Volcano Tours (2 - 5 days)

Day 1: Mekele - Erta Ale

Morning start of the 4X4 drive into the Danakil to the base camp of Erta Ale, first on asphalted road but last part off road over old lava flows. In the evening you will walk to mount Erta Ale to see the active Volcano. Accommodation: camping on the caldera rim of Erta Ale (B, L, D)

Day 2; Full day on Erta Ale

We have full extra days and nights on the shield volcano´s summit area to explore its caldera and observe/photograph the ongoing and ever changing volcanic activity. Accommodation: camp on Erta Ale (B, L, D)

Day 3: Descend from Erta Ale to base camp, drive to Hamed Ela

Early morning descend from Erta Ale back down to base camp, breakfast, 4X4 drive to return to the main road and continue our journey to the Afar village of Hamed Ela. Acc.: camping in the Afar village of Hamed Ela (B, L, D)

Day 4; Full Day to Explore Dallol and surroundings

Morning Drive to Asebo the place where the localities are mining salt. Look the activity of workers breaking salts 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 (116 meter below sea level, one of the lowest places in the world) colorful salts mining, Drive back to Hamedela Acc.: camping in the Afar village of Hamed Ela (B, L, D)

Day 5: Dallol - Mekele

After breakfast we break up our camp in Hamed Ela and make our way back to Mekele.

Day 1, Drive to Afdera,

Visit the salt lake and the salines and excursion to the working area at the salines. Lake Afdera, a highly saline body of water and lies at an altitude of 103 meters below sea level and listed as the lowest lying in the world. Here you will visit the salt extraction of the Afar people from the lake overnight near the lake 

Day 2, Afdera - Ertale 

From Afedera drives to Dodome, Drive 65 Km to get in Dodome Village. In the late Afternoon walk up to Ertalle active volcanic mountain. At night visit the colorful active volcano and spend the night camping.

Day 3, Ertale - Dodome

In the morning from Ertalle walk back to Dodome where you meet by your car and after breakfast drive to Hamedi Ela. overnight camping.

Day 4, Danakil to Mekele

Morning Drive to Asebo the place where the localities are mining salt. Look the activity of workers breaking salts 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 (116 meter below sea level, one of the lowest places in the world) colorful salts mining, visit Lake Assal, follow up camel caravans and walk with the Afar people. Drive back to Hamedela and proceed to Mekele.

Day 1:
We start our day by driving to 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.

We drive to Dodom the base of Erta Ale.  First on asphalted road but last part off road over old lava flows.  After passing several small hamlets scattered here and there in this deserted land, you will arrive to Dodom camping site, located about 17km from Erta Ale.
After a short break, trek up to Ertale at 30:00 hours. Camels will be transporting all the camping materials and some food (sleeping materials like light mattresses and mat and water) to the rim of the volcano, where we spend the night watching the dramatic action of the boiling lava. You will spend the night on top of the mountain, at the rim of the Volcano.

Day 2: : Descend from Erta Ale to base camp, drive to Hamed Ela
Early morning descend from Erta Ale back down to base camp, breakfast, 4X4 drive to return to the main road and continue our journey to the Afar village of Hamed Ela.

Day 3: Explore Dallol and surroundings
Morning Drive to Asebo the place where the localities are mining salt. Look the activity of workers breaking salts 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 (116 meter below sea level, one of the lowest places in the world) colorful salts mining, Drive back to Hamedela and proceed to Mekele.
 

Option 1

Day 1: Mekele – Hamede Ela

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 sulphur springs. The desert has several points lying more than 100 meters (328 ft) below sea level; You pass through a small town of Berhale where the camel caravan stop 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 Hamedela. After drive to reach Hamad Ela, better village with a total population about 500 people. Sun set at Dallol. Over night camping at Hamed Ela.

Day 2:

Morning 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 (116 meter below sea level, one of the lowest places in the world) colorful salts mining, visit Lake Assal, follow up camel caravans and walk with the Afar people. Drive back to Hamedela and proceed to Mekele.

Option 2

Day 1:  Mekele - Ertale volcano

We start early via Abala to the New Erta Ale volcano, shortly after a 06:30 breakfast, and drive to Askoma at the base of new Erta Ale. The 180 km distance may take about 6 to 7 hrs passing through changing landscape of solidified lava, rock, sand and the occasional palm lined oasis. You pass several small hamlets scattered here and there in this desert land, before reaching Askoma village or parking area.  You will trek from Askoma to the new Erta Ale which takes about 4 hrs. Early dinner around 17:00 and trek up to the new Erta Ale reach around 20:00. Camels transport all the camping materials and some food, sleeping materials, mattresses and water, to the rim of the volcano, where we spend the night watching the dramatic action of the boiling lava. New Erta Ale is part of volcano mountain chain 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. New Erta Ale is part of the world’s only permanent lava lake and you will spend an unforgettable night on the top of the mountain. The magma flow moved 3.5 kms south from old Erta Ale to the New eruption point. over night at the rim of the Volacano.

Day 2:

Early Morning sun rise at the northern one corresponds to the main pit crater and walk 5 minutes for the southern and central pits could either corresponds to an ancient pit, or to a simple collapse structure. The main pit-crater, 200 m deep and 350 m across, is sub circular and three storied. The smaller southern pit is 65 m wide and about 100 m deep. Descend from Erta Ale around 9 am Dodom – Leave back to Dodom after an early breakfast, if possible at 07:00.

You will reach latest at 10:30 am at the camp, time to relax. After drive to the mythical Lake Giulietti (or lake Afrera), a salt water lake located more than100 meters below sea level, in one of the deepest depressions of the planet. Because of the picturesque landscape, it is interesting to visit the salt flats where the Afar people obtain the salt by evaporating the water of the lake.reach Eript, better village with a total population about 500 people. Drive to Erbiti and proceed to Mekele.