Danakil Depression
Bubbling volcanoes light up the night sky, sulphurous mounds of yellow contort into other-worldly shapes, and mirages of camels cross lakes of salt. Lying 100m and more below sea level, the Danakil Depression (የደንከል በረሃ) is about the hottest and most inhospitable place on earth. In fact it’s so surreal that it doesn’t feel like part of earth at all. If you want genuine, raw adventure, few corners of the globe can match this overwhelming wilderness. But come prepared because with temperatures frequently saying hello to 50°C and appalling ‘roads’, visiting this region is more an expedition than a tour.
WITH OUR EXPERIENCED GUIDE AND DRIVER AND COOK WE CAN TAKE YOU TO THIS MOST OTHERWORLDLY LOCATION. PLEASE BE AWARE THIS IS FOR THE SEASONED ADVENTURE TRAVELER ONLY.
THIS 4 DAY TRIP STARTS WITH A FLIGHT FROM ADDIS ABABA TO THE FAR NORTH OF ETHIOPIA. WE START TOUR IN MEKELE, DRIVE TO HAMAD ELA TOWN VIA BERHALE. THE DANAKIL DEPRESSION CAN BE SAID TO ‘BEGIN’ HERE. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST INHOSPITABLE REGIONS OF THE WORLD, BUT IS NONETHELESS SPECTACULAR, FULL OF EYE-CATCHING COLORS, AS IN THE THE DESERT HAS SEVERAL POINTS LYING MORE THAN 100 METERS (328 FT) BELOW SEA LEVEL. YOU PASS THROUGH A SMALL TOWN OF BERHALE WHERE THE CAMEL CARAVANS STOP BEFORE THEY PROCEED TO THE NORTHERN HIGHLANDS. EN ROUTE YOU SEE MANY LONG CARAVANS GOING TO THE SALT MINES AND OTHERS COMING OUT OF THE DANAKIL WITH THEIR SALT LOADED CAMELS (3-4 HRS DRIVE) CAMPSITE AT HAMEDELA.
HAMD ELA – DODOM - ERTA ALE WE START EARLY, SHORTLY AFTER AT 06:30 BREAKFAST CONTINUE THE TOUR AND DRIVE TO DODOM AT THE BASE O THE ERTE ALE VOLCANO THIS MAY BE ONE OF THE WORST ROAD IN THE WORLD. THE 80 KM DISTANCE MAY TAKE ABOUT 6 HRS PASSING THROUGH CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF SOLIDIFIED LAVA, ROCK, SAND AND THE OCCASIONAL PALM LINED OASIS. YOU PASS SEVERAL SMALL HAMLETS SCATTERED HERE AND THERE IN THIS DESERT LAND BEFORE REACHING DODOM. YOU WILL TREK FROM DODOM TO ERTA ALE WHICH TAKES ABOUT 3 HRS. EARLY DINNER AROUND 17:00 AND TREK UP TO ERT ALE AT 20:00. CAMELS TRANSPORT ALL THE CAMPING MATERIALS AND SOME FOOD, SLEEPING MATERIALS, MATTRESSES AND WATER, TO THE RIM OF THE VOLCANO, WHERE WE SPEND THE NIGHT WATCHING THE DRAMATIC ACTION OF THE BOILING LAVA. ERTA ALE RANKS ONE OF THE MOST ALLURING AND PHYSICALLY CHALLENGING NATURAL ATTRACTIONS ANYWHERE IN ETHIOPIA. IT IS A SHIELD VOLCANO WITH A BASE DIAMETER OF 30 KM AND 1 KM SQUARE CALDERA AT ITS SUMMIT. ERTE ALA CONTAINS THE WORLD’S ONLY PERMANENT LAVA LAKE AND YOU WILL SPEND AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
ERTA ALE - DODOM - HAMAD ELA
EARLY MORNING YOU WILL RISE WITH THE SUN WITH TIME TO WALK AROUND PITS AND CRTERS THE MAIN PIT-CRATER, 200M DEEP AND 350M ACROSS, IS SUB-CIRCULAR AND THREE STORIED. THE SMALLER SOUTHERN PIT IS 65 M WIDE AND ABOUT 100 M DEEP. YOU WILL LEAVE AROUND 7:00 TO HEAD BACK TO DODOM FOR BREAKFAST. YOU WILL REACH LATEST AT 10:30 AM AT THE CAMP AND AFTER SOME TIME TO RELAX YOU WILL DRIVE ON TO HAMAD ELA, A VILLAGE WITH A TOTAL POPULATION ABOUT 500 PEOPLE. OVER NIGHT CAMPING AT HAMED ELA.
RAGAD - DALLOL - MEKELE
MORNING DRIVING TOUR TO RAGAD (ASEBO), THE PLACE WHERE THE SALTS ARE MINED. OBSERVE THE BREAKING OF THE SALT FROM THE GROUND, CUTTING INTO RECTANGULAR PIECES AND LOADING ON CAMELS. YOU DRIVE AHEAD TO DALLOL AND VISIT THE DIFFERENCE LANDSCAPE FORMED BY VOLCANIC ACTIVITY, DALLOL + LAKE ASSAL+ CAMEL CARAVANS. EXCURSION TO DALLOL (116 METER BELOW SEA LEVEL, ONE OF THE LOWEST PLACES IN THE WORLD) COLORFUL SALT MINING, VISIT LAKE ASSAL, FOLLOW UP CAMEL CARAVANS AND WALK WITH THE AFAR PEOPLE. DRIVE BACK TO HAMEDELA AND PROCEED TO MEKELE. ONCE BACK IN MEKELE WE WIL CATCH THE FLIGHT BACK ADDIS ABABA.
WITH OUR EXPERIENCED GUIDE AND DRIVER AND COOK WE CAN TAKE YOU TO THIS MOST OTHERWORLDLY LOCATION. PLEASE BE AWARE THIS IS FOR THE SEASONED ADVENTURE TRAVELER ONLY.
THIS 4 DAY TRIP STARTS WITH A FLIGHT FROM ADDIS ABABA TO THE FAR NORTH OF ETHIOPIA. WE START TOUR IN MEKELE, DRIVE TO HAMAD ELA TOWN VIA BERHALE. THE DANAKIL DEPRESSION CAN BE SAID TO ‘BEGIN’ HERE. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST INHOSPITABLE REGIONS OF THE WORLD, BUT IS NONETHELESS SPECTACULAR, FULL OF EYE-CATCHING COLORS, AS IN THE THE DESERT HAS SEVERAL POINTS LYING MORE THAN 100 METERS (328 FT) BELOW SEA LEVEL. YOU PASS THROUGH A SMALL TOWN OF BERHALE WHERE THE CAMEL CARAVANS STOP BEFORE THEY PROCEED TO THE NORTHERN HIGHLANDS. EN ROUTE YOU SEE MANY LONG CARAVANS GOING TO THE SALT MINES AND OTHERS COMING OUT OF THE DANAKIL WITH THEIR SALT LOADED CAMELS (3-4 HRS DRIVE) CAMPSITE AT HAMEDELA.
HAMD ELA – DODOM - ERTA ALE WE START EARLY, SHORTLY AFTER AT 06:30 BREAKFAST CONTINUE THE TOUR AND DRIVE TO DODOM AT THE BASE O THE ERTE ALE VOLCANO THIS MAY BE ONE OF THE WORST ROAD IN THE WORLD. THE 80 KM DISTANCE MAY TAKE ABOUT 6 HRS PASSING THROUGH CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF SOLIDIFIED LAVA, ROCK, SAND AND THE OCCASIONAL PALM LINED OASIS. YOU PASS SEVERAL SMALL HAMLETS SCATTERED HERE AND THERE IN THIS DESERT LAND BEFORE REACHING DODOM. YOU WILL TREK FROM DODOM TO ERTA ALE WHICH TAKES ABOUT 3 HRS. EARLY DINNER AROUND 17:00 AND TREK UP TO ERT ALE AT 20:00. CAMELS TRANSPORT ALL THE CAMPING MATERIALS AND SOME FOOD, SLEEPING MATERIALS, MATTRESSES AND WATER, TO THE RIM OF THE VOLCANO, WHERE WE SPEND THE NIGHT WATCHING THE DRAMATIC ACTION OF THE BOILING LAVA. ERTA ALE RANKS ONE OF THE MOST ALLURING AND PHYSICALLY CHALLENGING NATURAL ATTRACTIONS ANYWHERE IN ETHIOPIA. IT IS A SHIELD VOLCANO WITH A BASE DIAMETER OF 30 KM AND 1 KM SQUARE CALDERA AT ITS SUMMIT. ERTE ALA CONTAINS THE WORLD’S ONLY PERMANENT LAVA LAKE AND YOU WILL SPEND AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
ERTA ALE - DODOM - HAMAD ELA
EARLY MORNING YOU WILL RISE WITH THE SUN WITH TIME TO WALK AROUND PITS AND CRTERS THE MAIN PIT-CRATER, 200M DEEP AND 350M ACROSS, IS SUB-CIRCULAR AND THREE STORIED. THE SMALLER SOUTHERN PIT IS 65 M WIDE AND ABOUT 100 M DEEP. YOU WILL LEAVE AROUND 7:00 TO HEAD BACK TO DODOM FOR BREAKFAST. YOU WILL REACH LATEST AT 10:30 AM AT THE CAMP AND AFTER SOME TIME TO RELAX YOU WILL DRIVE ON TO HAMAD ELA, A VILLAGE WITH A TOTAL POPULATION ABOUT 500 PEOPLE. OVER NIGHT CAMPING AT HAMED ELA.
RAGAD - DALLOL - MEKELE
MORNING DRIVING TOUR TO RAGAD (ASEBO), THE PLACE WHERE THE SALTS ARE MINED. OBSERVE THE BREAKING OF THE SALT FROM THE GROUND, CUTTING INTO RECTANGULAR PIECES AND LOADING ON CAMELS. YOU DRIVE AHEAD TO DALLOL AND VISIT THE DIFFERENCE LANDSCAPE FORMED BY VOLCANIC ACTIVITY, DALLOL + LAKE ASSAL+ CAMEL CARAVANS. EXCURSION TO DALLOL (116 METER BELOW SEA LEVEL, ONE OF THE LOWEST PLACES IN THE WORLD) COLORFUL SALT MINING, VISIT LAKE ASSAL, FOLLOW UP CAMEL CARAVANS AND WALK WITH THE AFAR PEOPLE. DRIVE BACK TO HAMEDELA AND PROCEED TO MEKELE. ONCE BACK IN MEKELE WE WIL CATCH THE FLIGHT BACK ADDIS ABABA.
