Safari to the Danakil Depression

fascinating geology and culture

Set in the remote northeast of Ethiopia, the Danakil Depression is both the lowest and the hottest place on earth.

It’s an area of stark volcanic scenery, active volcanoes and shockingly multi-coloured sulphur springs.

The extensive salt flats are quarried by the local Afar tribespeople, who transport the material away on camel caravans, as they have for at least a thousand years.

This remarkable place can be visited from the Gheralta area in the highlands to the west. We tend to do this either as a very long day trip or by staying three nights in one of our mobile tented camps.

It’s perhaps worth noting that this area does experience political volatility and you may well be accompanied by armed scouts during your visit to ensure your security.

The best time to visit the Danakil Depression is generally considered to be during the Nov-Mar dry season period, which is usually a little ‘cooler’, with daytime temperatures around 40C/104F and nighttime temperatures around 25C/77F.

At other times of year it can get really hot down here, especially during Aug-Oct, with daytime temperatures around 50C/122F and nighttime temperatures around 28C/82F.

Fortunately the humidities are usually low out here in the desert, but if light rain or humidity blows in from the Red Sea the conditions can become unbearably oppressive.

Getting around

The north of Ethiopia is usually reached by means of regular daily flights from the capital Addis Ababa.

Some of the interconnecting journeys within the region are best done by air, others have to be done by road.

The Danakil Depression is usually visited by road from the Gheralta area.

Where to stay

There are no recommended permanent accommodation options down on the Danakil.

For shorter visits, until the lava again starts to flow on Erta Ali, we are most commonly not staying down here on the plains, but visiting on a very long day trip from one of the lodges up at Gheralta. This does mean a very early start, but we find that it seems to work best, especially during the hotter seasons when it is a blessed relief to get back up into the highlands in the evening.

If you want to undertake a much broader exploration of the Danakil Depression, to get beyond the usual highlights, take a closer look at the geology and spend more time is the Afar people, then we recommend using our Danakil Expedition Camp, a very comfortable mobile facility that we bring up from Addis Ababa for a minimum three night stay. This tends to be more cost effective for groups of 4-12 guests.

best visited as a mobile expedition