Danakil Depression

Danakil Depression

Day 1 – Addis Ababa to Mekele to Danakil

Take the early morning flight to Mekele at 7 AM from Bole International Airport. The local guide will pick you up at the airport in Mekele and you will start your trip into the Danakil Depression, one of the hottest and most inhospitable places on Earth. If you want genuine, raw adventure, then few corners of the globe can match this overwhelming wilderness. Stopover in Berehale to visit the small town and get to know the people. Continue your drive to Hamd Ela where you will spend your first (warm) night.

Day 2 – Ert’Ale Volcano

You will continue your journey through this extreme landscape to the active volcano Ert’Ale today. It has been in a state of continuous eruption since 1967 and lies 613 m.a.s.l. You will hike up close to the crater the last 3-4 hours because the car can’t drive here anymore. Camels will help with the luggage, food and drinking water. A night-time hike to Ert’Ales summit for sunrise is as captivating as it is exhausting. You will watch one of the only permanent lava lakes on the planet. Spend the night camping close to the volcano.

Day 3 – Danakil

You should hike back to the car before it is getting too hot. Once you reached the cars you will head back to Hamd Elataking another road. On the way you should be able to watch plenty of camel caravans that are taking salt out of the desert into the cities. The roads in the Danakil Depression are not the best and also the heat is putting a lot of pressure on the engines of the cars, driving can be tough. Don’t be surprised if your ride takes a couple of hours for only a few kilometers. You will spend the night in Hamd Ela again.

Day 4 – Dallol – Mekele

On your last day in the Danakil, you will visit Dallol, the lowest place on the continent ( -116 m) to see the great warts of twisted sulphur. Dallol is also officially the hottest place on earth with a year-round temperature of 34,4 °C. The tour continues to the salt lake of Asale which is right next to Dallol. It is where much of the salt is mined and you can watch the workers loading the camels with big chunks of salt that they had just harvested. In the afternoon, you will head back to Berehale where you will spend the last night in the Danakil Depression.

Day 5 – Berehale via Mekele to Addis Ababa

We are leaving the Danakil Depression and drive back to Mekele in the early morning. If you take the afternoon flight back to the capital, you will have a bit of time to explore Mekele. You can visit the castle and museum of King Yohannes who has reigned in the 4th century. Your local guide will drop you at the airport in time for your flight. The tour ends in Addis Ababa.

Clients Testimonies

I discovered the tribes and landscapes of southern Ethiopia thanks to RasRobeen Tours — it was fantastic! With his local contacts and knowledge of the area, Robby made the trip worry-free and packed it with vivid experiences.
Peter C. from USA went to the South with RasRobeen Tours in Dec 2012. View More

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Kebene, Arada Sub-City,
Negatu Bldg
+251 911 948046
14615, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
info@rasrobeentours.com
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