Xiis offers very little in the way of organised activities, and that is precisely the point. The town is a fishing settlement on the Gulf of Aden with a coastline that sees almost no visitors — rocky headlands, clear turquoise water, and beaches where your footprints will be the only ones. If you make the effort to get here, the reward is a stretch of coast that feels genuinely untouched.
Beyond the sea itself, the area around Xiis is layered with history. Archaeological sites dot the landscape — cairns, stelae, and ancient remains that connect this coast to pre-Islamic trade routes stretching across the Gulf to Yemen and Oman. The Salweyn site a few kilometres from town is the most significant of these, associated with proto-Somali civilisation and possibly with the ancient Land of Punt that Egyptian texts describe.
Be realistic about what you are getting into. There are no guides, no organised tours, and no infrastructure for visitors. To explore the coastline or visit Salweyn you will need your own transport, a willingness to ask local fishermen for directions, and enough supplies to be self-sufficient. The journey from Erigavo through the Sanaag highlands is itself one of the great drives in the Horn of Africa — dramatic mountain passes with views down to the coast far below.