Buloburto

The 2018 United Nations List of Protected Areas of Somalia includes Buloburto as a designated national park.^[1] The name resembles that of Buloburde, a town in the Hiiraan region on the Shabelle River.^[2]

The town of Buloburde lies on the Shabelle River.^[2] The river rises in the Ethiopian highlands and has a total length of about 1,820 km.^[3]

Somalia's year follows four seasons: Jilal from December to March, the harshest dry season; Gu from April to June, the main rainy season; Xagaa from July to September, a second dry season; and Dayr from October to December, the shortest rainy season.^[4] The Shabelle has a long record of flooding, with major floods in 1965, 1966, 1978, 1999, 2003 and 2005; some locals considered the 2005 flood the worst in 40 years.^[3]

Buloburde is the administrative centre of Buloburde District in Hirshabelle state, with about 20,500 residents in the town and 210,120 in the district.^[2] It lies on the Shabelle River in the Hiiraan region.^[2] In March 2014 Somali Armed Forces, assisted by AMISOM troops, captured the town from Al-Shabaab.^[2]

The United Nations list records Buloburto as a designated national park, with no reported year of designation, area or IUCN category.^[1] There has been little formal protection or management of most Somali protected areas since the central government collapsed in 1991.^[5]

No trails, viewpoints or visitor routes have been developed.

Travellers considering a visit to central Somalia should check current government travel advisories first, because security conditions vary widely and change quickly.

The United Nations list shows the park as designated.^[1]