Ethiopia · Desert Adventure

3-Day Danakil Depression Tour with Dallol and Erta Ale

3 Days Round trip from Addis Ababa Challenging pace

Spot surreal views at Danakil Depression

The journey

Trip highlights

01 Witness the traditional salt extraction process and camel transport at Ragad (Asebo)
02 Explore Dallol's colourful volcanic hot springs, mineral deposits, and salt formations
03 Visit Lake Assal and follow camel caravans across the desert landscape
04 Trek to the summit of Erta Ale to see the world's only permanent lava lake
05 Experience sunrise views over the Erta Ale caldera and volcanic pit craters

Embark on a 3-day journey through the Danakil Depression, one of the most extreme and otherworldly landscapes on Earth. Explore extraordinary geological formations, witness traditional salt mining and camel caravans, and encounter the culture of the Afar people. From the colourful terrain of Dallol to the dramatic lava lake of Erta Ale, this tour reveals the raw power of nature in one of the hottest and lowest places on the planet.

Embark on a 3-day journey through the Danakil Depression, one of the most extreme and otherworldly landscapes on Earth.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 3 Days

Tour type Shared

Activity level Challenging

Accommodation Included · Budget

Transport Included

Wheelchair access No

Cities Addis Ababa, Danakil Depression, Semera, Afdera, Erta Ale, Dallol

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Semera to Dallol and Hamed Ela

Morning drive to Ragad (Asebo), the place where the local people mine salt.
Observe the workers breaking salt from the ground, cutting it into rectangular pieces, and loading it onto camels.
Continue to Dallol and visit the different landscapes formed by volcanic activity, including Dallol, Lake Assal, and camel caravans.
Enjoy an excursion to Dallol, 116 meters below sea level and one of the lowest places in the world, with colourful salt mining, a visit to Lake Assal, the chance to follow camel caravans (no camel caravans in July, August, and early September), and a walk with the Afar people.
Drive to Hamed Ela. Overnight at Hamadella.

Day 02

Dallol to Erta Ale Volcano

Start the day by driving to Erta Ale, which means "smoky mountain" in the Afar language.
Erta Ale ranks as one of Ethiopia's most alluring and physically challenging natural attractions. It is a shield volcano with a base diameter of 30 km and a 1 km square caldera at its summit.
Erta Ale contains the world's only permanent lava lake. It stands at 613 meters, with a lava lake at the summit that is one of only five in the world. It is notable for being the longest existing lava lake, present since the early years of the twentieth century.
Start early at 9:00 AM and drive to Dodom, at the base of Erta Ale. This is perhaps one of the roughest roads in the world. The 80 km distance may take about 6 hours, passing through a changing landscape of solidified lava, rock, sand, and occasional palm-lined oases.
After passing several small hamlets scattered across this deserted land, arrive at the Dodom camping site, located about 17 km from Erta Ale.
Dinner will be served around 17:00.
After a short break, trek up to Erta Ale at 20:00.
Camels will transport all the camping materials and some food, including light mattresses, mats, and water, to the volcano's rim, where you will spend the night watching the dramatic action of the boiling lava.
Spend the night on top of the mountain, at the rim of the volcano.

Day 03

Erta Ale Sunrise and Return to Semera

Early in the morning, enjoy sunrise views at the northern pit, which corresponds to the main pit crater, and walk 5 minutes to the southern and central pits, which may correspond either to an ancient pit or to a simple collapse structure.
The main pit crater is 200 m deep and 350 m across, sub-circular, and three-storied.
The smaller southern pit is 65 m wide and about 100 m deep.
Descend from Erta Ale around 9:00 AM and return to Dodom after an early breakfast, if possible, at 07:00.
You will reach the camp by 10:30 at the latest, where you can relax.
As soon as possible, drive to the mythical Lake Giulietti (or Lake Afrera), an optional visit that may not be available during summertime. This saltwater lake lies more than 100 meters below sea level in one of the deepest depressions on the planet.
Because of the picturesque landscape, it is interesting to visit the salt flats where the Afar people obtain salt by evaporating the lake water, then continue to Semera.

Spend overnight.