Somalia
Kismayo travel guide
Kismayo is a city in Somalia, home to about 167,000 people.
- Currency
- SOSSomali shilling
- Time zone
- Africa/Mogadishu
- Language
- Arabic, Somali
About
About Kismayo
Kismayo is a port city around 500 km south of the capital Mogadishu, and has a population of around 250,000. Since 1992, Kismayo has been a city in constant turmoil with local war lords, the federal government, African Union peacekeepers, Al Shabaab and others all vying for control of the area.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Kismayo
Kismayo has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. March is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; June is the wettest, with about 94 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Kismayo
Getting in
As warring insurgents have made road travel extremely dangerous, travelling by plane is the only safe option to reach the city. Air fare from Nairobi to Kismayo ranges from US$450-500 for a return ticket.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Kismayo
Eat
The city offers a range of dishes that include standard African fare and traditional East Africa meals.
Stay safe
See the warning on the Somalia article for more information on the security situation. The city is not safe for any visitors. Arrival by car from Mogadishu is extremely dangerous, while arriving by sea invites risk of attack by pirates.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Kismayo: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Kismayo?
Kismayo has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. March is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; June is the wettest, with about 94 mm of rain.
What currency is used in Kismayo?
Somali shilling (SOS).
Nearby
Destinations near Kismayo
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.