Tour packages
This tour is programmed in a way for you to have a calm & leisurely expedition where you will really feel and participate in the mysterious mythologies of the living land, to watch the miracle, as the centre of the earth seethes. Other programs details that are shorter or longer than this programs will be sent to you upon request
Title: EXPEDITION TO ERTA ALE VOLCANO AND THE DANAKIL DEPRESSION. “Desert, Salt and Volcanoes” Tour code: VET1000 Tour Duration: 13Days/12Nights Transportation: Surface/Air Type of Vehicle: 2009/10 Nissan Patrol or 2009/10 Toyota Land cruiser & 2010 Double AC Toyota HIACE minibuses for city tours Tour Customizable: Yes Tour highlights: Danakil Depression is one of the remotest, lowest and hottest places of the world in the Great Rift Valley system. This adventure takes you to explore Erta Ale and Dallol volcanoes and visit of the endless Camel Caravans. Activities: Cultural Tours, Desert Tours, Geological Tours, Hiking, Walking Safaris Erta-Ale is an exceptional volcano. It has been an active lava lake for a very long period, probably since the mid nineteenth century. It is part of a chain of active volcanoes located in the center of one of the six Afar rifts where an open ocean has formed in connection with a hot spot. The broad, 50-kilometer-wide volcano rises more than 600 meters from below sea level in the barren Danakil depression Erta-Ale is the namesake and most prominent feature of the Erta-Ale Range. It has a 0.7 x 1.6 kilometers, elliptical summit crater housing steep-sided pit craters. Another larger 1.8 x 3.1 kilometer-wide depression elongated parallel to the trend of the Erta-Ale range is located to the southeast of the summit and is bounded by curvilinear fault scarps on the southeast side. Fresh-looking basaltic lava The summit caldera is renowned for one or sometimes two long term lava lakes that have been active since at least 1967, or possibly since 1906. Recent fissure eruptions have occurred on the northern flank of Erta-Ale. Given its age, scientists think the lake must have a continuous link to a shallow magma chamber, which is itself fed on a regular basis by magma uplifts more directly connected to the formation of the rift Day-to-day program Day 1: Addis Ababa - Awash When the group is complete in the late morning (many int. flights arrive in the early morning), we transfer from Addis Ababa to Awash National Park, already in the Rift Valley. HOTEL in Awash
Day 2: Drive to Logia Today, we continue to drive through the Rift Valley into the Afar triangle, slowly loosing elevation. The landscape changes from savannah to steppe and half-desert, interrupted by oases from the Awash River. Basic hotel or camping
Day 3: Drive into the Danakil - Afrera salt lake We leave the main road and continue on an unpaved 4x4 road northwards into the Danakil. The trip leads through rugged moon-landscapes, characterized by volcanic rifts and faults, young black lava flows and gravel desert. After about 4 hours driving, we reach the flat, salt-covered Danakil depression at the salty lake Afrera by afternoon. There will be time to visit the interesting salines, where pure salt is being produced. Basic hotel or camping
Day 4: Drive to Dodom village (base of Erta Ale) If you are interested, you could join a group of salt workers in the early morning and watch the interesting technique to gain salt from the lake. Night under the stars in camp
Day 5: Day-time ascend to Erta Ale volcano with camels During the night, Afar guides will join us with their camels. At sunset, we will start the realtively easy ascend (ca. 10 km, 500 m climbing, ca. 3 hrs) during the fresher morning hours along the flat flank of Erta Ale's shield volcano, while the camel caravan carries our luggage and the equipment. Improvised camp on Erta Ale Day 6-7: Two full days to observe Erta Ale's lava lake and the caldera as before (camp on Erta Ale)
Day 8: Descend from Erta Ale - camp near Afar village After a last sunrise at the spectacular lava lake, we break down our camp and using the camels again, we return to the point of departure where the jeeps are waiting. Camp
Day 9: Transfer to Lake Assale - salt caravans The sometimes difficult 4x4 drive through the desert northwards to the large, mostly dry salt lake near Ahmed Ela is our goal of the day. Camp
Day 10: DALLOL volcano A full day will be available to explore the fascinating volcano of DALLOL- a volcano hidden under kilometer-thick deposit of salt. The volcano marks its presence by the up doming of the salt and hundreds of fumaroles and hot springs in all colors. as before (Ahmed Ela)
Day 11: Salt caravans - salt cutting and loading - transfer to the highlands In the morning, we watch the sometimes thousands of camels leaving for the salt cutting area. We then drive to the lake and watch the salt cutters and salt shapers at work, following a century-old established order. By the time we leave in the late morning, the first camels are being loaded and the cycle is repeated. hotel
Day 12: Highland plateau sandstones - Debre Abraham rock-hewn church - transfer to Mekele This day is a spare day. If not needed, we use it to take a short side-trip into the wonderfully colored and spectacularly scultpured northern highlands, where we hike to one of the oldest rock churches of Ethiopia, sitting on top of a multi-colored table-mountain of old eroded sandstones.
Day 13: Return to Addis (flight from Mekele) If you don't opt for an individual extension, the tour ends with a domestic flight back to Addis Ababa. Time permitting The rest of the day visit historical sites in Addis Ababa including the National Archaeological Museum, where we will view the 3.6 million year old remains of “Lucy”, whose skeletal remains when discovered in 1974. You will also visit the Ethnological Museum at Addis Ababa University, Holy Trinity Cathedrals and Mount Entoto which rises up to an altitude of 3200 meters and offers the panoramic view of the metropolis. Evening VIVA ETHIOPIA will prepare you a complimentary fare well dinner in one of the Ethiopian restaurants for cultural dinner and dances from the different ethnic groups. Then after transfer to the airport for your flight back home.
Note: Upon request the tour program can be modified rearranged mixed or extended to suit your interest, time and budget. You will be given an adjusted program of this tour that goes along with your arrival time in Ethiopia upon request Extension or reduction of this tour is possible
|