An adventure to the Dallol, Danakil Desert, and Erta Ale Lava Lake is like an adventure like no other. This adventure takes you to one of the hottest, lowest, and geologically active areas on the planet. And this is a trip to some of the most breathtaking landscapes on earth.
It is almost impossible to put the feeling of this extraterrestrial place into words. You just have to come and experience it. Indeed, this adventure tour is truly a trip of a lifetime!
Trip Highlights
- Explore the Dallol Depression, one of the lowest and hottest places on earth
- Be carried away by a landscape which makes you feel like you are on a another planet
- Ride on a camel to Erta Ale Lava Lake in the moonlight
- Lava trek around Erta Ale Lava Lake
- Witness the centuries-old tradition of salt extraction and transporting it with hundreds of camel caravans
Itinerary
Day 1: Addis Ababa, Mekele, Hamedella
Early in the morning, transfer to Addis Ababa airport for the flight to Mekele. Upon arrival at Mekele airport, you will be picked up by your drivers and the Grand Holidays Ethiopia Tours team for the drive to Berhale. Then we will continue driving northeast to Hamedella, where you will stay two nights.
The Danakil Depression is the northern part of the Afar Triangle or Afar Depression, a geological depression that has resulted from the junction of three tectonic plates in the Horn of Africa. This photographic adventure is to one of the lowest, hottest, and least hospitable places on earth. Nonetheless, this is a place of otherworldly, colorful mineral fields and amazingly eye-catching landscapes.
Late in the afternoon, we will drive to the Depression where you can see and photograph with the late afternoon light the swirling sulphur and mineral salt formations in the Danakil Depression, one of the hottest and harshest environments on earth.
Here you will also witness and be able to photograph the centuries-old tradition of salt extraction in the big salt flats. You will see the salt bars loaded onto hundreds of camel caravans that will travel from the depression all the way to the highlands on a journey of more than 2 days.
Overnight: Camping at Hamedella (Meals: L, D)
Day 2: Explore Dallol, Erta Ale
Early in the morning, we will drive to Dallol Depression crossing the Danakil Desert from south to north. Lying at 130 meters below sea level, on Lake Assale, the Dallol Depression is one of the hottest and lowest points on earth. This morning, we will also discover one of the most exciting places in Dallol, the water springs in the desert with multicolored minerals gushing to the surface from the inner part of the Earth.
After our visit to Dallol, we will continue our drive to Dodom, the base of the crater. Once at Dodom, we will rest in the shade of our tents and prepare for the Erta Ale lava trek. We will load our equipment on camels and start the trek when it cools down. We will trek on the lava for 13 km to the top of the Erta Ale crater.
At the top of the crater, we will rest in our camp and have dinner. Afterwards, we will walk downhill to the active lava lake for some night photography and then return to camp.
Overnight: Camping at Erta Ale (Meals: B, L, D)
Day 3: Erta Ale, Eribiti, Mekele
Early in the morning, we will walk back to the lava lake for some morning photography and trek back to base camp at Dodom where we will meet our vehicles. We proceed straight to Mekelle to catch our evening flight for Addis Ababa. End of Tour
(Meals: B, L)