Danakil Depression is one of the remotest, lowest and hottest places of the world in the Great Rift Valley system. This adventure takes you to explore Erta Ale and Dallol volcanoes and visit of the endless Camel Caravans.
Departure Day: Daily Guaranteed Departure with 2 participants minimum
The part of the world, which is called the Danakil Depression, is one of the remotest, lowest and unique land formations of the world in the Great Rift Valley system. Still it is part of the earth which is unstable and pulling each other to the opposite side. In this adventure you will explore Erta Alle, absolutely unique Lava Lake erupting 24 hours and Dalol, the lowest part of Danakil Depression (116 below sea level) extremely hottest and inhospitable place but enjoyable and extraordinary colorful landscape. It is famous for its fascinating fumaroles amazing rock formations, crystal and mineral deposits. The final part of your adventure takes you to Lake Asale, famous salt mining lake and visits to salt workers when cutting, shaping and loading. Besides, salt merchants along with their endless Camel Caravans will be visited.
Day 1: Arrive in Addis Ababa, city tour of Addis Ababa On arrival in Addis Ababa our representatives will meet you at Bole International Airport and transfers to Ambassador Hotel. An overview of the program and itineraries will be given. The rest of the day visit historical sites in Addis Ababa including the National Archaeological Museum, where we will view the 3.6 million year old remains of “Lucy”, whose skeletal remains when discovered in 1974. You will also visit the Ethnological Museum at Addis Ababa University, Holy Trinity Cathedrals and Mount Entoto which rises up to an altitude of 3200 meters and offers the panoramic view of the metropolis. Overnight Ambassador Hotel
Day 2: Drive to Semera After breakfast drive towards the East to Semera, the capital of the Afar Region, on the way enjoys the beautiful Ethiopian rift valley landscape. At Semera you will collect the permit paper to visit the region from the regional tourist office. The Tourist office will provide you local Afar guide and two rangers/ police men that accompany you for the trip. Overnight Local hotel / camping
Day 3: Drive to Afdera We drive further to the east to Afdera. Here one more old man, who is important for our trip, will accompany you. Overnight Local hotel / camping
Day 4: Drive to Dodom and continue to Erta Alle Drive from Afdera to Dodom. At Dodum we will hire mules to transport your luggage and camping gear and then you will start walk to the Erta Ale Volcanic hills (613 meters above sea level) which is 15kms one way. You arrive at Erta Ale around mid night and walk to see the volcanic eruption. The eruption is so colorful and spectacular. At night we will camp nearby the eruption, on the crater rim above the active lava lake. At Night Shooting a good pictures of the Volcano. Overnight resting around Erta Ale
Day 5: Dodom This day you walk back the 15 kms and meet the vehicles and drive to Dodum for overnight camping.
Day 6: Ahmedela Drive to Ahmedela along unmarked sandy tracks. Ahmedela is the base to explore the salt mines, salt workers and camel caravans. Overnight Camping at Ahmedela
Day 7: Excursion to Dallol, visit the Dallol area, salt mining and camel caravans. After early breakfast drive to the Lake Asale, salty Lake and visit the salt workers and the merchant. Here you will observe salt cutting, shaping and then loading to the endless Camel Caravans. Then after proceed to Dalol and enjoy the spectacular view of the small hills, colorful hot spring in several places. These hot springs are composed of different minerals along with sulfurs and potash and create spectacular colors. Finally drive back to Ahmedela for an overnight stay, camping.
Day 8: Berahile Drive up to Berahile, the town/village of miners'. Evening walk to see camel herders arriving and departing from Berahile. Overnight camping outside the town.
Day 9: Drive to Mekele Drive from Berhaile to Mekele- the capital of Tigray region on the way visit the Afar village over the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley system to the western highland. Overnight Mekele Axum Hotel
Day 10: Fly to Addis Ababa After breakfast you will check in to Mekele Airport for your flight to Addis Ababa. Evening we will have a fare well dinner in one of the Ethiopian restaurants for cultural dinner and dances from the different ethnic groups. Then after transfer to the airport for your flight back home.
Price displayed is per person based on 2 persons traveling
Price includes: - Meet and greet at airport. - All accommodation based on twin room occupancy. - Meals in Addis, on bed and breakfast basis. - Meals out of Addis, on full board basis including local non-alcoholic beverage. - All entrance fees at sites, churches, parks and villages. - All transfers and visits in Addis Ababa using mini-bus according to the itinerary. - Ground transport by 4WD, Land Cruisers including insurance, fuel and all costs of the driver. - Professional English speaking Tour Guide accompanying through out the trip. - Local Guide and scout fees in villages. - Camping gears; tents, mattresses, sleeping bags and cooking utensils for camping. - All Camel and ‘camel men’ costs. - Farewell dinner in Addis to enjoy traditional Ethiopian food and Music. - Government taxes.
Price doesn’t include - International flights - Domestic Flights from Mekele to Addis Ababa - Lunch and Dinner in Addis Ababa - Alcoholic drinks - Video filming and photography fees - Incidental meals, snacks and drinks - Tips and items of personal nature like laundry, souvenirs, etc - All what is not included in the list above
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)ur Timkat tour was wonderful. Our dedicated driver, Abdi, and guide, Measho, took very good care of us throughout our 14-day excursion and their combined knowledge of their country and customs (Abdi is a Moslem and Measho is an Orthodox Christian) gave us a fascinating insight to ancient and modern Ethiopia. Mr. Abebe was reachable by cell phone throughout our trip and dealt swiftly and efficiently with the few glitches we encountered en route. We felt throughout that we were in safe hands.
Our overall impression of Ethiopia is that it is a very old country and very rich in culture and history. This was why we chose to travel there in the first place and we were not disappointed! We were also amazed by the beauty of the landscape – always dramatic! – and we often wondered why the “outside world” knows so little about this country and still only associates it with famine, deserts and war. The Ethiopian government and the nascent tourism industry need to do more together to promote the more positive aspects of Ethiopia via the international media. The road network in Ethiopia is being almost entirely rebuilt by the Chinese. This is a good thing as many of the roads are in a poor state of repair and for an itinerary like ours – which took us some 2000 kms around the country – can be a bit bone-shaking... Some of the hotels we stayed in need to improve their housekeeping and service standards – that is if they sincerely wish to attract upmarket, international tourists. One gets the impression that many of the hotels in Ethiopia are/were para-statal operations – poorly managed and maintained. Some have now apparently been bought over by private investors who, one hopes will inject new ideas, new standards of service and a better attitude towards customers along with new capital investment and facilities. By far the nicest hotel we stayed in en route was The Tukul in Lalibela which combines local architecture with overseas know-how – a winning combination!
What a great trip we had! . I was very pleased with the services provided. I had many questions for Abebe, and we had many emails back and forth before we arrived. Abebe answered our questions quickly and clearly.
We toured the northern part of Ethiopia, including Bahir Dar, Gondar, Lalibela and Axum, and the southern part of Ethiopia including visits to the Arba Minch, Jinka, Turmi and Yabello. The sites we saw and the people we met were amazing.
Ethiopia is one of the most interesting countries we have visited, and we have done quite a bit of travelling over the years. Abebe and his guides and drivers were all very good at identifying the birds of Ethiopia as well, and they turned me into an avid birdwatcher!
In all our touring, Abebe ensured that we were well looked after. Our hotels were all very comfortable, our guides were very knowledgeable and fun to travel with, and our drivers drove carefully and safely. We became fans of the national dish, injera, and of course we love buna, Ethiopian coffee. We were also happy to discover that Ethiopia has delicious pasta as well!
We were 110% satisfied with our tour, and would recommend Ethiopia and this operator for anyone interested in African travel.
Five Canadians had the pleasure of taking a Nature Tour through Ethiopia organized very successfully through the operator.
Our success in seeing most of the endemic birds and mammals of Ethiopia was due mostly to the leadership of our guide and the well thought out itinerary that optimized our chances.
The drivers were excellent and patient with our demanding requests.The people, culture, history and scenery of Ethiopia are quite amazing. The memories from this trip will linger with us fo a long while.
Personally, I shall try to return to Ethiopia with another group in the future and I would recommend this tour operator to anyone that wants to see Ethiopia's fascinating Nature or Culture.
my daughter and i had an amazing and interesting time in Ethiopia, thanks to Abebe.
He took very good care of us and was a very interesting and informative guide. He was also very knowledgeable about bird-life, which is important to me and is one of ethiopias finest points. I thought Abebe was very responsible and I thought we were very lucky to have found him.
Our trip was quite varied, from cultural sites to hiking in the Simien mts. and ending w a visit to a religious festivals, and he was good humored and altogether excellent throughout.
