Visit The Danakil Depression
Ticked off
Walk among neon-yellow acid pools, camel salt caravans and a lava lake in one of the hottest places on Earth.
The adventure
The Danakil Depression looks like another planet. At Dallol, more than 100 metres below sea level, hot springs bubble up through salt and sulphur to create pools and terraces of acid yellow, lime green and rust red. The ground crunches underfoot, the air smells of rotten eggs, and the heat comes at you from above and below.
Out on the salt flats, Afar miners still cut the crust into blocks by hand, shaping them with axes before loading them onto long camel caravans that carry them up to the highlands, as they have for centuries. Nights are spent under the stars in basic camps. Then the trip builds to its finale: a night hike up Erta Ale, where, when the volcano is active, you can peer over the rim at molten lava glowing in the dark.
Why it’s epic
- Dallol recorded an average annual temperature of about 34°C in the 1960s, among the highest ever measured anywhere.
- The Dallol hot springs create vivid yellow, green and orange pools of acid and salt.
- Afar salt miners and camel caravans still work the salt flats by hand.
- Many tours finish at Erta Ale, one of the few volcanoes on Earth that has held a lava lake.
What it is
The Danakil Depression is one of the hottest and lowest places on Earth, with acid pools, salt flats and the lava lake of Erta Ale.
How to do it
Join an organised tour from Mekele; independent travel isn't possible and an escort is required.
Top tip
Check UK Foreign Office advice for the Afar region before booking.
Need to know
- Visits are only possible on organised tours with local Afar guides and armed escorts, usually starting from Mekele or Semera.
- The UK Foreign Office advises against travel to parts of the Afar region, so check the latest advice and your insurance cover.
- Daytime heat often passes 40°C, even in the cooler season from November to March.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £2,000 to £5,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 3 to 4 days
- Best time to go
- November to March
- Fly into
- ADD airport
Multi-day tours with 4x4s, escorts and camping, plus flights to Ethiopia, make up most of the cost.
Sample itinerary
- Day 1Fly to Mekele, Ethiopia, and drive into the Danakil Depression
- Day 2Lake Assale salt flats and the camel caravans, then the colours of Dallol
- Day 3Drive to Erta Ale and hike up at dusk to the lava lake; sleep on the crater rim
- Day 4Sunrise at the lava lake, then the long drive back to Mekele
Do it yourself
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My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
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