The Danakil Depression Tour in Ethiopia

As you step off the plane, your adventure begins with a warm welcome from your driver, who will escort you to Keno Hotel or a similar accommodation option, depending on your arrival time.

Your first day in Addis Ababa is all about exploring the city and getting to know its unique blend of traditional and modern culture. If you will arrive in the morning or noon time you will have city sightseeing but arriving late in the afternoon you will simply relaxing at the hotel.

Sightseeing Highlights:

If your arrival time permits, make the most of your first day in Addis Ababa by exploring the city’s many sights and sounds. Here are some of the top highlights to add to your itinerary:

• National Museum of Ethiopia: Discover the rich cultural history of Ethiopia at the National Museum, which is home to many ancient artifacts and the famous fossil of Lucy, the oldest hominid ever discovered.
• Holy Trinity Cathedral: Visit the final resting place of Emperor Haile Selassie and other prominent figures in Ethiopia’s history at this stunning Orthodox cathedral.
• Addis Mercato: Take a stroll through Africa’s largest open-air market, where you can find anything from handmade crafts to local delicacies.
• Entoto Hill: Escape the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy breathtaking views of Addis Ababa from atop this scenic hill.

From Addis Ababa, you will fly to Semera and then depart from Semera to Hamedilla at 9:30 or 10:30 am.To reach Hamedilla via Afdera, it takes about 4-5 hours.In the Afar region, Afdera is a small town with approximately 10000 residents.

This region of the world has favorable conditions, rocky coasts, sustenance, and uncomfortable places, unpleasant and not offering hospitality, however, it has a lot of enchanting natures, many different kinds of colors, minerals rich elements, salt water springs and a lot of bubbling oil lakes with different kinds of colors.The altitude below sea level varies from place to place.

They are located at a depth of more than 100 meters below sea level. You will eat your lunch in the town of Afdera before proceeding to Hamedilla. On the way, you will be able to see an array of outstanding landscapes as well as the culture and way of life of the local people. Taking a sunset cruise on Salt Lake Assale (-121 below sea level) and camping at Hamedilla to enjoy the setting sun. Overnight: Camping at Hamedilla.

In the early morning, drive to Dalol, which has a number of different water springs. Among the noteworthy sights are the sulfur lake, oil lake, salt mining area with camel caravans, salt mountains, etc. In the mining place, you observe how salt is dug from the ground and loaded onto camels. You can also visit each place with local guides and people who are very familiar with the place. After driving to Erta Ale, you will spend the night there. Overnight Erta Ale in camping.

Early in the morning at 5.30am, you will be able to observe the striking activities of the volcano during daylight hours.It will take you 30 minutes to trek back to the camp.You will pass through a desert area with scattered small desert trees and an igneous rock from the volcano’s eruptions over many years.Askoma camp is where you will eat breakfast.

After one hour of rest, you will prepare the cooking equipment and all the sleeping materials before proceeding to Lake Afdera for lunch. This salt lake is suitable for swimming. Then proceed back to Semera and fly back to Addis Ababa.

As your trip comes to a close, it’s time to pack up and head back home. On the fifth day of your trip, you’ll be departing from Addis Ababa. Whether you’re traveling back to your home country or moving on to your next destination, for booking our combined tours in the Horn of Africa.

This tour is priced per person.

• 1 person: $1000

  The deposit required to confirm your booking is $200

Bookings can be made at any time of the year. 

Our custom tours are tailor-made itineraries designed for individual travellers, families, or a small group.

We can arrange an itinerary around your interests, dates, and special requests, all our tours include private drivers, private touring, unique accommodations, and exclusive experiences.

First, we encourage you to view our published itineraries and if it is not fit your interest then contact us and let us design a customized itinerary for you.

We always advise booking in advance. For confirmation of the tours, we require a 10% deposit payment in advance. This can be done via an online to our Business Bank account in USD. The remaining can be paid upon arrival in cash USD.

However, you can choose to pay the full amount in advance via our Somaliland Business bank transfer. We will always send the invoice with all the banking details.

IMPORTANT: All wiring fees need to be paid by the customer. Visit Horn of Africa cannot be held responsible for the failure of booking due to delay in payment.

If you wish to cancel your booking, the following conditions apply. A deposit payment has to be made to Visit Horn of Africa 30 days before the scheduled departure/beginning of the Tour.

• 21 days before arrival – 20% of the total tour price will be charged
• 15 Days before arrival – 40% of total tour price will be charged
• 7 Days before arrival – 100% of total tour price will be charged

IMPORTANT: The cancellation policy stated above does not apply if a prior agreement has been made with Somaliland Travel Agency.

Visit Horn of Africa tries to follow the agreed tour program with its clients as much
as possible. However, under certain circumstance, we might need to change the program
due to: Road conditions, safety, adverse weather conditions, civil war, strike, cancellation
or delay of domestic flights, high-level government meeting.

In the case where Visit Horn of Africa does not provide one of the services
mentioned in the program, we will provide a refund for the services not rendered, except
in the following cases:

1. Cases of force majeure, adverse weather conditions, cancellation or delay of domestic
   flights, civil war, strike, road conditions, high-level government meeting.
2. Change in Itinerary by Somaliland Travel Agency if we judge that the context endangers the safety of the customer.

A delay or cancellation of scheduled flights is not the responsibility of Visit Horn of Africa. We will, however, provide all the necessary assistance to our customers in such circumstances. All airfares are subject to availability at time of booking. Please also note that fares are subject to change without notice and are not guaranteed until purchased.