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Trip Code: ZET 028
Mode of Transportation: Surface 4WD
Tour Type: Danakil Depression and Gheralta

Length: 14 days / 13 night
Group Size: 1- 13 Participants

Dates: Any date departure
Grade: Adventure touring

Danakil Depression & Highlands of Tigray -14 days

Erta Ale Volcano / Dallol / Awash /Axum / Gheralta / and Addis Ababa — 14 days Tour

Overview

Danakil Depression & Tigray Rock Churches-  14 days

This adventurous trip takes us from the unforgiving Danakil Depression, one of the lowest, hottest places on earth, to the mountains of Tigray. From here we drop down into the Danakil Depression. Exploring the Danakil takes us to the shores of Lake Afrera, the alien landscapes of Dallol, and a trek to the top of the active volcano — Erta Ale. From about 120m below sea level, we then follow the route of the Salt Caravans, climbing the mountains that rise steeply from the Rift Valley into Tigray. After some time to relax a little and wash off the salt and sand.

Experience one of the geologically most active areas on the planet and some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes: the Danakil desert, an active volcano with a boiling lava lake, the surreal landscapes of colors, salt, geysers, springs and fumaroles at Dallol, and the great salt lake – an unparalleled moonscape, where salt mining and trading has been going on with camel caravans since Biblical times.

On this expedition, we cross the Afar area from South to North, climb active Erta Ale volcano and stay full 3 days and nights on the volcano, as well as 2 full days at Dallol and the Great Salt Lake. At the miners’ town of Ahmed Ela near Lake Assale we’ll watch the centuries-old ritual of salt cutting, the shaping of salt blocks and the endless caravans arriving and leaving loaded with the precious “white gold”.

We have thorough experience with this expedition as we have been organising it since early 2006. This is reflected in an excellent preparation , highly competent professional and friendly staff, close interactions with local people and delicious food prepared by our cook – which will more than compensate for the sometimes Spartan character of living conditions we’ll find ourselves in.

  • Fascinating rock and salt formations at Dallol volcano
  • Spectacular and varied landscapes of highlands, volcanoes and deserts
  • Century-old salt mining at Lake Assale
  • Professionally outfitted expedition and thorough preparation
  • Comfortable 4×4 transfers: maximum 3 clients per car, 2 in each seat row
  • No “rushing” from place to place
  • Interaction with local people – ecotourism principle
  • 3 full days/nights at the active lava lake of Erta Ale
  • Small group sizes

Experienced professional staff

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive to Addis Ababa- City tour

On arrival in Addis Ababa you will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel for overnight. After breakfast we have a full-day city tour, which departs at 9:00am from the hotel. Addis Ababa is the third highest capital city in the world. Located at 2,400 metres above sea level in one of the highest parts of the Entoto mountain chain. We take time to explore the city. We will visit the National Museum (home of the remains of the famous hominid fossil, “Lucy”) and the Ethnological Museum at the Addis Ababa University (housed in the former palace of Emperor Haile Selassie). We will also witness the bustle of the one of the colourful local markets, which has an array of fascinating goods and curios, providing a great place for exploration and people watching.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight at Hotel

Day 2 : Drive to Awash

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.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight at Awash fall Lodge

Day 3: 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.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight hotel

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.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight Camping

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.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight Camping

Day 6: one full day observe Erta Ale's lava lake and the caldera

There has been a lava lake at Erta Ale since its discovery in 1906, making it not only one of the very few present-day constant lava lakes as well as the by far longest existing lava lake. Yet the remoteness of the Afar area and difficult access to the volcano made that this wonder of nature was largely unknown up to the 1960s. Since then, there has been a gradual increase of adventurous tourists visiting this lava lake – a particular tourism that experienced a sudden increase due to improved accessibility in more recent years. Our small group will therefore not be the only one on Erta Ale´s caldera rim, but our extended stay there will maximise the opportunities to explore, observe and photograph the volcanic activity both during day and night.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight Camping

Day 7: 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.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight Camping

Day 8: Transfer to Lake Assale - salt caravans

The sometimes difficult 4×4 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.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight Camping

Day 9: 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.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight Camping

Day 10: Drive to Mekele

Drive to Mekele in the afternoon, where we will stay in a good hotel and celebrate the expedition with all crew members in a stylish restaurant serving delicious Ethiopian and international food…

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight at Planet hotel : http://www.planetinternationalhotel.com

Day 11: Drive to Gheralta

Drive to Mekele in the afternoon, where we will stay in a good hotel and celebrate the expedition

Drive from Mekel to Hawzien and the Gheralta Cluster. This Tigray region is home to some of the most remote, hard-to- reach churches, often situated in incredible locations. Some churches involve precipitous climbs and some are unfortunately forbidden to females. Your guide will discuss the options with you and you will stop and explore some on route.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight at Gheralta Lodge: http://www.gheraltalodgetigrai.com

Day 12: Drive to Gheralta

Sheer cliffs, surreal rock formations and vertical spires dominate this stunning region. It is a region that makes us wonder whether Christianity was something about being an adrenaline junky! (In fact these cliff top churches were intended to bring devotees closer to heaven and more practically to be out of sight of raiding armies passing through the valleys below!) The churches are certainly not very accessible to raiding armies or tourists, and some of the churches involve visitors literally free climbing sheer sandstone walls, hiking razor canyons and skirting cliff edges!

Don’t worry – your guide won’t expect you to do this and many are much more accessible so strike out for a day of exploration around churches that really do signify the birth place of Christianity including Abreha Atsbeha Monastery, Cherkos Wukro and the church of Petros and Paulos home to charmingly unsophisticated murals of saints and angels – built on a steep ledge you can climb a rickety ladder for some jaw dropping views.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight at Gheralta Lodge: http://www.gheraltalodgetigrai.com

Day 13: Drive to Axum

We drive to Axum and in the afternoon explore to Axum is the seat of the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Axum, which was once one of the most powerful in the ancient world. Located at the centre of the trading routes between the Mediterranean and India, and the great port of Adulis on the Red Sea, it was economically, politically and technically advanced and at times had control over both sides of the Red Sea. Axum is also the origin of Christianity in Ethiopia and believed to be the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. The old church of St Mary of Zion was the first church to be built in Sub-Saharan Africa around 330AD. Its ruins can be seen in the precinct of the church compound. We visit the famous monolithic stelae of Axum, the tallest one still standing reaches over 21 metres and the greatest one of them all, once 34 metres high now lies toppled on the ground. It is still, however, the largest monolith ever erected by man. The subterranean tombs, stone inscriptions of ancient Axumite kings and the small archaeological museum are also living witness of the ancient Axumite history. We will also visit the ruined palace of the Queen of Sheba who is said to have given birth to Menelik the First, fathered by King Solomon, the founder of Ethiopia’s ruling family until the late Emperor Haile Selassie.

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

Overnight at Hotel

Day 14: Fly to Addis Ababa

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.

 

In the evening before departure, you will be invited a farewell dinner party at one of the best traditional restaurants in Addis where you taste variety of Ethiopian meals, and watch the folkloric dancers of the Ethiopian people. Departure

Meals: Full board (B, L, D)

 

  • Please note: This tour may precede or follow any other Ethiopian tours offered by See Ethiopia Tour.

This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirement.

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Date and Price

Request a quote

Date and Availability = All the year This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirement and itinerary can be adjusted according to your time, budget and interest. Price: , if you want quotation or any other tour information about this trip we are very happy to help. Request a quote

suit your requirement and itinerary can be adjusted

Price inclusive of:-

  • Accommodation on Double / twin room
  • 2-man dome tents while camping
  • Drinking water, up to 4 liters per person per day for 4 days .
  • Foam mats while camping
  • Local Guides – it makes more sense to include different guides for each place, to take advantage of their specific knowledge of the destination. ( service of local guides during site visits)
  • All entrance fees, as per itinerary
  • Entrance fees
  • Guaranteed window seat in 4WD jeeps
  • Airport Transfers
  • City transfer
  • All ground transportations with fuel/ Ground transportation by a newest model air conditioned 4WD /
  • Camels, camel drivers and porters to and from Erta Ale´s summit
  • Armed Afar guards and guides
  • Private vehicle with driver (road tax, parking, vehicle and driver insurance, accommodation of the driver and allowance)
  • Meal on fallboard (breakfast, lunch and dinner) including either soft drinks or bottled water.
  • Cook and assistance
  • Local police
  • All camping Equipment (Tents, Sleeping Mattress, Sleeping bags, Sheets, Pillows and all cooking utensils)
  • Government Tax
  • Scouts and so on

Price exclusive of: –

  • International and domestic airfare
  • Any alcoholic drinks
  • Personal expense like souvenirs, laundry, etc
  • Tips
  • Any expense which is not stated in the ‘ Included List’ above
  • Visa expenses.
  • Video or photographing fees or tips at different sites.
  • Any alcoholic beverages
  • And any personal item expenses

Summary of accommodation, transport & meals

Transport

4WD vehicle

  • On foot

Accommodation

  • 6 nights Camping
  • 7 nights Hotel

Meals

  • 14 breakfasts
  • 14 Lunches
  • 14 dinners

Trip Information

Essential information

When to go –The best time to visit this part of Ethiopia is from September — mid of June.

Climate –This trip will see quite a variation in temperatures between, the Danakil Depression — one of the hottest places on Earth, and the Highlands of Ethiopia. We have chosen this time of year as it is the cooler time to be visiting the Danakil, but this can still mean daytime temperatures in the 40s (Centigrade). Night time temperatures in the Danakil are in the 20s and rainfall is very rare. In the Highland of Ethiopia, the weather is fairly consistent all year round, at least in terms of the heat. The only real change is in rainfall. As our trips go between the end of the long rains (Sep) and the beginning of the short ones (May) this should not be a problem. During the day the temperature hovers around the mid 20’s, falling to an overnight low of 6/8 degrees. However when higher at altitude, the evenings will be a bit colder.

Visas — upon request we arrange visas for our travellers, or if an invitation letter is necessary then we will arrange this for you.

Accommodation – On this particular trip we will be in a combination of hotels and remote camping, where the facilities will be very good . we will be sleeping in 2 men tents (you can share or have a tent to yourself) and the crew will erect and take down your tent each day (as well as carrying your gear to the next camp-site).

Transport: on this tour includes 4WD vehicles, camel and on foot when trekking.

Food: – Hotel meals are generally good and full of variety. Local dishes tend to be very good if you like hot, spicy food although milder versions can be requested.

Food-wise you will have a private cook for your trek who will provide breakfast, packed lunch, tea and dinner each day. The food is great and delicious with full of variety. Expect bread and pancakes / eggs for breakfast, filling sandwiches for lunch, herbal teas, fantastic coffee and popcorn at the end of a long days trekking and then a massive meal to end the day with soup starter and a hearty main with plenty of veg to finish.

What to expect?

A trip to Danakil depression is not a normal holiday, but a real expedition into one of the most extreme deserts on the planet, located within a depression that reaches the lowest point of 120 meters below sea level. Characterized by the presence of some active volcanoes, as well as a huge crust made of different types of salts up to 3000 meters thick, the Danakil depression offers landscapes made of shapes and colors, absolutely unique in the world. Although in recent years the tours to Danakil have increased in popularity, it’s important to not forget that a trip to this region needs an impressive logistic, either because of the isolation, either because of the terrible environmental conditions, requiring a great spirit of adaptation from the visitor.

What to see (Danakil Depression)?

Erta Ale: The Erta Ale volcano rises about 600 meters from the bottom of the Danakil depression and until November 2010, it was offering the unique sight of a lake of lava in constant boiling. Unfortunately, a great eruption occurred in the month of November 2010, has changed the landscape in the crater, damaging the beautiful lake of lava not visible anymore.

Dallol: It ‘an ancient volcanic crater about 60 meters below sea level, characterized by the presence of acid lakes colored in green, red, yellow and blue, for the presence of various minerals which forms also bizarre colorful deposits. With its average annual temperature of 34.4 degrees centigrade, this is the hottest spot on the planet.

Afdera Lake (also called Lake Giulietti or Afrera lake): It is a salt-water lake located approximately 100 meters below sea level, where there are numerous salt pans used by Afar people to collect this precious mineral.

Salt flats: This is a vast expanse of salt located at an average altitude of 120 meters below sea level, where the Afar, local people living in terrible conditions, excavate “tiles” of salt, which are then dispatched to the markets of Ethiopia using camels, mules and donkeys.

Luggage and packing – The first rule of packing is not to bring too much. There will be plenty of occasions where you’ll need to carry your luggage yourself and so you should be able to do this without help. Most people are surprised at how little they actually need to bring, and it’s normally possible to get laundry done along the way. It doesn’t matter whether you bring a suitcase, rucksack or holdall, but please don­t bring more than 20kg of luggage as this may be difficult to accommodate in the vehicles we use. You’ll also need a day pack. You’ll be walking around a number of sites and villages, as well as walking up Erta Ale, so do consider this when selecting shoes or boots.

Fitness – You don’t need to be especially fit to join the trips , but there will be stairs to climb, hills to walk and sites to explore, so you’ll enjoy it more if you have a reasonable level of fitness. The walk up Erta Ale takes around 4-5 hours and your luggage will be transported by camels.

 

Small Group Size: On our this tour , we believe it is imperative to keep the group sizes small. Most trips are limited to an average maximum of 13 travellers, thus giving you more access to fragile cultures, better opportunities to interact with local people, and the knowledge you are making less of an impact while there.

Private groups :The adventures featured in our itinerary are just a starting point for many of our private group travellers. Working closely with our Groups Department we can organize custom designed itineraries for groups of friends, clubs, charity’s, schools or even work colleagues. Our team will assist you with all aspects of your private group adventure from itinerary design to group flights. For group traveller pledge considerable discount.

Customized tours: On request, this tour can be customized for small groups.

Proceeding / additional days: It’s no problem to add days before or after the expedition and we’ll book these for you. If you bring more time, you could do day trips from Addis or take an extension tour

Group booking discount: If at least 5 pe ople together book this trip, 6% discount is given.

Please remember that all See Ethiopia tour prices mean NO hidden extras, NO local payments.

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Contact us

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    Addis Ababa

  •    Office:251-118-100025

  •    Fax:251-118-100025

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  •    Mail: info@seeethiopiatours.com



    



    



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