BaliGubadle
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BaliGubadle

BaliGubadle

Small Somaliland crossroads on the Hawd plateau, opening onto camel-herding country south of Hargeisa.

Baligubadle is a small town in the Maroodi Jeex region of Somaliland, about 90 km south of Hargeisa on the road to the Ethiopian border at Wajaale. It sits on the edge of the Hawd plateau — a wide expanse of semi-arid grazing land that stretches deep into eastern Ethiopia and is one of the great pastoral landscapes of the Horn of Africa.

The town itself is a modest cluster of low buildings around a crossroads, with a small market and a couple of tea shops. Its real interest is as a window onto Somali pastoral life: the Hawd is herding country, and the surrounding plains carry large numbers of camels and goats moving with the seasonal rains. The road from Hargeisa is mostly graded gravel and the trip is a half-day each way.

Guide

Getting There

The road from Hargeisa runs south through Gabiley and on to Baligubadle, a distance of about 90 km. The first stretch is paved; the last part is graded gravel and can be slow after rain. Allow three hours by 4WD; ordinary saloons can make it in the dry season but it is not advisable.

The town is also a recognised land crossing for cattle and lighter goods into Ethiopia — the unofficial route heads south to Toghochaale and beyond. Foreign travellers should not attempt this crossing; use the official border at Wajaale instead.

A police permit (and usually an armed escort officer) is required for travel out of Hargeisa in this direction; arrange it through your hotel or guide in Hargeisa before you leave.

Guide

Things to Do

Baligubadle is not a tourist town. The interest is in the surrounding country: the wide pastoral landscape of the Hawd, the camel markets, and the road journey itself. Travellers usually come through on the way to or from the Ethiopian border at Wajaale.