embassies on the tip below this one!

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  • Address: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
  • Website: http://www.somalilandgov.com/
  • Other Contact: http://www.somaliland.org/
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    Monument
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  • When in Hargeisa city visit the war memorial in the centre of town. It's an actual Somali Airforce MiG Jet Fighter from 1988-90. During this period the city was bombed extensively by the late Dictator Siyaad Barre. The bombing killed an estimated 50,000 people. Most of the city has been rebuilt, but the people have not forgotten.

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  • Address: City centre.
  • Directions: Ask a taxi driver to take you there. Or arrange a tour guide through your hotel.
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    SOMALILAND EMBASSIES
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  • SOMALILAND EMBASSIES ABROAD:
    UNITED KINGDOM
    Osman Ahmed Hassan
    SOMALILAND MISSION
    102 Cavel Street
    London E1 2JA
    UNITED KINGDOM
    Tel: +44 0207 961 9098
    Fax: +44 0207 247 6335
    Mobile: 07960 287 130
    Email: slrmission@btinternet.com

    FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
    MR. YUSUF JAMA BURRALE
    SOMALILAND REPRESENTATIVE
    ADDIS ABABA
    ETHIOPIA
    TEL: 25111 635921 / 635922
    FAX: 25111 627847
    MOBILE: 251911826335

    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
    DR. SA'AD SHIEK OSMAN NOOR
    THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOMALILAND
    WASHINGTON
    USA
    Cell Phone: 703 224 3449
    Voice Mail: 202 467 0602
    Home Telephone: 703 820 1982
    Email: snoor@sand.com

    REPUBLIC OF DJIBOUTI
    MR. MOHAMED RASHID HAJI YASSIN
    SOMALILAND REPRESENTATIVE
    DJIBOUTI
    MOBILE: 253 851817

    ITALY
    MR. MUHIYADIN AHMED ABDI GABOSE
    CORSO UNIONE SOVIETICA 475
    TORIN
    ITALY

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    Daloh Heritage Reserve. Golis...
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  • Daloh Heritage Reserve.
    Golis Range Forest.
    This place is huge. It has everything, waterfalls, breath taking subtropical forest, rivers, shallow streams. This region is a habitat for loins, hyenas, and other species unique to that area.
    the Golis Range is a breath taking also.

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  • Address: East of the Golis Forest Range, North of Erigavo.
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    Beautiful Beaches
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  • I would say the best thing Ive done while there was cliff-diving in crystal clear waters with some friends.
    Basically, I did this because the waters are not shark-infested where I jumped off of. If you like a rush, you'll love it.

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  • Directions: If you want to find a spot, just go to any port city, like the one i mentioned, and look around. Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa and is about the length of the eastern coast of the U.S.
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    THE CENTRAL MOSQUE
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  • The Central Mosque dominates the centre of Hargeisa. It’s a fairly new building and the pride and joy of the town. Having said that you need to be very careful about getting close to and/or taking pictures of it. Like their neighbours across the water, Yemen, they do get defensive about it. The friendly smiles you get all the time can evaporate in a few seconds. Make sure you are with someone who is a local if you do want to see closer. You will see a lot of visitors from the Middle East coming to pray here.

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    More Somalia Tips
    Overview
     
    General Tips
    Tips: 12 - Photos: 9
    Restaurants
    Tips: 6 - Photos: 13
    Hotels and Accommodations
    Tips: 15 - Photos: 29
    Things To Do
    Tips: 16 - Photos: 40
    Nightlife
    Tips: 7 - Photos: 7
    Off the Beaten Path
    Tips: 8 - Photos: 12
    Tourist Traps
    Tips: 4 - Photos: 6
    Warnings or Dangers
    Tips: 12 - Photos: 11
    Transportation
    Tips: 10 - Photos: 19
    Local Customs
    Tips: 13 - Photos: 30
    Packing Lists
    Tips: 5 - Photos: 5
    Shopping
    Tips: 4 - Photos: 5
    Sports Travel
    Tips: 3 - Photos: 7

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