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Expeditions To The The Danakil Depression

By on 19. May 2016 in Ethiopia

A Travel Guide To The Hottest Place On Earth… But No Longer At The End Of The World!

Crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

Crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale

Still “Terra Incognita” in 2010 when I decided to go there (I had actually never heard about it and could actually only find very little information about the area, both in Travel Guides like the Bradt Guide or the Lonely Planet & Online), the Danakil Depression has turned increasingly popular in the last years, and is now easier to reach than ever… and hence changing at high speed! So let me start with a very practical advice: if you ever want to go there, go NOW! Continue Reading →

Afar Salt Mines

By on 4. January 2011 in Ethiopia
Afar worker in the salt mines of Dallol, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

Afar worker in the salt mines of Dallol, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

Young men slave away in these salt fields from dusk to dawn, an hour’s walk from the village. None of us would have dreamed doing this hike, but for the Afar and Tigrians, this is only the warm up for a long day of lifting, breaking and chiseling chunks of salt from the ground. Continue Reading →

Tea Time? Only While Camel Watching!

By on 3. January 2011 in Ethiopia
Camel caravan carrying salt from the mines in Dallol, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

Camel caravan carrying salt from the mines in Dallol, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

With nowhere to hide from the sun we had to spend a lot of time dozing inside our stuffy hut. In the afternoon we never had less than 42 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) in this oven-like shelter. Once in a while the wind picked up and the whirling dust engulfed the entire village. But at least this gave a bit of relief from the heat. Continue Reading →