Planet: Danakil.
Location: Galaxy of Ethiopia, close proximity to Sun.
Oxygen in norms, water towards lower limits. Life existent but limited due to temperatures, high population of flies.
Humans, known as Affars, use camels for extracting salt deposits of crystalized salt from the surface of volcanic lake. Salt mining unlimited on the connection of 3 tectonic plates - geological madness explained.
Potassium, salt, Sulphur, coffee, beers - unlimited. Sugar restricted.
Volcanic activity at high alert, fuming enormous, precautions taken.
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Located at the meeting point of 3 tectonic plates, with some of the greatest geological pressures on earth, the Danakil Depression is extremely active and scattered with a large number of volcanoes, including the Erta Ale, while the landscape is covered with lava flows almost everywhere you go.
Danakil, also known as "Afar Depression" is also one of the hottest and the lowest places on the planet, with an average temperature of 34C, day and night. This is the harshest microclimate in Ethiopia, questioning every single life form around for the choice of habitat.
Lake Asale is a former bay that used to be a part of Red Sea. When water evaporated, it now consists of a vast surface salt deposit, which for several thousands of years been a source of wealth for the Ethiopian rulers, as the Afar mined and traded the salt, transporting it on their camels over distances of hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometers.
You will feel Mother Nature deadliest phenomena at your feet, where you will cross the rim and enter the smoking hot lava lake, at night, just a step away.
Lets go!
Day 0 // Departure
Meeting at 15.30 at DXB T1, flight to Addis, overnight in hotel.
Day 1 // LAKE AFDERA + ERTA ALE LAVA LAKE
Domestic flight to a remote corner of Ethiopia’s Afar Region. After gathering supplies and meeting local team, we head out in 4x4s across the rugged volcanic plain. Breakfast en route, accompanied by BUNA, traditional Ethiopian coffee. First stop: Lake Afdera, a saltwater lake shimmering under the desert sun, where locals still harvest salt by hand. Here you ll have a chance to wade into its mineral-rich hot springs before lakeside lunch.
As the heat fades, we continue past scattered Afar villages and stark lava fields toward Dodom, at the base of Erta Ale volcano. Early dinner under the stars. At the summit, witness a rare spectacle: a live lava lake, bubbling and roaring inside the crater. Sleep at makeshift camp on the rim (or descent to camp if activity requires).
DAY 2 // SUNRISE DESCENT, SALT BARS & MIRROR LAKE
Sunrise over Erta Ale’s rim, an eerie and unforgettable light show. Breakfast and continue drive through shifting landscapes: from basalt flows to endless white Afar salt flats. We stop at potassium lakes and visible salt faults, the evidence that the flats are an enormous salt deposit resting atop an ancient lakebed.
We head deeper toward Hamed Ela, a desert outpost. Here, ancestral salt extraction lives on. Watch salt miners chipping blocks by hand, loading them onto camel caravans bound for distant markets. By late afternoon, we arrive at the shores of Lake Asale, where the still surface reflects the sunset in white and gold. Overnight at camp under the open sky or local homestay.
Day 3 // DALLOL SULFUR SPRINGS + RETURN TO CITY
Early departure to Dallol, located 116 meters below sea level. You’re standing at one of the world’s lowest and hottest places. However, this surreal landscape is in fact a cinder cone volcano, and the surface is alive: neon-green acid pools, rainbow-colored sulfur springs, crystallized salt chimneys, and briny phreatic eruptions. It feels as if you’ve stepped onto an alien planet: raw, wild, and ancient.
We visit nearby salt pits, where traditional mining continues, and wander through what may be the most alien landscape on Earth. After lunch, we begin the return drive across shifting terrain of the Danakil. Arrive late afternoon, shower off the desert dust in the hotel. Later on we’ll head to local restaurant with “little party never killed nobody” themed evening.
DAY 4 // SKY CHAPPEL Abuna Yemata Guh
Breakfast and hit the road to Tigray. We will start with the legendary Abuna Yemata Guh climb to discover this unique cave church (and its keeper), located at vertical cliff of 250 mtrs. Basic climbing with harness here for just few meters will make it memorable experience for everyone. **Watch this ** Return to airport for flight back home.
Activities: Striking sightseeing, trekking, close encounters of lava fields.
Accommodation & meals: Hotel (dbl sharing) and local camps. Local meals included enroute, except meals on transfers (in Addis).
Cost: AED 7310 all incl. international and domestic flights from Dubai, until SEP 20th.
Visas:
Evisa. It is responsibility of participant to secure admission to the country of destination.
See yah at Lava Lake x
Trekkup Crew
Whatsapp 050 4848238
Find all trekkups at linktr.ee/trekkup
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