Travelling to Somalia
 

Hi all,

I am currently living in London and would like to visit Somalia for a
couple of weeks. What is the cheapest way to get there? I have found
some tickets for =A31864 ($3309) but that is way too expensive.
Is it possible to travel first to Kenya and then from there to Somalia?
What would be the price difference? Also, what kind of visa does one
need in order to visit Somalia?=20
Thank you very much.

Bruno

In message .com
"Bruno Panetta" wrote:

Hi all,

I am currently living in London and would like to visit Somalia for a
couple of weeks. What is the cheapest way to get there? I have found
some tickets for £1864 ($3309) but that is way too expensive.
Is it possible to travel first to Kenya and then from there to Somalia?
What would be the price difference? Also, what kind of visa does one
need in order to visit Somalia?
Thank you very much.


Sorry not to be able to help you, but you may find the following
interesting reading.

From The Economist 6/3/04:

"Somalia is full of tourist attractions," Abdi Jimali Osman told
reporters in Modadishu, "but sadly, nobody knows about them. The sun
shines, the beaches are sandy, and you can dine on lobster on the roof
of the Sharmo Hotel, which commands a splendid view of the capital. If
only tourists would come, I'm sure they would leave Somalia alive, and
I'm hopeful that they wouldn't be kidnapped. At least, we would try to
make sure they were not kidnapped, although it can happen."

Mr Jimale, Somalia's minister of tourism, had earler admitted that his
war-torn country has not had a single officially-acknowledged tourist
since the 1980s. "The Sharmo Hotel advises guests to hire at least ten
armed guards to escort them from the airport, and for extra protection
you can buy hand grenades in the market for $10 each, or a howitzer
for $20,000.

"Tourists can still go and see the former beautiful sights, but the
only problem is they're all totally destroyed. What's left of the
cathedral is still very attractive, but if you go there, you must
beware of stepping on landmines. Our national parks were once very
fine too, but they mainly lie in areas that the government now does
not control. And unfortunately most of the animals have disappeared
too, because we've eaten them."

(Quoted in Private Eye)


Good luck and slainte mhath - you'll be making Mr Jimale's decade.
(Maybe he could be your private guide?)

Liz

--
Virtual Liz now at http://www.v-liz.com
Kenya; Tanzania; Namibia; India; Seychelles; Galapagos
Photo blog of Make Povery History rally in Edinburgh 2 July 2005:
http://www.v-liz.com/g8rally/protest.htm

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 11:06:49 +0100, Liz
wrote:

"The Sharmo Hotel advises guests to hire at least ten
armed guards to escort them from the airport, and for extra protection
you can buy hand grenades in the market for $10 each, or a howitzer
for $20,000.

"Tourists can still go and see the former beautiful sights, but the
only problem is they're all totally destroyed.

A glowing report, compared to the one I just saw on Darfur.

I think I'll pass on both this year. Maybe somewhere safer -
like Afghanistan or Zimbabwe.

Alan, Australia

In message
Alan S wrote:

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 11:06:49 +0100, Liz
wrote:

"The Sharmo Hotel advises guests to hire at least ten
armed guards to escort them from the airport, and for extra protection
you can buy hand grenades in the market for $10 each, or a howitzer
for $20,000.

"Tourists can still go and see the former beautiful sights, but the
only problem is they're all totally destroyed.

A glowing report, compared to the one I just saw on Darfur.

I think I'll pass on both this year. Maybe somewhere safer -
like Afghanistan or Zimbabwe.


I also meant to ask Bruno (the OP) to post us a report when he gets
back.

Slainte

Liz

--
Virtual Liz now at http://www.v-liz.com
Kenya; Tanzania; Namibia; India; Seychelles; Galapagos
Photo blog of Make Povery History rally in Edinburgh 2 July 2005:
http://www.v-liz.com/g8rally/protest.htm

"I am currently living in London and would like to visit Somalia for a
couple of weeks."

Is there a specific reason you have for wanting to go there? Could you
find what you were looking for in a safer part of Africa?

"What is the cheapest way to get there? I have found some tickets for
=A31864 ($3309) but that is way too expensive. Is it possible to travel
first to Kenya and then from there to Somalia?"

I don't think they have commercial flights to Somalia. Maybe you
should fly to Djibouti and either cross the border overland or try to
find space on a private flight?

"What would be the price difference? Also, what kind of visa does one
need in order to visit Somalia?"

Contact the Somali embassy in London.

Here's a web page from someone who actually went the

http://travel.seanrorison.com/mog-1.html

As I know Somaliland is quite safe, but Mogadish not.

wrote:

Is there a specific reason you have for wanting to go there? Could you
find what you were looking for in a safer part of Africa?

I am an economist interested in studying the effects on the economy of
an absence of centralized government. According to the Wikipedia entry
on Somalia's economy

"Some areas in Somalia are actually doing better economically than
before the war when the socialist government of Siad Barre had
suppressed free enterprise and neglected large parts of the country.
Northern Somalia especially has rebounded economically. The lack of a
government made a genuine capitalist economy, with no taxes and no
other government red tape that free market economists claim stifles
economic growth in neighboring countries. The main problem affecting
economic growth however, is the lack of stability in the South. An
example of this is that in Mogadishu, some businessmen would prefer to
pay taxes to a government to maintain security rather than to
warlords."

I would like to see with my eyes the extent to which this is true.

I don't think they have commercial flights to Somalia.

They do. Daallo Airlines has regular flights to Haargeisa (Somaliland)
and Mogadishu from Nairobi and other locations. From the website
www.opodo.co.uk it is possible to buy round trip tickets from London to
Mogadishu, flying Kenya Airlines to Nairobi and then Daallo Airlines.
The only problem is, what will happen once I get to Mogadishu
International Airport?


"What would be the price difference? Also, what kind of visa does one
need in order to visit Somalia?"

Contact the Somali embassy in London.

There is none.

Here's a web page from someone who actually went the

http://travel.seanrorison.com/mog-1.html

Thanks, I will write to him.

Liz wrote:

Good luck and slainte mhath - you'll be making Mr Jimale's decade.
(Maybe he could be your private guide?)

Liz

Thanks but how do I get in touch with him?

Bruno

On 13 Jul 2005 20:14:54 -0700, "Bruno Panetta"
wrote:

I am an economist interested in studying the effects on the economy of
an absence of centralized government.

Bruno,

very interesting! I would also like to know what economic
structures have evolved there or are still evolving, and what
problems arise.

One of the problems is insecurity, and that will be your biggest
problem, I guess. Most urgently you need a safe place to stay,
after you arrive.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

In message . com
"Bruno Panetta" wrote:



Liz wrote:

Good luck and slainte mhath - you'll be making Mr Jimale's decade.
(Maybe he could be your private guide?)

Liz

Thanks but how do I get in touch with him?

Sorry, I don't know.
I suppose that was a throw-away cynical remark, in that he is Minister
of Tourism in a country which has no 'official' tourists.

Good luck with your trip: rather you than me!

Slainte

Liz


--
Virtual Liz now at http://www.v-liz.com
Kenya; Tanzania; Namibia; India; Seychelles; Galapagos
Photo blog of Make Povery History rally in Edinburgh 2 July 2005:
http://www.v-liz.com/g8rally/protest.htm