Saturday 17^th May – Hargeisa, Somaliland

Morning

• Arrive at your convenience into Hargeisa – the capital city of Somaliland which is well connected with flights from the majority of East Africa, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia & Dubai. Those who are joining us from Djibouti will arrive on an Air Djibouti flight at 8:00am in Hargeisa.
• Airport pick-up and we will take you to Damal Hotel.
• Pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of our hotel at 10:00am to discuss tour itinerary and to meet new fellow travellers.
• If available the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will welcome our YPT group to their office where we’ll receive an introduction of the unrecognised country by Somaliland diplomats.
• We’ll start our tour off by visiting the best view of Hargeisa, the Massala View – here we’ll be able to spot most of the important buildings of the city but also the twin hills called Naaso Hablood, also known as Hargeisa’s landmark.
• We’ll stop by the cemetery for British Soldiers who died here battling against the Italians during the Second World War.

Afternoon

• We will have lunch at a local Somali restaurant with some Somalilander intellectual icons who will give us the political, social, historical and cultural introduction of the country.
• We will then take a walking tour around the city centre of Hargeisa to get a sense of the people and the city. Here you will see street money exchangers and their “chunk” of bills, the central market, and the MiG Jet fighter War Memorial which stands for the atrocities committed by the dictator during the Civil War. The War Memorial is in the middle of the buzzing centrum and an excellent place for a coffee and chats with Somalilanders about politics and history.
• Visit to the busy market in downtown Hargeisa for some evening shopping and people watching.
• Dinner at a lively canteen off the main drag of Hargeisa. We’ll have a chance to chat with them and hear how they find life in Somaliland.
• After dinner, you can walk around the bustling city centre in Hargeisa, and have some chai with the friendly locals or do some shopping for t-shirts and flags for Independence Day.
• Overnight in Hargeisa.

Sunday 18^th May – Hargeisa: Independence Day! – Laas Geel – Berbera

Morning

• We’ll get up nice and early for breakfast before hitting the streets to observe the military and civilian parades. Everyone will be dressed in the national colours on the street, and this is one of the only places on earth to take part in an Independence Day celebration in an unrecognized country! The president himself will be there.

Afternoon

• Lunch at one of Hargeisa’s most famous traditional restaurant that is known for camel meat and other local stunning dishes
• Begin our 160km journey north to Berbera on the coast which is also the largest seaport of Somaliland. Berbera was the former capital of the British Somaliland protectorate before Hargeisa and served as the prominent port of the Ifat, Adal and Isaaq sultanates between the 13th and 19th century.
• On our way we’ll stop at Laas Geel – the most important rock art site in all of Africa. These caves contain some of the oldest cave paintings on the horn of Africa; the vibrant colours and well-preserved paintings are estimated to be over ten thousand years old.
• Upon our arrival in Berbera, we will visit the historical Ottoman Mosque and Ottoman houses.
• We’ll begin exploring around the historic town of Berbera where you’ll find countless Ottoman, Persian, and British architecture. This will be an excellent chance for some unique photographs.
• Catch the sunset before checking into our hotel.
• We will have fresh seafood on the waterfront for dinner.
• Overnight at hotel in Berbera

Monday 19^th May – Berbera – Hargeisa

Morning

• Breakfast and head to the port to spot the fisherman bringing in their fresh catch and a quick tour of the fish markets next door.
• We’ll then board a boat to hunt for shipwrecks in the Gulf of Aden whilst passing interesting vessels that anchor off an unrecognised country.
• We then take some time off and head to a gorgeous spot on the beach for a swim near the lighthouse – it’s not uncommon to catch local youths and families enjoy their time in the sun. Due to local culture we ask our female travellers to cover their body including their arms and legs in the water. For those who have their diving license, we can arrange a diving excursion.

Afternoon

• Seafood lunch in town along the coast before we begin making our way back to Hargeisa.
• We’ll explore an area known as Moscow District – during the 1960s and 70s Soviet military servicemen and labourers were based in this exclusive zone building the Berbera airport and expanding the port. The Soviets were given 24 hours to leave when they leaked information about impending invasion by the Somalians to the Ethiopians. The Stalinist buildings left standing are now occupied by families.
• Begin making our way back to Hargeisa
• On arrival check-into our hotel to freshen up and head out for our last dinner in Somaliland where we’ll farewell our local guides and friends.
• Overnight in Hargeisa

Tuesday 20th May – Hargeisa

• After breakfast, we will checkout of our hotel and take a quick visit to the livestock market where locals will allow you to purchase your own camel or black headed sheep! For those who can’t fit a camel in their luggage, this market will provide excellent photo opportunities and an insight of how they do business.
• Tour concludes – YPT is able to arrange post-tour accommodation or advice for ongoing flights.
• For those wanting to further explore more of the Horn of Africa join us to Eritrea. We recommend booking and boarding the FlyDubai flight FZ662 & FZ645 departing Hargeisa at 12:20pm and arriving 10:15pm in Asmara via Dubai. Flight cost not included in tour cost.

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