Few places feel so far away – in space, time and rhythm – as these silent landscapes at the Horn of Africa. Here jagged volcanoes rise from salt-crusted plains, wind sweeps across empty basins, and the past speaks through stone carvings, ruined ports and ancient customs.
We show you places that almost no one has ever visited – with an experienced guide and a police escort for the safe exploration of Somaliland.
Highlights at a Glance
Our Programme
Into the Wild Heart of the Horn of Africa (8 days)
„8 days through Djibouti and Somaliland: volcanic lakes, Africa’s lowest point, prehistoric cave paintings and a country that doesn’t exist on the official map.“
The programme is displayed without fixed prices. Every journey is tailored individually to your wishes and travel dates. Get in touch – we will create a personal proposal for you.
Arrival in Djibouti
Arrival in Djibouti City – one of the hottest cities on Earth, sitting at the mouth of the Red Sea. This port city is also the most strategically valuable stretch of land on the Horn of Africa: five superpowers operate military bases here side by side. Transfer to the hotel. Optional city walk through the colourful Afar and Issa quarter.
Djibouti → Dikhil → Lake Abbe
Drive into the Afar Depression to Lake Abbe. The landscape becomes increasingly surreal: first steppe, then bare lava rock, then suddenly – Lake Abbe. Hundreds of limestone chimneys rise from a boiling salt flat, steaming fumaroles hiss, flamingos wade between the formations. A place that feels like another planet.
Lake Abbe → Lake Assal → Tadjourah
Drive to Lake Assal: Africa’s lowest point lies 157 metres below sea level. The water is ten times saltier than the ocean – turquoise blue and mirror-clear. Here three tectonic plates meet, and the earth is slowly tearing apart. Continue to Tadjourah – one of Djibouti’s oldest towns, with Arab flair and whitewashed houses.
Tadjourah → Sable Blancs → Djibouti
Morning: Sable Blancs – „White Sands“ – a pristine white beach on the Gulf of Aden, surrounded by coral and turquoise water. Hardly any tourists, hardly any trace of them. Drive back to Djibouti.
Flight Djibouti → Hargeisa (Somaliland)
Flight to Hargeisa – the capital of Somaliland, which has been de facto independent since 1991 but is recognised by no UN member state. It has its own currency, passports, army and government – and functions better than many recognised states. Visit to the lively livestock market, the civil war memorial (a downed aircraft in the city centre) and the money market.
Hargeisa → Laas Geel → Berbera
Drive to Laas Geel – one of the world’s most significant and best-preserved prehistoric cave paintings. Cattle, herders, dogs in vivid colour – painted over 5,000 years ago. Continue to Berbera on the Red Sea – once a British colonial port, now blossoming again.
Berbera Old Town → Sheikh Mountains → Hargeisa
Explore Berbera’s old town: coral-stone buildings, Ottoman and British colonial gates, faded grandeur. Drive through the Sheikh Mountains – a surprisingly green highland ridge above the coastal plain. Return to Hargeisa.
Dhagah Koure → Djibouti Airport – Departure
Last stop: Dhagah Koure – further prehistoric rock engravings from the Stone Age. Then drive to the airport. Djibouti and Somaliland leave a vivid picture: smoking volcanoes, humanity’s oldest records carved in rock, and a land the world has not yet discovered.
Important Notes
- Djibouti: visa on arrival for German citizens – straightforward entry.
- Somaliland: separate entry with its own „Somaliland visa“ – marktravelz coordinates everything.
- The police escort (SPU) in Somaliland is legally required and included in the programme – it ensures safety and opens doors.
- Somaliland is significantly safer than its reputation suggests – it should not be confused with Somalia.
- Best season: October–April. Summer is extremely hot (over 45 °C).
- We recommend taking out travel cancellation and interruption insurance for all journeys.
Djibouti & Somaliland have captured your imagination?
Let’s plan your journey to the Horn of Africa together. Write to us – we’ll reply personally.
Enquire about this journey