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Author Archive | Gilles & Heidi

Two Excellent But Very Different Tour Operators In Ethiopia

By on 7. January 2011 in Ethiopia
Our Group...

Our Group…

A few places and highlights in Ethiopia are difficult or time consuming to be travelled independently. This is definitely true for the Omo Valley and the Danakil Depression, both areas we visited over Christmas 2010. To get around the Omo Valley would have taken us several weeks travelling on the infrequent public busses. The Danakil simply cannot be visited without a tour operator, unless you have the survival skills of a local Afar and know how to extract the permits from local policemen. Continue Reading →

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6 Days In The Danakil Depression

By on 7. January 2011 in Ethiopia
Crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

Crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

We had actually never heard of the Danakil Depression before we started reading the Lonely Planet, the Bradt Guide and the Thorn Tree Forum on Ethiopia. Either there was very little information (one single page in the Lonely Planet) or a focus on how expensive and difficult it was to travel there. The latter category was simply tempting us and off we went to the hottest place on earth. And believe us, it term is not some kind of marketing slogan! Continue Reading →

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Awash National Park

By on 7. January 2011 in Ethiopia
Soemmerring's Gazelle (Nanger soemmerringii; formerly Gazella soemmerringii), Awash National Park, Ethiopia

Soemmerring’s Gazelle (Nanger soemmerringii; formerly Gazella soemmerringii), Awash National Park, Ethiopia

Awash National Park is about midway between Addis Abeba and the edge of the Danakil Depression. That is why most tour operators stop here and so add an attraction to their Danakil itinerary. To be honest, there is not much to see: a few monkeys, crocodiles and if you are lucky one long horned animal. Continue Reading →

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Lake Afdera On Ethiopia’s Best Road

By on 6. January 2011 in Ethiopia
Public bus, near the Awash National Park, Ethiopia

Public bus, near the Awash National Park, Ethiopia

Our senses sharpened after a while and we identified Afdera as what it is. A shantytown that exists for one reason only: to host the many businesses and migrant workers that flocked here recently to earn money in the salt industry. Lake Afdera is the second largest lake with salt water in the Afar region. Continue Reading →

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Sleeping On Top Of The Volcano

By on 6. January 2011 in Ethiopia
At dusk, crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

At dusk, crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

The camp on the edge of the crater consists of a few simple huts made from piled up stones. We crawled into the most remote hut to be away from the Afar guides talking the night away while chain-smoking. At sunrise the view of the crater itself was much less impressive than during the night: a bit of smoke coming from a hole in the crater floor. Continue Reading →

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Looking At The Gate To Hell

By on 6. January 2011 in Ethiopia
Crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

Crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

In November 2010, the lava lake rose so high that it flooded large parts of the outer crater floor. It was actually still unusually high when we peeked into the noisily bubbling lava lake in January 2011. It might sound hard to believe, but we were quite exhausted from climbing the 650 meters to the rim of the caldron. And we had now to do so more climbing! An Afar guide took us down to the floor of the large outer crater. Continue Reading →

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Like A Cyclop’s Eye High In The Sky…

By on 5. January 2011 in Ethiopia
At night, crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

At night, crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

Getting out of the sun was all we wanted when we arrived at the little base camp at the foot of Erta Ale. So we hid in small shelters made from piled up stones. Only around 06:00 pm did the temperature allow the start of our slow ascent. This time, we were accompanied by four additional armed Afar scouts, their Kalashnikov casually slung around their shoulders. But their mood was foul, we figured it must have had something to do with the argument we watched in the village. All we carried was a bottle of water, the camel hauled the little we needed, lots of water and our camping beds. Continue Reading →

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Afar Life Under The Volcano

By on 5. January 2011 in Ethiopia
Afar village with the Erta Ale volcano in the background, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

Afar village with the Erta Ale volcano in the background, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

At the end of this lung-blowing journey waits Erta Ale. In Afar language this means “Smoking Mountain”, not a bad name for one of the most active volcanoes worldwide and one of five that has a permanent lava lake. Continue Reading →

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A tough ride to Erta Ale

By on 5. January 2011 in Ethiopia
Arid soil, near Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

Arid soil, near Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

If you draw a straight line on the map, the distance between Hamed Ale and Erta Ale is peanuts, only 60 kilometers. But what a trip! There is no road in this part of the Danakil Depression, period. That is why we had brought a scout all the way from Berdahile, a skinny guy who got motion-sick all the time and who did not know the area at all. He kept asking our armed Afar police escort, so the latter eventually took over guiding us through the dusty, rough terrain. Continue Reading →

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The Djinn Fights Back – Dallol Is Burning!

By on 4. January 2011 in Ethiopia
Sulphure rock formations of various colors, Dallol, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

Sulphure rock formations of various colors, Dallol, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

The last afternoon, the usual dead silence in Hamed Ale was disrupted by yelling and shouting. A truck full of soldiers stopped, picked up villagers and off they drove towards the sulphur fields of Dallol. Eventually we understood what caused this disruption: an Italian tourist was somehow responsible for starting a smouldering fire in Dallol. It spread below the surface and could not be stopped. Speculation went wild until we met other tourists who were there at the same time: it was not a burning cigarette thrown into one of the millions of cracks, as first speculated, but this idiot had tried to light sulphure to see if it would burn. Continue Reading →

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