Danakil Depression Tours

The Danakil Depression is not a typical feature along the historic north circuit of Ethiopia. Instead, travellers keen to experience this crazy environment add it on at the start or end of their journey across the country. 

The Danakil is relatively easy to access if you are already exploring the north of the country. The Tigrayan capital city of Mekele is the gateway town into the Danakil Depression, so you will take a domestic flight into Mekele before starting the Danakil expedition.

Most travellers arrive in Mekele the night before their expedition begins, and then meet the rest of their group around 10AM the following morning. 

Most Danakil tours are run in groups in order to keep the cost down (although private tours are possible). Once in Mekele, you will pile into the Toyota Landcruisers and head out into the Danakil in convoy. The drive from Mekele to the Danakil is about 3 hours. 

2 day and 3 day Danakil tours are possible. Over these few days, you will visit the kaleidoscopic landscape of Dallol, the bellowing Erta Ale volcano, the two sale lakes Afrera and Asale, and the vast salt pans when camels and workers toil under the searing heat to export salt back to Mekele. 

Accommodation in the Danakil is extremely basic. You will sleep on thin mattresses on makeshift wooden bed frames, or atop a volcano by the crater rim.