Ga'an Libah

Ga'an Libah, the lion's paw, is an escarpment plateau between Hargeisa and Berbera rising to around eighteen hundred metres, with juniper woodland on the top where the mist collects and a drop off the northern edge to the coastal plain and the Gulf of Aden. Baboons and klipspringer live on the slopes. It is noticeably cooler and greener than the country on either side. The plateau was proposed as a protected area decades ago but the designation was never given practical effect. Juniper here belongs to the same forest type as the Cal Madow range further east.

What you actually see

• The plateau top - around eighteen hundred metres with juniper woodland.
• The northern drop - the escarpment edge above the coastal plain.
• The mist - the moisture that keeps the woodland alive.
• The wildlife - baboons and klipspringer on the slopes.

When to go

October to April is the cooler season. Mist collects on the escarpment through much of the year. Summer on the plain below is extremely hot.

Honest expectations

The woodland has been badly reduced by charcoal cutting and grazing. Access needs a guide and a vehicle on rough tracks. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Berbera is northeast, and Hargeisa is southwest.