I went to the Horn of Africa in December 2024 to some of the least visited places on Earth: Socotra, Somaliland, Djibouti and Eritrea.
Here’s my full itinerary:
Keflavík to London Luton, Easyjet
London Gatwick to Dubai, Emirates, economy class
Abu Dhabi to Socotra, Air Arabia
Socotra to Abu Dhabi, Air Arabia
Dubai to Hargeisa, FlyDubai, business class
Hargeisa to Addis, Ethiopian, economy class
Addis to Djibouti, Ethiopian, economy class
Djibouti to Addis, Ethiopian, economy class
Addis to Jeddah, Saudia, economy class
Jeddah to Asmara, Flynas, economy class
Asmara to Dubai, FlyDubai, business class
Dubai to Frankfurt, Emirates, business class
I originally booked this flight in economy class for AED 1200. Business class would have been around AED 6500 more expensive but I had placed a bid to upgrade for about AED 1200 which was accepted two days before departure.
I arrived to Dubai Terminal 2 exactly at 06.00.
FlyDubai's business class check-in was right by Entrance 3.

The sign for business class check-in. There's a separate area where passengers can check in seated.

My visa support letter was checked and my boarding pass was quickly issued. A very professional agent walked with me through immigration and skipped the queue for me at security control. This service is more typical for first class than business class. She also explained that the new lounge would open in two days and then boarding would be directly from the lounge.
My upgrade didn't include lounge access so I just paid extra to enter the temporary lounge. It was quite simple but had some hot food, snacks and drinks.




Boarding for all business class passengers for all flights was from Gate F12. There was a large seating area with free tea, coffee and snacks.



I was driven to the plane with the two other business class passengers in a separate, very comfortable bus.

We had a long drive around the apron - I enjoyed the planespotting tour.



Our plane, A6-FED, built in 2012.


As it is the norm in the Middle East, we business class passengers didn't board first but last.
I was very impressed by the business class cabin. It had ten seats in three rows. The first and the third rows had a 2+2 configuration (best seats for couples), while row two had a 1+1 configuration (best for solo travellers).
My seat 2E:

Seats 3CA:

Legroom was huge:

The seat commands.

Pillow and blankets were waiting at the seat.
Very good noise cancelling headphones.


Welcome drink: I asked for some orange juice.

Push-back was at 08.56 for a scheduled departure time of 08.45.
An Emirates A380 waiting for clearance next to us.

We took off only at 09.20.
Nice views of Dubai after take-off.



The mountains near the UAE-Oman border.

A hot towel was offered 15 minutes after take-off.
The flight map a short time after departure:

Here's the menu:



I first ordered some nuts, sauvignon blanc white wine and tomato juice.

Blackcurrent & Ricotta Pancakes.

I went to sleep after breakfast. The seat could be transformed into a full-flat bed. There was a quite long tunnel for my feet under the seats in front of mine; this was a bit narrow but otherwise the seat was comfortable for sleeping. I slept well for about an hour.
The flight map when I woke up. The shortest route from Dubai to Hargeisa would have been over Northern Yemen but the plane made a detour towards Salalah in Southern Oman.

The in-flight entertainment was not as varied as on Emirates but still offered over a hundred movies and TV shows.


The captain announced "We're starting our descent to Mogadishu" and forgot to correct himself - but we were going to Hargeisa.
First glimpse of Somaliland.

A hot towel was offered before arrival.
Rural areas very close to Hargeisa.

We landed in Hargeisa at 11.42 and were at our final parking position at 11.47 for a scheduled arrival time of 11.15.

A sign at Hargeisa Airport: This plaque was unveiled by the Duke of Gloucester on 18th November 1958 and commemorates the opening of this building.

My impressions of Somaliland
Yes, Somaliland, and not Somalia: a country that gained independence from Somalia over 30 years ago, has it's own government, parliament and laws, has enjoyed relative economic and political stability and free elections, yet it's not recognised by almost any other countries.
The capital city of Hargeisa is like many other big cities in Africa with about a million people, thousands of shops, street markets and chaotic traffic. Locals mostly use mobile phone payments by SMS; even the local beggers (there are not many of them) accept them. Family and friends are very important, and a lot of people seem to know each other, enjoying social life. The Independence of the country is very important for many Somalilanders, and sometimes, when they see foreigners, they hope it's a small sign of international recognition. There's not a lot to see in Hargeisa, but the nearby livestock market (camels, cows, sheeps, goats), with its very friendly sellers and buyers is a highlight. The countryside has some very remarkable sights including the prehistoric rock paintings of Laas Geel, and the literally hundreds of kilometers of untouched sandy beaches waiting to be discovered.
A monument in Hargeisa: a Somali war plane shot down during the war of independence.

This is how much $10 are worth in Somaliland Shilling.

Sunset in Hargeisa.

My favourite: the livestock market near Hargeisa.

Prehistoric cave paintings at Laas Geel.

The view from one of the caves.

A Somaliland licence plate.

Naïve street art at a restaurant in Barbera

Abandoned Soviet Air Force apartments in Berbera.

The beach near Berbera.


Great report David, thanks for sharing with us to such a rare destination.
Shame about the new DXB lounge which is missed by just a few days.
I didn't know FZ has some of their 738s with the same full flat seat as their 7M8s, good to know.
Breakfast is not the most interesting meal but looks nice though.
Take care, you have only a few FR points missing to renew your Gold status 😇
Thank you! More FRs are coming soon.
Beautiful cabin! It's nice that FZ recently starting retrofitting some of their 737-800s with the good J cabins they already had on the MAX. Breakfast looks about as good as breakfast can, which is never super exciting (except on Asian carriers...mmm dim dum). It's crazy to thing FZ are an LCC/Hybrid carrier when they have such a great Business product on short-haul!
Beatiful report and interesting bonus as always! Thanks for sharing!
Amazing cabin!
Thanks to share