Somalia
North East State of Somalia travel guide
North East State of Somalia is a city in Somalia, home to about 2,500,000 people.
- Best months
- December and January
- Currency
- SOSSomali shilling
- Time zone
- Africa/Mogadishu
- Language
- Arabic, Somali
About
About North East State of Somalia
The North Eastern State (Somali: Maamul-goboleedka Waqooyi Bari ee Soomaaliya), previously known as Khatumo State until July 2025, is a federal member state in northern Somalia with its capital in Las Anod. It includes parts of the Sool, Sanaag and Togdheer regions (combined under the acronym "SSC").
Khatumo (Somali: Khaatuumo, Arabic: ولاية خاتمة), officially the Khatumo State of Somalia (Somali: Maamul Goboleedka Khaatuumo ee Soomaaliya), is a region in northwestern Somalia, centred on Las Anod in the Sool province. It is viewed by government officials as a successor state of the early 20th-century Dervish state. Various Dhulbahante clan leaders and local governing officials have given Khatumo an assortment of names during various periods since the government collapsed in 1991.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in North East State of Somalia
See
Since most of the Khatumo region is largely untouched by modernization and tourism, you can see the cultivation, management and breeding of bygone eras of husbandry first-hand.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit North East State of Somalia
The most comfortable months for a city stay in North East State of Somalia are December and January. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; May is the wettest, with about 38 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 North East State of Somalia
Getting in
There are two airports in Khatumo, Taleh Airport in Taleh and Ismail Mire International Airport in Buuhoodle.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in North East State of Somalia
Stay safe
See the warning on the Somalia article for information on the security situation. Khatumo can be dangerous for independent travellers. There remains tension in the area due to overlapping territorial claims between the Khatumo government and those of Puntland to the east and Somaliland to the west. Overland travel from Khatumo in an easterly or westerly direction can be dangerous.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
North East State of Somalia: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit North East State of Somalia?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in North East State of Somalia are December and January. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; May is the wettest, with about 38 mm of rain.
What currency is used in North East State of Somalia?
Somali shilling (SOS).
Nearby
Destinations near North East State of Somalia
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.