Kismayo (also spelled Kismaayo) is a port city in the far south of Somalia, near the Kenyan border. It is the country's second-largest port and the administrative centre of Jubaland state. Founded in 1872 by the Sultan of Zanzibar, it passed to the British, then to Italian Somaliland, then at independence became one of Somalia's busiest commercial ports — known for exporting bananas from the fertile Jubba River valley and for its long, beautiful beaches.
The city has been at the centre of conflict for most of the past three decades, changing hands between Somali factions before al-Shabaab seized control in 2008. Kenyan and African Union forces expelled the group in 2012, though al-Shabaab retains a presence in the surrounding region. The city is slowly rebuilding: the port and fish market are active again, the Kismayo National Park to the southwest preserves rare Somali wildlife, and north of the city the Jubba River mouth at Gobweyn is a striking natural sight where the silt-red river pushes into the turquoise Indian Ocean.
Kismayo is not safe for independent travel. Do not visit without compelling professional reasons and robust security arrangements. There is no tourist infrastructure of any kind.