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As you arrive in Mekele you are picked from the airport and transfered to the hotel. If you have time you can have a city tour. The group gets together for the first time in the evening for a welcome dinner and general briefing on the expedition.

After breakfast we meet your guide at your Hotel about 09:00 am and leave Mekele with our 4X4 jeep expedition. We drive to Erta Ale Volcanic Field through the western escarpment of the Danakil Depression (Great Rift Valley).
Today we have the chance to see the recent lava flow and tectonically affected mountain ranges. Both recent basalt of spreading Axes, recent sediments and Highland rock sequences dominate the road Geology of the area where you are driving through. After all the arrangements with Erta Ale area chief and administrators to get a permission for the visit are done, we continue to Erta Ale volcano along the off road across older pahoehoe lavas. As soon as we arrive at the base camp, we settle down for the night in huts, have a short walk walk around. After tasty dinner we have a short night of sleep.

Before sunrise we set off on the ca. 3 h ascend of Erta Ela. It is a relatively easy hike - about 10 km across the old lava flows that cover the flanks of the shield volcano, with a total elevation difference of ca. 500 m.
We arrive at the rim when first light comes up.
As part of our camel caravan already went ahead of us, breakfast will be ready by the time we arrive on the caldera rim. After setting up camp in the different Afar huts, the group reassembles for a guided walk down into the caldera which will take you along Erta Ale´s main volcanic features and viewpoints. Lunch upon our return, the rest of this day and night everyone is free to plan his/her relaxing, sleeping and summit caldera exploring.

After a last short night camping on Erta Ale´s caldera rim we start our descend in the cooler hours of the early morning. As part of our camel caravan already left during the night, our breakfast awaits us at basecamp. By 4X4 jeeps we then travel to the area of Dallol and Lake Assale, driving along a quickly changing scenery from lava dessert to steppe, shortly climbing out of the Danakil depression onto the western highlands before heading back down into the Danakil to the Afar village of Hamed Ela. The afternoon / evening can be used to rest, have a semi-shower, explore Hamed Ela and observe the camel caravans passing through.

As Hamed Ela is the hottest continuously inhabited location on the planet, we will focus on the cooler mornings and afternoons for our short expeditions, allowing for lunch and siesta during the midday heat. On the program are relatively short 4X4 jeep drives to Dallol hydrothermal system with its colourful deposit and small sources, and to the saline Assale Lake and the area where local people are cutting out the salt in the same traditional way their ancestors did.

A breakfast in Hamed Ela is followed by break up of our camp there before we take the 4x4 jeeps to drive out of the Danakil depression.
We head to Wukro, a small town where we visit an Wukro Archaelogical Museum and the church Abreha and Atsbeha, which is one of the oldest and best-known rock-hewn churches in Tigray.

After breakfast we visit one more church - one of the oldest and best-known rock-hewn churches in Tigray - Abreha and Atsbeha.
After that we start our drive up into the highlands to Mekele, the capital city of the Tigray region and spend a night there.

After a refreshing sleep and breakfast we drive you to the small airport of Mekele where you catch a morning flight back to Addis Ababa. From there you can either catch your international flight(s) back home or start another trip either in the wondrous country of Ethiopia or f.ex join our Nyiragongo volcano & mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park, DR Congo. https://www.volcanoadventures.com/africa/nyiragongo_lava_lake_gorillas.html

Additional info:

Physical requirements:

The walks on this tour are not particularly difficult, but you should have experience with hiking on uneven and rugged terrain. Although we organise our Danakil during the cooler months of the year, temperatures in the Danakil depression usually range between 35-40 deg C (95-105 deg F), but can easily soar up to 45-50 deg C (120-130 deg F) in the hottest hours near Dallol.
The hike to / from Erta Ale´s summit area and caldera rim from base camp and back requires about 10 km trekking over uneven, but relatively easy and gently climbing terrain (about 500 m altitude gain / descend) and is done in the early morning hours prior to sunrise in order to minimize the impact of heat. To approach the edge of the lava lake and other parts of the caldera one needs to walk across the uneven, easy to moderately difficult to walk on platy, ropy or hollow pahoehoe lava flows. Good boots, long pants and gloves are a must. Extra care must be taken when walking over the lava tubes as the thin, glassy crusts of the hardened lava sometimes break so that you suddenly sink up to max halve meter into the hollow cavity below. Walking sticks to "test" the terrain and keep balance are recommended.

Sanitary conditions during most part of this expedition will be very to extremely basic and you should therefore be in excellent overall health. No proper washing facilities are available while in the desert (approx. 7 days). Unfortunately, the local toilet habits in the Afar region and in particular around the salt lakes and atop the volcano is to do your business more or less anywhere; the area around Ahmed Ela (the salt-cutters'town near Dallol) is littered with garbage and human and animal excrement, resulting in a high rate of stomach bugs / traveler´s disease among visitors to the region.
We therefore ask you to consult a medical doctor about going to the Danakil prior to joining the expedition. One should particularly take precautions / medicine against dehydration, diarrhea and stomach infections.

Arrival info:

To allow for maximum flexibility for individual participants travel plans, this volcano special expedition starts and ends in Mekele, which is the capital city of the Tigray region of Ethiopia. The airline company that service this airport (MQX, Alula Aba Nega Airport) is Ethiopian Airlines. One can easily book this domestic flight from and to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia´s capital, as there are 5-6 daily connections. Your international flights to and from Ethiopia are not included as default since we have participants from all over the world. However, please do feel free to contact us if you would like any assistance with finding the best flight connections for you!

'We had a wonderful time in Ethiopia!'

“Hi Ingrid,

Overall it was an incredible trip and a very memorable time. Aside from the trip, your guidance this entire time was above and beyond - so impressed with your service Ingrid! I'm definitely happy to book travel with your company in the future and have shared VolcanoTours with some friends who have inquired about my photos.

The fissure site was interesting and exciting. The last visit to the caldera at night was the highlight for me since we saw the lava then! ... After staying the night in Dallol, we spent the morning exploring the different sites in the geothermal area. Very interesting and exciting to see! It was a great morning.

I cannot speak more highly of Enku! He was a wonderful guide: very knowledgeable, great listener, professional and tactful, and willing to be flexible with schedule. He was there for our every need as much as possible. I found base camp to be comfortable and the food prepared by the cooks to be very good.

Best,”

- Rebecca W (from US) about her participation on our 8 days Volcanoes of the Danakil Desert in June 2018.

'...Few holidays will be more memorable than a week like this in Ethiopia...'

“Dear Ingrid,

thanks for putting together this excellent 8-day itinerary! It is a perfect length of time to get a first feel for an amazing part of Ethiopia, a fascinating country well worth visiting for geology/tourism.

It was (very) hot, in the low to mid 40s C (100-110 deg. F), on most of the days but timing happened to coincide with full moon which was an advantage for the walk to/from base camp to Erta Ale and for the memorable short walk from the crater rim camp to the viewing cliff edge of the volcano at night. The varicoloured, amazing rock formations associated with salt and other halites influenced by hydrothermal activity near Dalol made a lasting impression and were an excellent photo opportunity even for amateur photographers.

Our guide Enku was great fun to be with and I appreciated hisbroad geological knowledge and enthusiasm for volcanoes. He has some key skills and experience of importance for negotiating with the Afar people to find a tailored solution within the constraints of the arduous conditions. His team was very capable and worked very hard to make our holiday a success. This included highly competent driving, at times over rough off-road terrain, in 2 well equipped vehicles, preparation of delicious food of very good quality for the hot conditions and in quantity that would suit the most healthy of appetites.

The information provided by Volcano Adventures was detailed and comprehensive. It is well worth reading through it all in advance to be prepared for a true expedition with hardships contrasted with delightful colourful experiences. Few holidays will be more memorable than a week like this in Ethiopia, in and around Erta Ale volcano. We went in the heat of the summer at the end of June - this time of year is recommended for the fit of strong constitution. The cooler time of year from November to March would appeal more to many but June, being the 'low season'had its own beauty.

All the best”

- Simeon B (from UK) about his participation on our 8 days Volcanoes of the Danakil Desert in June 2018.

"Hallo Tom!
Ich möchte Dir an dieser Stelle noch einmal ganz herzlich danken für die sehr gut organisierte Expedition zum Erta Ale und Dallol. Ich habe selten zuvor in zwei Wochen so viele positive und eindrückliche Momente erlebt wie auf dieser Reise. Neben dem Besuch der Vulkane wird mir die Danakil-Wüste mit all ihren facettenreichen Landschaften, die Freundlichkeit der Aethiopier, der sehr gute Teamgeist unserer Gruppe und natürlich die Kamelkarawane zum Salzsee in bester Erinnerung bleiben.
Auch erwähnenswert ist natürlich der Besuch der Felsenkirchen, welche eingebettet in einer fantastischen Landschaft liegen. Ich bin sehr dankbar für all diese eindrücklichen Momente! Sollte ich zukünftig wieder einmal auf Vulkanexpedition gehen, werde ich ohne zu zögern "VolcanoDiscovery" deswegen kontaktieren. Zudem erlaube ich mir, Dich in meinem Bekanntenkreis weiter zu empfehlen.
Herzlichst, André B.
Schweiz" (Expedition to the Danakil)