Danakil Depression 3 Days
Explore Tours
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Tour Amenities
Tour Plan
In the morning you will take a morning flight from Addis to Samara (ET-110, morning 07:10 am departure, arrival in Samara at 08:20 am) and continue your journey from Samara to Ahme Ila and lunch will be held near to Lake Afdera with a beautiful view point. The Danakil Depression can be said to ‘begin’ here. It is one of the most spectacular and also absolutely inhospitable regions of the world! Today it is a 6hours drive on an asphalt road, with a few stops for instance having a coffee with the locals and lunch. The landscape starts to become drier and less and less inhabited; we will be passing the odd local on the way, but not many people are to be seen. We reach the local village Afdera, a 15 min walk from the Lake Afdera, , have a stop there to explore it and yet another coffee or coke with the inhabitants. Lunch will serve in near Lake Afdera.
After lunch you will continue driving to Ahmed Ila, the Danakil Depression can be said to ‘begin’ here. It is one of the most inhospitable regions of the world, but is nonetheless spectacular, full of eye-catching colors, as in the sulfur springs.
The desert has several points lying more than 130 meters (328 ft) below sea level; you pass through where the camel caravan stops before they proceed to the northern highlands. En route you see many long camel caravans coming to the salt mine and others going out of the Danakil with their salt loaded camels.(3-4 hrs drive) Camp Ahmed Ila. After drive to reach Ahmed Ila, better village with a total population about 500 people. In afternoon after visiting all activities overnight will be in Ahmed Ila campsite under the sky!
Length: 315km
Drive hour/ Tour hours: 6hours
Overnight: Camping in the desert
Packages: Accommodation, Meals, Bottled water, hot drinks, Entrance fee
In morning after breakfast drive from Ahmed Ila tour Drive to Ragad (Asebo), the place where the localities are mining salt. Look the activity of breaking the salt from the ground, cutting in to rectangular pieces and loading on camels. You drive ahead to Dallol and visit the difference landscape formed by volcanic activity, Dallol + Lake Assal + camel caravans.
Excursion to Dallol (130 meter below sea level, one of the lowest places in the world) colorful salts mining, visit Lake Asale, follow up camel caravans and walk with the Afar people.
Drive back to Ahmed Ila and after lunch you will proceed to Ertale for the volcano watches. Erta’Ale (which means smoky mountain in Afar language). Erta’Ale ranks one of the most alluring and physically challenging natural attractions anywhere in Ethiopia. It is a shield volcano with a base diameter of 30 km and 1km square caldera at its summit. Erta’Ale contains the world’s only permanent lava lake. It is 613 meters, with a lava lake, one of only five in the world, at the summit. It is notable for being the longest existing lava lake, present since the early years of the twentieth century. From the campsite to the rim of the volcano there will trek for 40 minutes to reach to the caldera where you will visit in the night watching the dramatic action of the boiling lava. You will spend a time you want on top of the mountain, at the rim of the Volcano. After visiting the volcano you will trek back to the campsite and Dinner will be served and over night will be in Askoma campsite.
Length: 150km
Drive hour/ Tour hours: 6hours
Overnight: Camping near to the Volcano
Packages: Accommodation, Meals, Bottled water, hot drinks, Entrance fee
In early morning will take a look for a beautiful sunrise from the creator of the Volcano and do a watch of the volcano and trek back to the camp site after breakfast you will start driving to Samara and through lake Afdera; Meanwhile we go for a swim, floating on the surface of the salt lake and enjoying the nearby hot springs and Lunch will be serve in Afdera after swimming and relaxing in the lake. In afternoon you will drive to Samara and you will take the afternoon return flight to Addis (ET-165, afternoon 17:30 p.m departure, arrival in Addis at 18:50 p.m) and overnight will be in Addis.
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When I was planning my first visit to Ethiopia, I contact Mr.Tess(Manager of Simen Land Tours just by chance, but from our first contacts by email I realized that he was a very nice person and real professional. Since then I have been twice in the incredible country, and have always felt safe, in the hands of knowledgeable people and among friends: I very much look forward to visiting Ethiopia as many times as life would allow me.