3 Days Danakil Depression Tour from Semera or mekele

Overview

Available languages

English

72 hours

Mobile ticket

The Danakil Depression is in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia, is one of the hottest and lowest place on the planet. A searing hot, brutal desert landscape dotted with stunning geological formations, salt lakes, acid springs, volcanoes, salt canyon and salt flats. Danakil Depression (or Afar Depression) exhibits some uncommon wonders: lava that burns blue, bright yellow hot springs, and lakes of bubbling mud.

Additional Info

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

chief with cooking material

Government tax

Police/Scout

Plenty of bottled water

Camping gears

Entrance fee as per program

Air-conditioned vehicle

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Semera Airport

Semera Ethiopia

Makale Airport

Mek'ele Ethiopia

What To Expect

Day 1

Fly Addis-Semera-Ertaale

Accommodations

Camping at Erta Ale

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

DINNER

Dinner

Erta Ale

At Semera, you’ll pile into the Toyota Landcruiser that will take you into the Danakil in convoy. You’ll begin the drive into the Danakil Depression at around 9AM. The roads leading out of Semera are smooth and asphalted, and as you drive further out of town there are some wonderful views of the Afar landscape. As you drive further towards the Afdera Town (Salt Lake), the roads get rougher until you reach the Danakil desert. Here, the roads are a maze of solidified lava, rock and sand with an occasional palm lined oasis. You will stop for lunch before continuing to the base camp of the Erta Ale volcano. The drive from Semera to Dodom is around 7 hours. Your cooking team will wait you prepare dinner. As the sun begins to dip behind the horizon, you begin the 1 and half-hour hike up Erta Ale. You’ll reach the crater rim around 7:00PM, where the fiery lava lake awaits and You’ll spend the sometime on the volcano and you will descend to the camp site then you will be served your dinner.

9 hours • Admission Included

Lake Afrera is a hypersaline lake in northern Ethiopia. Located in Kilbet Rasu, Afar Region, it is one of the lakes of the Danakil Depression. It has a surface of 117 km² and holds 2.4 km³ of brine. The maximal depth of Lake Afdera is 80 m in the northern basin and 76 m in the southern basin

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable

Day 2

Drive Erta Ale -Hamed Ela camp -sunset lake Assale

Accommodations

Camping at Hamed Ela

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

DINNER

Dinner

Danakil Depression

This day wake up early morning hike to the top of the crater to visit the volcano activities for the second time before the sun rises to high. Visit the lava lake one last time before beginning the 3-hour drive to Hamed Ela (Dallol). You’ll begin your descent around 6:30AM and will reach at camp site by 8AM at the latest for breakfast. Today you’ll drive across the sweeping salt pans of the Danakil towards the small hamlet of Hamed Ela. You will reach around 1:30 pm then Visit Hamed Ela village its total population of about 600 people to see the life style of the local afar people and you’ll drive to Lake Asale visit to Lake Asale ,to see local people mining salt and making salt into rectangle shape then uploading on camels and the camel caravans. The sun set over Lake Asale is extraordinary and Salt Lake Asale a huge salty lake where you will swim in the natural pool Salt Lake having snack. Then drive back to Hamed Ela and around 7:30pm served your dinner.

9 hours • Admission Included

Dallol

Dallol is a locality in the Dallol woreda of northern Ethiopia. Located in Kilbet Rasu, Afar Region in the Afar Depression, it has a latitude and longitude of 14°14′19″N 40°17′38″E with an elevation of about 130 metres below sea level.

1 hour • Admission Included

Day 3

Drive Hamed Ela-Dallol-Mekele or Semera

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

Dallol

Wake up early morning drive to Dallol, one of the most stunning geological phenomena on the planet and one of the lowest hottest on the planet and with average temperature of 35 degree Celsius there are a day when temperature exceed 48 degree Celsius-and average annual rainfall of between 100 and 200m,it is rightly considered one of inhospitable places on the earth. The kaleidoscopic landscape its various acidic colors with fumaroles of greens, reds, and yellows formed by acidic springs and salt mounds create an alien landscape, watch the local Afar people mining the salt from the ground, loading on to the camel caravans and formation of salt canyon. At salt canyon you will have your breakfast around 9:am and you will drive to Semera around 3:30 -4:00pm then directly drive to Semera airport to take your flight to Addis.

9 hours • Admission Included

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