AfricaSomaliaLower Juba
Kismayo
Lower Juba, Somalia Β· Africa
About Kismayo
Kismayo sits on the route: 1 hours from Jamaame.
Kismayo is in Lower Juba, Somalia, with about 230,000 people. The nearest town is Jamaame, about 52 km away.
Kismayo (Somali: Kismaayo, πππππππ) is a port city in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) province of Somalia. It is the de facto capital of the autonomous Jubaland region.
The city is situated 528 kilometres (328 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu, near the mouth of the Jubba River, where it emptiesRead more
into the Indian Ocean. According to the United Nations Development Programme, the city of Kismayo had a population of around 89,333 in 2005.
During the Middle Ages, Kismayo and its surrounding area was part of the Ajuran Empire that governed much of southern Somalia and eastern Ethiopia, with its domain extending from Hafun in the north, to Qelafo in the west, to Kismayo in the south.
In the early modern period, Kismayo was ruled by the Geledi Sultanate and by the later 1800s, the Boqow dynasty. The kingdom was eventually incorporated into Italian Somaliland in 1925/6 after the death of the last sultan, Osman Ahmed. After independence in 1960, the city was made the center of the official Kismayo District.
Kismayo was the site of numerous battles during the civil war, from the early 1990s. In late 2006, Islamist militants affiliated with Al-Shabaab gained control of most of the city. To reclaim possession of the territory, a new autonomous regional administration dubbed Azania was announced in 2010 and formalized in 2011. In September 2012, the Somali National Army and AMISOM troops re-captured the city from the Al-Shabaab insurgents. The Juba Interim Administration was established and recognized in 2013.
Where to Stay in Kismayo
Compare prices across Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, and more. Select your dates to see availability.
Filter presets
Pick your must-haves once: provider links open pre-filtered. Each filter lists which sites it applies to.
Compare before you book!
Prices can vary significantly between platforms. We recommend checking at least 2-3 sites to find the best deal for your stay in Kismayo.
Explore the Area
Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Kismayo.
Loading map...
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Kismayo?
Kismayo is in Lower Juba, Somalia, about 52 km from Jamaame.
Road trip
Drive to Kismayo
Add it as a stop and the planner works out the driving, the nights and what's worth seeing on the way.
Start planningWhat's nearby?
Swipe through places to go
Places within a drive of Kismayo. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.
Explore now
Quick Information
- Population
- 234,852
- Continent
- Africa
- Country
- Somalia
- Region
- Lower Juba
- Timezone
- Africa/Mogadishu
- Coordinates
- -0.3582, 42.5454
Tags
When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
Nearby Destinations
Other places to explore near Kismayo.
Your trip starts here
Plan a road trip from Kismayo.
Pick the days, drop in the stops, and share it with whoever's coming.