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Tour code: ETH_EAS
Thème: Aventure, Trek et Volcans: Volcans Actifs - Photographie - Aventure
Difficulté: Modérée
Groupe: 3-10
Durée: 8 - 11 days

Départs:

Départs sur commande possibles

Prix: $ 3700  ? 

Le prix comprend:

• Accommodation in double rooms / tents
• Full board from dinner on the first day until breakfast after last hotel night
• Drinking water, up to 8 liters per person per day
• Professional Ethiopian guide who is an English-speaking geologist
• Private transport in 4WD vehicles
• Experienced 4WD drivers and cook
• Full camping equipment
• Camels, camel drivers and porters to and from Erta Ale´s summit
• Armed Afar guards and guides on Erta Ale
• Tips for local staff (camel drivers, guards, local guides, ...)

Encadrement:

Enku is the main guide on all our Danakil volcano expeditions. After obtaining a Diploma in Travel Organising and completing his BSc in Geology at the University of Addis Ababa, he spend 10 years traveling through Ethiopia whilst working both as free-lance travel guide and a contracted mining geologist for different oil and gold mining companies. Since 2006 he specialised in geological travel guidance for the Danakil depression and hence has lots of experience and competence in organizing expeditions to Erta Ale and Dallol. He likes to share his vast knowledge on the geology of the Danakil but will also gladly answer any questions you might have regarding Ethiopia´s fauna and flora, culture, history, food or traditions!

As the participants arrive in Mekele they are picked from the airport and transfered to their hotel. The group gets together for the first time that evening for a welcome dinner and general briefing on the expedition.

After breakfast we leave Mekele and our 4X4 jeep expedition drives to Erta Ale base camp. The further we descend into the Danakil depression, the less comfortable the roads become. New asphalt gives way to well constructed dirt roads which end in the large main Afar village where we make a stop to arrange with the local chief the camels, guides and policemen we need for the Erta Ale expedition. From there to basecamp is off road across older pahoehoe lavas. After dinner we have a short night of sleep.

Avant le lever du soleil, nous nous lançons sur la ca. 3 h ascension d'Erta Ela . C'est une randonnée relativement facile - environ 10 km à travers les vieux flux de lave qui couvrent les flancs du volcan bouclier, avec une différence d'élévation totale de ca. 500 m. Plus nous nous rapprochons, plus brillant devient la lueur rouge du lac de lava!Notre caravane de chameaux était déjà mis en avant ainsi que le petit déjeuner sera prêt au moment où nous arrivons sur la jante de la caldeira . Après avoir installé le camp dans les différentes huttes Afar, le groupe se réassemble pour une promenade vers le bas dans la caldeira qui vous emmènera le long des principales caractéristiques et points de vue volcaniques d'Erta Ale . Déjeuner à notre retour, le reste de ce jour et de la nuit, tout le monde est libre de planifier son exploration due sommet du volcano et le temps pour relaxer et dormir.

We camp on Erta Ale´s caldera rim for 3 more days and nights so we have ample of time to explore the summit area, make photographs at different light conditions during the day and night and observe the changeing activity of the active vents.

After another short night we start our descend from Erta Ale´s caldera rim at the coolest moment which is early in the morning before sunrise. Breakfast awaits us upon arrival in Erta Ale´s base camp. We then retake the jeep drive back to Mekele where a warm shower awaits us at the hotel. Alternatively, some participants might continue on from Erta Ale base camp to do the 3 days Dallol extension.

Notre service de l'expétion au Danakil finit aujourd'hui avec le transfer à l'aéroport ou une autre destination proche. Mekele est le point de départ idéal pour d'autres excursions en Ethiopie.

Days 1 to 6 are the same as those described in the Erta Ale volcano special itinerary.

Après une dernière nuit en camping sur Erta Ale de la jante de caldeira ( ca 565 m ), nous commençons notre descente dans les heures de refroidissement de la tôt le matin , avant le lever du soleil. Parce que notre caravane de chameaux avez déjà parti pendant la nuit, notre petit déjeuner nous attend au camp de base ( environ 140 m ). Après avoir réorganisé nos bagages sur les jeeps, nous voyageons dans la région de Dallol et Lake Assale en observant un paysage changeant rapidement du dessert de lave par steppe aux hauts plateaux montagneux avant de tourner vers l'est et de revenir dans la depression de Danakil. Selon les conditions météorologiques et routières, nous arrivons au Afar village de Hamed Ela ( ca. -85 m ) au cours de l'après-midi et ou nous installons notre camp pour les deux prochaines nuits. Le reste de l'après-midi / soir peut être utilisé pour se reposer, avoir une demi-douche, explorer Hamed Ela, observer les caravanes de chameaux traversant ...

Parfois il faut surmonter quelques difficultés lors de la conduite en 4x4 à travers le désert depuis la partie nord vers l’immense et aride lac de sel près d’Ahmed Ela qui est notre objectif du jour.
En après-midi et dans la soirée nous pouvons observer les interminables caravanes de dromadaires faisant des allers-retours : arrivée à vide, ils restent dans la fascinante ville puis rencontreront ceux qui façonnent et emballent les précieux blocs de sel. Après la tombé delà nuit, nous assistons au rituel de l’attribution des coupeurs de blocs (le Focolo) aux propriétaires des dromadaires (le Arho), pour le jour suivant dans la mine de sel au lac.

A last 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 and ascent back onto the highlands where a warm shower awaits us in our hotel in Mekele.

Notre service de l'expétion au Danakil finit aujourd'hui avec le transfer à l'aéroport ou une autre destination proche. Mekele est le point de départ idéal pour d'autres excursions en Ethiopie.

Infos complémentaires:

Condition physique:

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.

Début et fin du voyage:

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!