If Somalia is dangerous, why is it experiencing a surge in tourism?

By Richard Collett, CNN

(CNN) — For decades, Somalia’s name has been shorthand for conflict, piracy and danger. Since the country’s civil war began in the 1990s, the country has had relatively few Western visitors. Yet, against the odds, the East African nation is now seeing a quiet rise in foreign tourists.

About 10,000 tourists visited Somalia in 2024, according to the country’s Department of Tourism — a 50% increase on the previous year. That’s despite most Western governments still advising against all travel.

James Willcox, founder of the adventure tour company Untamed Borders, told CNN Travel that demand is growing fast. His company organized a record 13 group trips to Mogadishu this year, compared with just two in 2023.

On September 1, 2025, Somalia launched a new eVisa system aimed at simplifying entry procedures and boosting visitor numbers. But optimism around the program has been undercut by the country’s internal divisions. The autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland have both said they won’t recognize the new visas — underscoring the limits of Somalia’s central authority even as it tries to project stability.

“Mogadishu is dangerous. You feel it as soon as you land,” said Karin Sinniger, a Swiss traveler who visited in 2020. “You have to sleep within the secure perimeter or ‘Green Zone.’ Even there, there’s been bombings.”

Leaving that area, she told CNN Travel, means traveling in armed convoys with police and military protection. “Still,” she added, “walking on the beach felt safe.”

‘Threat of kidnap’

Somalia retains its reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous destinations. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office warns of a “high threat of kidnap.” The US Department of State classifies Somalia as “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” citing “crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health, kidnapping, piracy and lack of availability of routine consular services.”

Those warnings are far from theoretical. Al Shabab militants continue to operate across Somalia, including in Mogadishu, where the group carried out several deadly attacks in early 2025.

So why does anyone want to travel there?

For Sinniger, the trip was part of a personal challenge: an attempt to visit all 193 UN-recognized countries and scuba dive in each one. When her gear was lost in transit, a local lobster diver on Mogadishu’s Lido Beach lent her a makeshift “hookah system” — a long hose attached to an air compressor — so she could complete her dive.

Willcox said many of his clients are also on “country counting” missions or are travelers seeking extreme destinations. “Mogadishu is the most high-risk destination Untamed Borders operates in,” he said, adding that he’s guided and organized tours to Mogadishu for over a decade without incidents. “The risk of attacks is real. All of the limited places where international guests can stay are potential targets. You can’t go off radar in Mogadishu.”

Still, he added, the fierce fighting of previous decades has drastically declined. Among those taking advantage of that relative stability was Peter Bullock, a retired sewage engineer from the United Kingdom who visited Somalia in November 2024 with Untamed Borders as part of a personal quest to visit all 52 African countries.

‘Pleasant experience’

Accompanied by armed guards, Bullock toured the city’s fish market, waterfront, and ruined cathedral. “I must admit, it was a totally different travel experience from anything I had previously experienced,” he told CNN. “But as I enjoy travelling to destinations on the edge, I never at any time felt unsafe,” he added. “Airport security on leaving the country was impressive. It flowed smoothly. A much more pleasant experience than going through London Heathrow.”

The country’s humanitarian challenges remain stark. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), conflict, political tension and climate-related disasters displaced more than 550,000 people across Somalia in 2024, adding to nearly 3 million already internally displaced. Piracy, while reduced, is still considered a threat in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

“Some parts of Somalia are incredibly dangerous,” said Willcox. “There are places where it would be incredibly foolish for an international person to go.”

To the northwest, the self-declared republic of Somaliland — functioning autonomously since 1991 — offers a very different experience. With its own armed forces, democratically elected government and currency, it’s long been viewed as the “safest” way to visit the greater Somalia region.

“People have a lot of misconceptions about Somaliland, because the country gets mistaken for Somalia,” said Deke Hassan Abdi, one of Somaliland’s first female tour guides. She wants visitors to understand that her “country” is very different from Somalia. “Some people think it is not safe, which isn’t true, so tourism is a great way to help distinguish between the two.”

She wants Somaliland to gain international recognition, and believes tourism can help put the region on the map. “Somaliland offers a rewarding experience for travelers seeking something different,” she said. Ancient rock art, nomadic culture and pristine beaches are among her recommended highlights. “My favourite place to take tourists is the local downtown market in Hargeisa. I love engaging them with local people. They see how welcoming my people are, and how safe it is to walk around the city, where you don’t need a guard.”

‘Not for the faint hearted’

Outside of Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, tourists need an armed police escort and the region’s “borders” with Somalia are typically listed as no-go zones by Western governments. But for Dylan Harris, founder of Lupine Travel, who has operated here since 2013, Somaliland is always a safer bet than Somalia.

“For Somaliland, the big highlight is the 5,000-year-old cave paintings at Laas Geel,” Harris said. “But people are also interested in the abandoned ships at the old port city of Berbera.

“There are less people interested in Somalia, likely because of the fact Somaliland is currently a lot safer to visit and most of the region is possible to travel around.”

Claire Makin, who enjoys travelling to hard-to-reach destinations and visited both regions with Untamed Borders, agreed. “Somaliland will get on the tourist map long before Somalia,” she said. In Mogadishu, she felt too restricted by security to talk to locals. “In Somaliland, the people were welcoming and could not believe we had chosen to visit their country. Somalia, though, is not for the faint hearted.”

In November 2025, Untamed Borders and Lupine Travel were running several trips to Mogadishu timed to coincide with the Most Traveled People’s Summit, an annual gathering of extreme travelers taking place in November 2025 in neighboring Ethiopia. For many summit participants, a short side trip to Somalia will be a hot ticket.

But Somalia is likely to remain a niche destination for the foreseeable future. Even with its new eVisa, the country’s tourism landscape remains fragmented. The central government’s system currently applies only to Mogadishu arrivals; Somaliland and Puntland, another semi-autonomous region, have rejected it, maintaining their own entry requirements.

Still, Willcox said his first guests have used the new eVisa system successfully. And the very fact that Somalia has launched an eVisa could prove a significant step forward for the nation’s fledgling tourist industry.

“I’ve seen a lot of eVisa systems go into place over the years, in countries like Pakistan and Tajikistan where we work,” he said. “So far, I’d say this Somali one has been the best. No one’s done a better implementation.”

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