The tours below showcase just some of what is possible in the Danakil. In Ethiopia, nothing is set in stone. Use these itineraries as starting points, or to draw inspiration. Then get in touch, and let our expert team help craft the perfect itinerary for you.
The Danakil Depression is not a typical feature along the historic north circuit of Ethiopia. Instead, travellers keen to experience this crazy environment add it on at the start or end of their journey across the country.
The Danakil is relatively easy to access if you are already exploring the north of the country. The Tigrayan capital city of Mekele is the gateway town into the Danakil Depression, so you will take a domestic flight into Mekele before starting the Danakil expedition.
Most travellers arrive in Mekele the night before their expedition begins, and then meet the rest of their group around 10AM the following morning.
Most Danakil tours are run in groups in order to keep the cost down (although private tours are possible). Once in Mekele, you will pile into the Toyota Landcruisers and head out into the Danakil in convoy. The drive from Mekele to the Danakil is about 3 hours.
2-day and 3-day Danakil tours are possible. Over these few days, you will visit the kaleidoscopic landscape of Dallol, the bellowing Erta Ale volcano, the two sale lakes Afrera and Asale, and the vast salt pans where camels and workers toil under the searing heat to export salt back to Mekele.
Accommodation in the Danakil is extremely basic. You will sleep on thin mattresses on makeshift wooden bed frames, or atop a volcano by the crater rim. It's rough and ready, and that's all part of the fun.
Erta Ale (meaning ‘Smoking Mountain’ in the Afar language) is Ethiopia’s most active volcano and contains one of just six active lava lakes on Earth. Sitting in the Danakil …
Characterized by bright, multi-coloured springs, fissures, and geysers, and with average annual temperatures of 35°C (95°F), Dallol is one of the most visually compelling and …
Sunken into a deep depression, surrounded by a cascade of mountains and the active Tat Ali volcanic ridges, Lake Afrera shimmers in emerald green. One of the two hypersaline lakes …
Lake Asale (also known as Lake Karum) looks more like an Arctic desert than a saline lake. The lake-bed is a jet white salt crust chequered in irregular contours that slowly …
The best time to visit the Danakil Depression is between November and February. During these months, daytime temperatures will hover around 35°C (which is mild for the Danakil!) …
Accommodation in the Danakil is as basic as it gets. Once you leave Mekele, you’re heading for one of the most remote and inhospitable environments on the planet, where 5* (or …
We'll spend some time listening to your aspirations, then discuss the kind of experience that might suit you.
Next we'll discuss the options, shortlist the best trips for you and present you our impartial recommendations.
We'll place a 24 hour hold on your preferred option - without obligation - whilst we talk through the details.
Whatever your budget, group size, length of stay, preferred activity or appetite for adventure, we can help.
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