Three days extension that allows you to visit the Dallol area, the black lake, the salt plain, where the local people still manually extract salt, that is then carried by endless caravans and finally the Karoum salt lake.
At Ahmed Ela the tourists sleep in huts organized by the Afar, the people that live in the area, while Medir Tour takes care of the camp kitchen.
It is possible to combine it with North itineraries by land that will pass through Mekelle or Gheralta, and it is necessary to use 4×4 cars.
VISITED PLACES:
Dallol: The hill of salt of Dallol is actually a volcano, the closeness to magma and the high quantity of minerals in the underground create unreal lanscapes.
The “salt plain”: In the Danakil depression it lays a crust of salt that is extracted with hand-crafted procedure where the Afar from the lowland collaborate with the Tigrians from the highland. It is an evocative show out of time.
The caravans’ roads:Long queues of dromedaries, loaded with salt blocks that go back and forward through the spectacular canyons of the river Saba, are the scenery of a simple life that goes on with its own and unchanged rhythm.
Afar: Nomadic shepherds, the ancient inhabitants of Danakil desert are proud and fascinating people, in the simplicity of the life lived without comforts.
ITINERARY:
1- Mekelle or Gheralta- Ahmed Ela. Caravans. Huts.
2- Ahmed Ela. Dallol and the black lake, the salt plain. Camping in Afar village.
3- Saba Canyon. Short excursion by walking and then transfer back to Mekelle or Gheralta.
Personalizations and extensions
– Add one night in order to have a complete trekking on Saba canyon
– Add two more nights to visit Erta Ale volcano
– Add three more nights to visit Caterina volcano and Erta Ale volcano