Is It Safe to Travel to Mogadishu?

Mogadishu is locally called as Xamar or Hamar. It is the capital and the most populous city in Somalia. This city is located in the coastal region of the Somali Sea and the city has been serving as an important port for many years. The inhabitants are called Reer Xamar. Note that the Mogadishu is the nearest foreign mainland city to Seychelles that is located at the distance of 835 miles over the Somali Sea. 

Planning to visit Mogadishu? To make your journey convenient, you should book a cheap flight to Mogadishu. Connect with a professional travel agency to book your ticket at affordable rates. 

Most of the people who are traveling to Mogadishu think that whether this city is safe or not? Well, the answer is not that straight forward! Mostly, people think that this city is not safe due to the attacks that happened in the previous year. The US State Department and most Western nations advise that they should avoid traveling to Mogadishu for any reason.

According to the reports, continuous activity done by the al-Qaida affiliated terrorist group, al-Shabaab has been involved in many kidnappings suicide bombings, and generalized chaos. Note that there is a particular terrorist threat to foreigners in places especially where there is a large crowd gathered that westerners frequent visit includes hotels, airports, government buildings, and shopping areas. In 2016, 14 attacks were documented at hotels, restaurants, and the international airport located in Mogadishu. Keeping all this in mind, if you are going to travel independently, then you might be careful. 

History of Mogadishu

As mentioned above this is the official capital of Somalia and it is the major commercial city on the coast of Africa. This city was the major battleground in the Somalia civil war and this has damaged the country from 1991 and 2012. After this, the city has experienced a rapid phase of reconstruction that includes paved roads, a new airport, new embassies, and a new hotel. All the construction was financed by the Diaspora Somalis and the International community. 

Traveling to Mogadishu is discouraged but if you are going to travel, then below information will be helpful for you:

Different Ways of Traveling 

There are three ways of traveling that you should keep in your mind:

1-Traveling by Air

The flight will arrive at Aden Adde International Airport that is located a few kilometers southwest of the city center. The facilities provided here are good because Turkish government has provided funds to renovate the airport, its security, navigation systems, and control tower. Below are the are few passenger flights that are available:

African Express Airways: It provides services between Mogadishu, Abu Dhabi, Aden Berbera, Dubai, Galkayo, Riyan Mukalla, Bosaso, Sharjah, Kenyatta, Nairobi-Jomo, and Wajir.  

Jubba Airways: This is a Somalia based carrier that is having services from Jeddah, Dubai, Djibouti, and Nairobi. It is also offering services domestically to Hargeisa and other different other cities.

Daallo Airlines: It offers services to Djibouti that is having a stopping route at Hargeisa.

Turkish Airlines: This flight is offering a twice-weekly service from Istanbul via Khartoum or Djibouti. The flight will depart from Ataturk Airport on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The round-trip price starts at €430. Furthermore, Qatar Airways is going to start a flight to Mogadishu.

2-Traveling by Road

It is possible to drive into the city by a truck that is considered risky without using a group of local militaries that is available for hiring. Roads are linking the city with most of the Somalia locales along with Ethiopia and Kenya. To have a safe entry, armed guards, hiring security forces, and experienced guides are important for traveling. But remember that the risk of being captured or of injuries is also present. The roads are muddy during rain. The traffic light will not operate and there are no enforced traffic laws or public transport. Note that the road network is being paved and repaired. 

3-Traveling by Boat 

Small cargo boats on a regular basis leave the Old Harbor of Mombasa for Mogadishu. A person has to talk with the security officers at the gate of the port and they will negotiate the fare with captain. The journey needs 2 to 5 days according to the conditions. Remember that traveling by sea has the chance of attacks by the pirates. 

Places to Visit in Mogadishu 

Sightseeing individually is dangerous in Mogadishu and it is strongly discouraged. Below are the interesting places that are having a historic Mogadishu old town and Mogadishu Mosque. The list of places are as follows:

• House of Banadir Governor

• Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

• Gezira Livestock Market 

• Liido Maine Academy 

• Old Shanghai City 

• Turkish Embassy 

• Liido Sea Beach

• Union Mosque 

• Bakara Market 

• Gezira Beach 

Important Information for Travelers 

It is better for the visitors to stay safe because the chances of theft and assault are high. If you want to travel around, then it is good to travel with the security guards. You can also arrange some guided tours by contacting Untamed Borders. They will take to you the colonial architecture, beaches, markets, and the sites of the Battle of Mogadishu. The guided tours will be also providing meals, accommodations, security guards, but no flights. 

Mogadishu Adventure specializes in tourism in Mogadishu. The standard tour will be covering the tour of Black Hawk Down Site, Mogadishu Fish Market, Liido Beach, Jazeera Beach, Bakara Market, Qat Market, and more. The company also arranges a tourist visa, meal plans for the tourist, and security units. There will be 5 armed guards on every pickup truck that will be traveling with a maximum of 3 tourists. 

Conclusion

This was a brief about the Mogadishu. Traveling should be done with great care and there should be a proper arrangement of security to be done before traveling. For traveling, book flights to Mogadishu by contacting expert and renowned travel agency to get the best flight at affordable rates to end all your worries.