- +251 96 857 4834
- Info@ethiopiantribalexpeditions.com
- Jinka, Ethiopia
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Welcome to the most otherworldly experience you’ll have without leaving Earth’s orbit.
Welcome to the most otherworldly experience you’ll have without leaving Earth’s orbit. Home to neon lunar landscape, fiery lava lakes and active volcanoes, the Danakil Depression in northern Ethiopia is one of the hottest and inhospitable place on earth. The geologically active region is formed by three tectonic plates meeting and pulling apart, creating shooting geysers, hot springs and one of the world’s only permanent lava lakes.
Even experienced travelers argue that it is almost impossible to find another place like the Danakil depression. The Israel Dead Sea, the Iranian Deshte-Lut desert, the South America Atacama and even the great Sahara cannot be compared in climatic features with Danakil depression. Here are concentrated at once three unique ecosystems that run counter to normal living conditions.
The air of the valley is filled with chlorine vapors, the water has a high concentration of salt, the earth is riddled with cracks, covered with mineral deposits and constantly shudders from the movement of tectonic plates. Volcanoes of this regions are either dormant or in full force. and hydrothermal pools amaze with their poisonous flowers. All this against the backdrop of an unbearable 40-50 degree heat, which only the local population can withstand.
ERTA ALE
Apparently there are only 8 volcanic summits in the world with a lake of molten or volcanic solvent on top of that. there are only Two peaks in Africa too. one of these peaks is located in Ethiopia called Erta Ale.
Erta Ale (meaning ‘Smoking Mountain’ in the Afar language) is Ethiopia’s most active volcano and contains one of just active lava lakes on Earth. Sitting in the Danakil Depression under 40°C (104°F) heat, it’s as unforgiving as it is visually staggering.
DALLOL
Characterized by bright, multi-coloured springs, fissures, and geysers, and with average annual temperatures of 35°C (95°F), Dallol is one of the most visually compelling and geologically fascinating destinations on Earth.
Dallol is a unique, terrestrial hydrothermal system around a cinder cone volcano in the Danakil Depression, Ethiopia.
The unearthly colors and mineral patterns, and the very acidic fluids that discharge from its hydrothermal springs are why Dallol is Famous in the Worldwide. The Dallol area lies up to 110 metres below sea level and currently holds the official record for record high average temperature for an inhabited location on Earth.
SALT LAKES
Lake Karum (aka Lake Asale) and Lake Afrera (aka Lake Afdera) are the two hypersaline lakes in the Danakil Depression. Both are visited on most tours of the Danakil, with Lake Karum being one of the most visually striking lakes anywhere on Earth.
The Local Afar people call salt ”White Gold” they’ve been mining it for centuries in the Danakil desert – where miles of salt lakes and flats stretch as far as the eye can see. The salt deposits are tens of thousands of years old, created when the Red Sea flooded the region.
Once, salt slabs were used as currency in Ethiopia. Today, the Afar (and workers from the next region over, Tigray) still carve blocks from the salt-encrusted earth by hand, but now transport them overland by Camels to be sold in markets for cash. it’s a grueling process in heat that can get as high as 50 degrees Celsius. Though machinery and vehicles could be brought in to modernize salt removal and transportation, the Afar are fiercely protective of their traditional methods and monopoly of the trade (concerned they will be replaced).
We seek the beauty of landscape and seascape, the heritage of cultural diversity, and the bustle of streets and marketplaces. Effectively, photography through geography.
Jinka,Ethiopia
+251 96 857 4834
info@ethiopiantribalexpeditions.com
