If you’ve been travelling in Ethiopia, Harar may be your last stop if you plan to visit Hargeisa in Somaliland too.
We may earn affiliate commissions from websites we link to, at no cost to you. Click here for details.
We took this overland journey from Ethiopia to Somaliland in 2019, and here is all the information you need to know to take local transport from Harar to Hargeisa.
Complete Guide on how to get from Ethiopia to Somaliland
We stayed at Harari Traditional House in Harar, Ethiopia which we’d highly recommend. The location is good, the rooms are clean and comfortable and the young girl there speaks good English.
We were planning to get from Ethiopia to Somaliland overland in a day.
From this location (in the Old Town), walking time is about 5-10 minutes through the markets and the medina to reach the busy bus stop.
This place is a little hectic, with lots of minivans going to different places, everyone bartering for you to get in their van etc. Find one guy and ask him to direct you to the next van going to the town of Jigiga. This is the first part of your journey from Ethiopia to Somaliland.
1. Ethiopia to Somaliland – First bus – Harar to Jigiga
Tell them you’re heading to Jigiga. Minivan costs about 50 birrs per seat (we each had a small 40L backpack that they strapped to the roof, but just keep eye on it). We paid a little extra for that, a seat is normally around 30 birr.
Use your haggling skills so you don’t get ripped off.
The journey takes about 1.5 – 2 hours.
2. Ethiopia to Somaliland – Second Bus – Jigiga to Wadaje
Change minivan in Jigiga town. This is the second step of Ethiopia to Somaliland journey. Tell them you’re going to Wadaje, the border town. This journey costs 150 birrs for 2 people or 75 each ($2.50). The journey takes 1.5 hours – it’s a straight road, very easy.
Once you reach Wadaje, you jump out of the van, lots of small tuk-tuks are waiting there to drive you the 3 min to the actual crossing. The third type of transport to reach Ethiopia to Somaliland border crossing.
We paid the driver 10 birrs each ((30c) to drop us there and he was happy with that. There is a small building on the left-hand side where you go in and show the man your passport, he will stamp you out of Ethiopia.
Walk 2 minutes over the border, it’s very busy, lots of trash etc.
3. Crossing the border on foot – Ethiopia to Somaliland border
There is a big building on the right-hand side, just after you see the ‘Welcome to Somaliland’ painted sign. Enter here and show your passport.
The border guard will take your photo, that’s it. We asked the guard here if we could have purchased our visa at the border, he said no – it must be done beforehand. We previously got our visa for Somaliland in Adis Ababa, Ethiopia.
4. From the border of Ethiopia to Hargeisa in Somaliland
From here, guys will approach you and offer a private taxi to Hargeisa (1.5 hr drive to the capital of Somaliland) for a total of USD $30. He wouldn’t budge on the price, perhaps we could have got him down to $25. We chose to take a minivan as this is the most common local transport from Harar to Hargeisa.
This is your final transport for your Ethiopia to Somaliland journey and border crossing.
These are also parked just outside and they depart when they fill up which seems to be quite regular. We paid 200 birrs each (still Ethiopian currency) or about $6.50 each. I guess you could have paid in USD too.
Check it out! The ESSENTIAL Packing List for Africa
5. Where to stay in Hargeisa, Somaliland
We passed seven checkpoints on this part of the journey. The guards looked inside the van and each time, both Marty and I were required to show our passport and our Somaliland visa to the guard.
Finally, our driver dropped us at our hotel in Hargeisa – The Oriental Hotel. The end of our Ethiopia to Somaliland overland journey.
Oriental hotel is in a good location, downtown. Single rooms $15. Double rooms are $30. We bargained him down to $25 per night with breakfast included in the rate.
The hotel is old and the rooms are basic, but they’re clean.
The twin beds were good, very hard. The wifi was in and out, quite unreliable.
There are not many budget hotels in Hargeisa to choose from, yet this hotel was fine for a few days.
Have you done the overland trip between Ethiopia to Somaliland recently? Has anything changed? Let us know in the comments.
Travel Tips for Ethiopia
We have more helpful travel guides and tips for Ethiopia—this is a diverse country!
When planning your trip, we recommend spending two days in Lalibela. Our complete guide has everything you need to know; it’s a fascinating place.
We highly recommend visiting the Simien Mountains, on a day trip from Gondor. Here’s everything you need to know.
We wrote this comprehensive post to help you learn more about Ethiopian cuisine.
Ethiopia features on our list of the 10 best food countries in Africa, and it even made it into our top 10 best countries for food lovers
Our Food Map of Africa is interesting because it explains what people eat in all 54 nations. If you’re wondering what people eat for breakfast in Africa, check out this post about the most popular African breakfast foods.
If you’re keen on an adventure, here’s how to take local transport from Ethiopia to Somaliland. If this interests you, you will need a visa. You can apply for your visa for Somaliland in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
We recommend joining a food tour in Addis Ababa. It’s a great way to taste the cuisine and learn about Ethiopian culture. Read about our food tour experience in Addis Ababa to know what to expect.
Check out our best-ever travel tips compiled from more than twenty years of experience.
Travel Planning Resources
✈️ Flights: We use Skyscanner to book cheap flights worldwide.
🏨 Accommodation: Booking.com is our preferred platform for booking hotels and accommodation. We use Vrbo to book apartments and long-term stays.
🏥 Travel Insurance: We recommend Heymondo (Get 5% off Heymondo) & SafetyWing
🚌 Transportation: Trainline is the best website to reserve trains. We use Omio to book transport worldwide. For travel in Asia, we use 12Go.
🚘 Car Rental: We use DiscoverCars to book rental cars worldwide.
👫 Group Tours: We now offer Group Trips; check them out here. Alternatively, we recommend G Adventures OR Tourradar.
📸 Day Tours & Trips: GetYourGuide & Viator are the only two platforms you need.
📚 Lonely Planet: The Best Range of Travel Guides & Ebooks, and FREE Shipping! (use code RACHELDAVEY10 for a 10% discount)
🎒 Luggage: Osprey Farpoint 40L Backpack or Samsonite Luggage Range.
🛄 What to Pack: Don’t forget your Universal charger and a good power bank. To help you pack the essentials, here is our ULTIMATE Packing List for all Travellers.
🐶 Become a House Sitter: Join Trusted Housesitters and enjoy FREE accommodation worldwide. Use our invite to receive 25% off your new membership.
💰 Send Money Anywhere: WISE & Revolut are the best online accounts that let you send money, get paid, and spend money internationally. Both are so easy to use and way cheaper than any bank transfer.
📶 Stay Connected: Airalo eSIM allows you to get connected the moment you land at your destination, and you can avoid those expensive data roaming charges. We LOVE this product! Use promo code NOMAD15 for 15% off ALL eSIMs (new Airalo users only) OR use NOMAD10 for 10% off ALL eSIMs (for existing Airalo users)
✅ Check out our Travel Gear and Travel Resources for more valuable tips to save you money!
3 Comments. Leave new
Thanks for the lovely post. I’m just curious, is there a difference between Somaliland and Somalia. And, how far off is it from the depictions that TV shows and movies often portray them?
Yes, there is a big difference between them-the main thing is that Somaliland is relatively safe to visit and Somalia at present is not. I’d encourage you to check online for articles explaining the differences in depth, it would likely be a better explanation than I could offer. We found the people in Somaliland very friendly and welcoming.
Somaliland broke away from Somalia. They have been independent since 1991. They have their own President, parliament, currency, flag, visa, passport, national anthem and army. Somaliland is a democracy had 5 presidents since 1991. To travel from Somalia to Somaliland you need a visa and passport.