Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Goljano Brothers Restaurant $
(mains US$1-3; breakfast, lunch & dinner)
Next door to Beder, the Goljano offers the
usual selection of pastas and goat meat dishes.
SOMALI
DAALLO FOREST
Some 16km northeast of Erigavo lies the village of
Karin
, which is the gateway to the
majestic Daallo Forest. It's one of the best places in Somaliland to see
birds
, including a
host of endemics, and mammals. From Karin, a dirt track leads through the forest to a
lookout
, reached after 5km. The lookout is perched on the edge of a vast canyon that
plummets dramatically and offers hallucinogenic views down into the valley, more than
2000m below. On a clear day you can see all the way to the Gulf of Aden, some 30km
away.
KARIN TO MAYDH
Back to Karin, be prepared for a dizzying downhill trip. The journey from Karin to Maydh
is one of the most dramatic in Somaliland. In just 30km, a spectacular dirt road descends
nearly 2200m, plummeting through tall limestone cliffs often clad in mist, around numer-
ous hairpin bends, before reaching the village of
Rugay
. The gradual change of scenery is
mind-boggling. The forested slopes progressively change to scrubby thorn bushes and
stunning Marscape. The stretch of road between Rugay and Maydh offers a few sites of
interest that are worth checking out - be on the lookout for huge
tumuli
(stone burial
cairns) just metres from the road and the shining white
tomb of Sheikh Issa
, about 400m
east of the main road.
About 77km north of Erigavo, the coastal village of
Maydh
appears like a mirage. It is
little more than a few undistinguished buildings, but it was once a harbour of some signi-
ficance. The setting is astounding: it lies in a sheltered bay fringed with a yellow scimitar
of sand and framed with barren hillsides. Most villagers make a living from the sea, al-
though smuggling with Yemeni merchants has proved a more lucrative means of income.
A particular highlight in Maydh is the whitewashed
tomb of Sheikh Isaq
, which is loc-
ated near the beach about 3km south of Maydh. The Isaq clan is the most politically im-
portant clan in Somaliland, and the tomb attracts pilgrims from all over the country.
Feeling peckish? In the centre, the modest Maansor dishes up basic fish and pasta
dishes.
