Ethiopia

5 Days - 4 Nights Trip

The Danakil Depression, with its other-worldly landscapes, offers a rewarding experience for those who venture out. This is the land of the Afar nomads, who trek over barren lands with their camel caravans transporting blocks of salt mined from large salt flats for sale in the larger towns.
DallolDallol is the lowest point on the African continent at 116m below sea level. It’s a beautiful site to see with its sulfurous springs providing colorful crystalline formations.
The area is also home to 40% of Africa’s volcanoes, the most famous being Erta Ale. To avoid the daytime heat, hikes are done at night or early morning, reaching the peak in time to see the permanent lava lake inside the volcano while the sun peeks over the horizon - definitely a highlight of any trip!
Because of the remoteness of this area, tours are done full-expedition style, with no detail overlooked to provide a memorable visit to this fascinating yet remote corner of the world.

DAY 1- There are three flights a day going to Mekele so we can choose the one that fits best into your schedule. We will spend the night in Mekele.

DAY 2- We will drive to Hamed Ela via Berhale where the Danakil Depression is said to “begin”. It is one of the most inhospitable regions of the world. With it’s full of eye-catching colors in is very spectacular due to the Sulphur springs. It is known as one of the lowest parts on earth located more than 100 meters below sea level. We will pass through a small town of Berhale where the camel caravans stop before proceeding to the northern highlands. On the way you will see many long caravans heading to the salt mines and coming back from Danakil with salt loaded camels. We will arrive late and will do camping after enjoying the nice sunset with the caravan in Hamed Ela.

DAY 3- In the morning we depart shortly after our breakfast around 6:30 to Dodom which is at the base of the volcano “Erta Ale”. The drive passing through changing landscape of solidified lava rock, sand and the occasional palm lined oasis is only 80 km but may take us around 6 hours. We will pass several small hamlets scattered on the desert and visit one of them to learn about their everyday life. When the sun starts going down, we will reach Dodom and trek from there to Erta Ale. Reaching the peak will take from two to four hours. The entire camping gear will be transported by camels. After reaching the top of the volcano, where we will spend the night, we are going to watch the dramatic action of the boiling lava. This is known as one of the most alluring and physically challenging natural attraction that can be found in Ethiopia. The volcano’s base diameter counts 30 km and the square caldera measures 1 km at its summit. It contains the world’s only permanent lava lake and you will be overwhelmed by the scenery.

DAY 4- We will wake up with the sunrise and spend some time walking around pits and craters. We will head back to Dodom before the sun gets too strong and have breakfast there. After spending some time in Dodom we will continue our tour to Hamad Ela – a village with a total population of 500 people – where we are going to spend the night camping.

DAY 5- After breakfast we will drive to Ragad (Asebao) where the salt is mined. We are going to learn how the salt is broken from the ground, cut into rectangular pieces and loaded on camels. Afterwards we will continue driving to Dallol and visit the different landscapes formed by volcanic activity. It is located 116 meters below sea level and one of the lowest places on earth with colorful salt mining. We will also visit Lake Assal, follow up camel caravans and walk with the Afar people who live there. Afterwards we will drive back to Mekele and fly back to Addis Abeba.