Desert, salt and volcanoes (expedition to Erta Ale volcano and the Danakil depression (Ethiopia)): detailed itinerary

When the group is complete in the late morning (many int. flights arrive in the early morning), we transfer from Addis Ababa to Awash Natl Park, already in the Rift Valley.
In the afternoon, a game drive into the savannah of the relatively unknown park (many species of birds and mammals to observe) and a stop at a viewpoint on the deep gorge of the Awash river and its powerful waterfalls are on the program.

Acc.: : Guesthouse in Awash (B, L, D)

Day 2: Drive to Logia

Today, we continue to drive through the Rift Valley into the Afar triangle, slowly loosing elevation. The landscape changes from savannah to steppe and half-desert, interrupted by oases from the Awash river.

Acc.: : Basic hotel or camping (B, L, D)

Day 3: Drive into the Danakil - Afrera salt lake

We leave the main road and continue on an unpaved 4x4 road northwards into the Danakil. The trip leads through rugged moon-landscapes, characterized by volcanic rifts and faults, young black lava flows and gravel desert. After about 4 hours driving, we reach the flat, salt-covered Danakil depression at the salty lake Afrera by afternoon. There will be time to visit the interesting salines, where pure salt is being produced.

Acc.: : Basic hotel or camping (B, L, D)

Day 4: Drive to Dodom village (base of Erta Ale)

If you are interested, you could join a group of salt workers in the early morning and watch the interesting technique to gain salt from the lake.
After breakfast, we pick up two Afar policemen and an Afar guide, then drive though the flat salt and lava desert to the Afar village of Dodom and set camp at the base of Erta Ale volcano. Unlike other expeditions, we don't rush you up the mountain the same night, but enjoy a magical night in the desert at the foot of the mountain: when it becomes dark, the intense zodiacal light of stardust and the red glow from the volcano lake and the brightest of starlit skies will compete with each other.

Acc.: : Night under the stars in camp. (B, L, D)

Day 5: Day-time ascend to Erta Ale volcano with camels

During the night, Afar guides will join us with their camels. At sunset, we will start the realtively easy ascend (ca. 10 km, 500 m climbing, ca. 3 hrs) during the fresher morning hours along the flat flank of Erta Ale's shield volcano, while the camel caravan carries our luggage and the equipment.
The gently climbing hike itself follows interesting lava formations (aa and pahoehoe lava fields, lava tubes, hornitos, sand deposits, rare vegetation) until we stand on the rim of the caldera. An easy descend brings us to the floor of the caldera and after 10 minutes, we stand on the active pit crater containing the boiling ava lake.
This and the following two days are fully dedicated to observe the lava lake and the volcanic features of the caldera at our liking.

Acc.: : Improvised camp on Erta Ale (B, L, D)

Day 6-7: Two full days to observe Erta Ale's lava lake and the caldera

Acc.: : as before (camp on Erta Ale) (B, L, D)

Day 8: Descend from Erta Ale - camp near Afar village

After a last sunrise at the spectacular lava lake, we break down our camp and using the camels again, we return to the point of departure where the jeeps are waiting.
After lunch, we continue for 1-2 hours back into the desert, where we will set camp near a typical temporary Afar village. Refreshing showers will be available from simple wells in a river bed. For those interested, we can also visit the Afar village and get an impression of the nomadic culture of the Afar.

Acc.: : Camp (B, L, D)

Day 9: Transfer to Lake Assale - salt caravans

The sometimes difficult 4x4 drive through the desert northwards to the large, mostly dry salt lake near Ahmed Ela is our goal of the day.
In the afternoon and evening we can watch the endless camel caravans coming and going: arriving empty, they stay in the fascinating town. They are met by the ones leaving packed full with precious salt blocks. After nightfall, we can assisit the procedure of assigning walt cutters (the focolo) to the camel owners (the Arho), for the next day in the salt mine at the lake.

Acc.: : Camp (B, L, D)

Day 10: Dallol volcano

A full day will be available to explore the fascinating volcano of Dallol - a volcano hidden under kilometer-thick deposit of salt. The volcano marks its presence by the updoming of the salt and hundreds of fumaroles and hot springs in all colors.
We can visit the remains of a ghost town, almost entirely built in salt, at Dallol, where miners lived in the 1930s to extract potash from the Dallol area. The town was the hottest inhabited place on earth.

Acc.: : as before (Ahmed Ela) (B, L, D)

Day 11: Salt caravans - salt cutting and loading - transfer to the highlands

In the morning, we watch the sometimes thousands of camels leaving for the salt cutting area. We then drive to the lake and watch the salt cutters and salt shapers at work, following a century-old established order. By the time we leave in the late morning, the first camels are being loaded and the cycle is repeated.
For us, it's time to leave the desert. Our way out follows along a spectacular canyon into the highlands. At a small, clear waterfall, we stop for lunch, to bath and clean the cars from the salt.
In the late afternoon, we should already be back on the highland plateau where we stay the night in a small lively town, and enjoy the first cold beer after more than a week!

Acc.: : Guesthouse or hotel (B, L, D)

Day 12: Highland plateau sandstones - Debre Abraham rock-hewn church - transfer to Mekele

This day is a spare day. If not needed, we use it to take a short side-trip into the wonderfully colored and spectacularly scultpured northern highlands, where we hike to one of the oldest rock churches of Ethiopia, sitting on top of a multi-colored table-mountain of old eroded sandstones.
Transfer to Mekele in the afternoon, where we will stay in a good hotel and celebrate the expeditionwith all crew members in a stylish restaurant serving delicous Ethiopian and international food...

Acc.: : Hotel in Mekele (B, L, D)

Day 13: Return to Addis (flight from Mekele)

If you don't opt for an individual extension, the tour ends with a domestic flight back to Addis Ababa. If you leave on an international flight in the evening, we provide you with a day-room and suitable airport transfer in Addis.

Acc.: : none (optional hotel nights in Addis on request) (B)

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