Sanaag

Sanaag

Among Somaliland’s six administrative regions, Sanaag is the largest, sparsestly populated, and least developed of them all. It extends over an area of approximately 54,000 km2 and has a population estimated to be around 200,000, the majority of whom are pastoralist nomadic families. In fact, there are few settlements of any significance here – the regional capital Erigavo, for example, almost feels as if it is an overgrown village rather than a real town – and much of the terrain lacks both topographical interest as well as standing water.

Sanaag has the distinction of being the least stable region of Somaliland due to its location along the disputed border with Puntland, and all areas east of the road (or, more accurately, dirt track) between Oog and Erigavo are more or less off-limits to travel as a result. There is no doubt that Sanaag is the most alluring region in Somaliland for visitors, despite all its disadvantages. As one travels along the long, sand-covered track to Erigavo, it is difficult not to notice the archetypal landscape of the Somali badlands inhabited by lonesome camel-herders, occasional gazelle herds, baboon troops and a few rare desert birds. As a prime contender for Somaliland’s first national park, the Daallo Forest, set on an impressive stretch of escarpment rising to 2,416m above the coastal plain below, is situated north of Erigavo, where it is surrounded by an abundance of endemic plant life, abundant birdlife, and a rich (even if unrealised) hiking and rambling potential. In the valley below the escarpment is the tiny but historically important port of Maydh.

This port has exported frankincense for millennia, and it is the site of a number of early Islamic and pre-Islamic tombs. At the present time independent travel is not permitted in this part of Somaliland, and it should be stressed that this part of Somaliland remains potentially volatile. As a result, the area can easily be explored by renting a vehicle from Hargeisa – with a little bit of protection from the SPU – and the existence of limited public transport between Burao, Erigavo, and Maydh may allow the area to be explored on a budget in the near future.