I flew to Mogadishu from Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines. There\u2019s a daily flight at 8:50am and it returns at 12:25pm from Mogadishu daily. There are also regularly scheduled flights from Nairobi, Entebbe, Doha, Djibouti and Istanbul. Other cities and airlines you\u2019ve never heard of run non-regular flights from various cities in the region at times. Flights can be expensive and unreliable for various reasons.<\/p>\n
Arriving in Mogadishu Airport can be a bit unnerving because you\u2019ve just landed in Mogadishu, Somalia-that\u2019s not your everyday kind of destination. You\u2019ll see a ton of UN and NGO planes, military and humanitarian helicopters-basically a big clusterfuck.<\/p>\n
As you enter the air-conditioned terminal (it\u2019s very hot and humid in Mogadishu), you\u2019ll need to fill out an arrival form. Then you wait in line for visa authentication and they\u2019ll stamp it into your passport-this goes quickly. However, you must have a work visa arranged ahead of time to travel to Somalia. This can be a bit of a challenge if you don\u2019t have any \u201cwork\u201d connections. As of time of writing, there are no Somalia tourist visas at all-there are no tourists.<\/p>\n
The airport is heavily fortified and can take a while to get in and out of with numerous checkpoints. Departing from Mogadishu Airport can take time and be an intense hassle. There are several security checks. At an outdoors one, you\u2019ll be separated from your bags and forced to wait so dogs can sniff them. There will also be aggressive \u201cfixers\u201d trying to help you for tips. Get there early and be patient. MGQ is unlike any other airport in the world security wise. Seriously, I\u2019ve never seen anything like it including places like Kabul.<\/p>\n
If you take one piece of advice from me, it should be to stay at the Peace Hotel in Mogadishu. That\u2019s all you need to know. Arrange your trip through the owner, Bashir. He is absolutely the man in Mogadishu and will arrange your accommodation, transportation and security team. Just trust me, it\u2019ll be the best move you make for peace of mind and security. The security is a little expensive but you\u2019re going to freaking Mogadishu-so just bite the bullet and pay up as getting kidnapped, shot or blown up would suck!<\/p>\n
The Peace Hotel is the most heavily fortified hotel I\u2019ve ever seen anywhere in the world. In fact, it\u2019s worth one day in Mogadishu, Somalia just to experience the fortification of the Peace Hotel and the airport. It\u2019s a tourist attraction itself in my view and a fascinating place.<\/p>\n
Before you leave the compound to go sightseeing, Bashir will give you a security briefing from what is essentially a mission control straight out of a movie. I\u2019ve never seen such a sophisticated security and surveillance center in my life. You are transfixed by how hi-tech it is and how secure Bashir makes you feel. They have cameras all over the city and technology that shows any potential danger. It then offers alternative routes if necessary. It\u2019s really wild. Obviously no photos were allowed.<\/p>\n
Inside the Peace Hotel compound is a very comfortable, pleasant and even beautiful oasis in the middle of likely the most dangerous city on Earth. They have a beautiful courtyard, excellent gym, ping pong table, good restaurant, fabulous roof deck and sitting area. You never feel anything but safe, secure and amazed that you\u2019re in the middle of Mogadishu when you\u2019re at the Peace Hotel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mogadishu, Somalia is one of those places in the world. You\u2019ve never heard a single good thing and you likely know nothing about it except it\u2019s supposed to be scary. Honestly, it\u2019s for pretty good reason. Somalia is 30 years into a brutal Civil War that has taken a huge toll on the once thriving country. In that time, Somalia has been and is a safe haven for terrorist groups; has endured regular terror attacks, suicide bombings, and assassinations. It\u2019s considered a failed state in the eyes of the world. But behind every negative media story and political naivety exist real people living real lives. One day in Mogadishu, Somalia showed me that there is life and there is hope in this proud city of 2.5 million people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":4952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,33],"tags":[7,14,34],"class_list":{"0":"post-4955","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-travel","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-travel"},"yoast_head":"\n