All activities / Museums & Galleries / Laas Geel
Museums & Galleries in Laas Geel
A cluster of granite rock shelters on the plateau northeast of Hargeisa, in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, holding some of the oldest and best-preserved rock art in Africa. Hundreds of Neolithic paintings of long-horned cattle and human figures cover the overhangs, still vivid in red, white and ochre thousands of years after they were made.
Why here
Laas Geel is the finest rock art in the Horn of Africa and one of the best-preserved painted sites anywhere in the world. In a cluster of granite shelters on the plateau northeast of Hargeisa, herders left hundreds of paintings of long-horned cattle, human figures with raised arms, dogs and wild animals, worked in reds, whites and ochres that still hold their colour. A French archaeological team documented the panels in 2002 and the estimates for their age run from roughly 5,000 to as much as 11,000 years. What makes a visit unusual is how close you get: no ropes, no glass, a local guide walking you shelter to shelter under the overhangs while the plateau drops away below. Somaliland, the self-declared republic that holds Laas Geel, has stayed calm for years even as the rest of Somalia has not, and the site sits an easy half-day from Hargeisa once your operator has arranged the permit and escort.
Best months
The site is open year-round and the paintings sit under natural overhangs, so a visit works in most weather, but the comfortable months are the cooler, drier season from about November to February; April to June can be very hot. You reach the shelters on a short, rocky walk and scramble in the open sun, so bring water, a hat and sturdy shoes. A local caretaker or guide accompanies every visit and photography is allowed. Facilities at the site itself are minimal.
Getting there & around
Travel advisory · Do Not Travel
US State Dept Level 4 Do Not Travel for Somalia as a whole, renewed 21 May 2026 over terrorism, kidnapping and crime; UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the western regions of Somaliland including Hargeisa and Berbera, and against all travel to the rest of Somalia (as of 2026-07). Somaliland is the calmer northwest and is where this site lies, but the warnings still apply and there is no consular help on the ground. Visit only through an established local operator. Laas Geel is about 50km northeast of Hargeisa on the Berbera road, reached by 4x4 in under an hour; entry needs a permit and, for foreigners, an armed police escort, both arranged by your operator. Bring cash in US dollars or local shillings for fees, plus water and sun protection.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (1)
Macrobia Expeditions
OutfitterMacrobia Expeditions, formerly the Somaliland Travel Agency, is a Hargeisa-based local operator founded by Abdirizaq Abdullahi, a Somaliland-born, Netherlands-trained lawyer. It runs guided trips across Somaliland to the Laas Geel rock art, the Gulf of Aden port of Berbera and the capital Hargeisa, arranging the permits and armed escort the sites require. It has won TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice awards from 2022 to 2025 and works in English alongside local languages.