Itinerary

1. Day 1: Mekele to Afdera (220km)

   • Danakil Depression is said to 'begin' here. It is one of the most inhospitable regions of the world but is nonetheless spectacular. 

   • Drive to Afdera via the small village of Eribt. Afdera is one of the cities in the Afar Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the saline Lake Afdera. 

   • Enjoy swimming in the salt lake and the hot spring nearby.

   • Camp near the lake.

2. Day 2: Afdera to Dodom (70 km)

   • Visit the Salt Miners (local people who pump the saltwater and evaporate it) near the lake.

   • Start the drive to Dodom (at the base of Erta Ale). Dodom is about 8.5 km from Erta Ale, and it takes about 3 hrs trekking.

   • Have an early dinner around 5:00 pm and trek up to Erta Ale at 8:00 pm. Camels transport all the camping materials (food, light mattresses, and water) to the rim of the volcano, where we will spend the night watching the dramatic boiling lava.

   • Erta Ale ranks as 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 1 km square caldera at its summit. Erta Ale contains the world’s only permanent Lava Lake.

   Overnight on the top of the mountain. 

3. Day 3: Hamed Ela

   • Wake up early for sunrise and visit the north crater.

   • Descend from Erta Ale around 7:00 am; be back at the camp latest by 9:30 am.

   • After breakfast, time to relax. 

   • At 10:30 am, drive to Hamad Ela - 100km; picnic lunch on the way in the shade of a palm tree.

   • Reach Hamad Ela at 4:30 pm, a better village with a total population of about 500 people.

   Overnight camping at Hamed Ela.

4. Day 4: Ragad (Acebo)

   • Drive to Ragad (Acebo), the place where locals mine salt.

   •  About 1,200 sq. km (460 sq mi) of the Afar Depression is covered in salt. Watch the process of breaking the salt from the ground, cutting it into rectangular pieces, and loading it onto camels. 

   • Drive ahead to Dallol and see the difference in the landscape formed by volcanic activity; also see Lake Assal, Salt canon, and camel caravans on the way.

   • Drive back to Hamed Ela and proceed to Mekele.