Top Tourist Destinations in Somalia

It's difficult to see how the war-torn, drought-prone, and poverty-stricken plains of Somalia will ever be open for commerce again, especially with FCOs and foreign offices around the world still advising against all travel to the country.

However, with new military offensives against pockets of Islamic extremism in the works, a stable government in place (the first since the end of the Somali Civil War), and recent drops in the fragile states index rankings, there may be a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel.

And if those dreams come true, intrepid travelers can be confident that there will be enough to see here. This country is unspoiled and undeveloped, ranging from the urban sprawl of Mogadishu to the cloud-toped, camel-spotted peaks of the Cal Madow hills in the north; a picture of what Africa used to be before the start of mass safari-going.

Let's have a look at some of the top spots to visit in Somalia: