Stay : Danakil desert and Muslim towns in eastern Ethiopia
Eastern Ethiopia is a real change of scenery, as the towns near the Somali border boast oriental architecture and a way of life steeped in Islam. Heading up through the Danakil desert, a road trip in the land of the Afar nomads will take you to the molten lava of the Erta Alé volcano and the rock formations of the Danakil Depression.
Summary of the stay
Best time to go
8 days
€€ - Charm and comfort
Detail of the stay : Danakil desert and Muslim towns in eastern Ethiopia - 8 days
Day 1: Awash Falls and Fantalé Crater
Steps: Debre Zeit, Nazreth Adama, Awash
Early departure for Awash in the east of the country, passing through the pleasant lakeside town of Debre Zeit and Nazret. During the day, you'll visit the spectacularAwash waterfalls and take an excursion to the Filoweha hot springs, where you'll have the chance to meet the local Afar and Kereyou nomads. Get ready to climb the Fantalé crater.
Day 2: Awash and Harar National Park
Steps: Harar, Parc National D'Awash
Morning visit to Awash National Park, rich in animal life. Panoramic drive to Harar. Visit the city, considered the4th holiest place in the world, with over 100 mosques! Visit the market, Rimbaud's house, Ras Makonnen's palace and the ramparts. In the evening, witness the feeding of hyenas, a centuries-old tradition at the city gates.
Day 3: Harar
Visit the town (Day2 ) and the surrounding area of Harar, with its coffee plantations. Visit Koremi, Babillé and the Valley of Wonders. At the end of the day, stop off in Awadey, the khat capital of the world, from where several hundred kilos of the plant are shipped every evening to Somalia, Djibouti and Yemen. Return to Awash for an overnight stay.
Day 4: Crossing the desert to Assaïta
Steps: Parc National De Yangudi-Rassa, Millé, Assaïta
Early morning departure for the road north to Gewane, a simple stopover on the way to Mille, through the land of the Afar nomads. You'll pass through the Yangudi Rassa National Park, with its beautiful scenery but no tourist facilities. Then on to Hadar, site of the discovery of the famous Lucy skeleton. Continue to Assaïta , where you will spend the night.
Day 5: The lakes of Assaïta
Steps: Assaïta
On the Djibouti border, Assaïta is a town untouched by tourism, where you can visit theformer residence of the sultans of Adal, the Afambo fortress, theAbbé and Gamari lakes, set in beautiful arid landscapes, and the unexpected oasis of Aoussa, where Afar families have settled and cultivate huge fields of siane (to extract oil). Return to Assaïta in the evening.
LAC GAMARI / LA FORTERESSE D'AFAMBO / LAC ABBÉ / ANCIENNE RÉSIDENCE DES SULTANS D'AWSA
Day 6: Trek to Erta Alé volcano
From Assaïta, set off on a road trip through the desert on the famous single track from Serdo to the Erta Alé volcano, via Lake Afrera. Breaks in the camps of the Afar nomads. At sunset, departure for a 3-hour hike to the volcano, where you can admire the nearby molten lava. Bivouac under the stars at the foot of the crater.
Day 7: Lake Assal and the Dallol depression
We set off again by 4x4 early in the morning, this time towards Lake Assal and the Dallol depression. The road is long, and we pass caravans of hundreds of camels leaving Lake Assal laden with salt blocks. Photos by Lake Assal. Overnight in Hamed Ela, an Afar village at the end of the world, where conditions are truly extreme.
Day 8: Road trip to Mekélé, capital of Tigray
Steps: Addis-Abeba, Mékélé
The journey is tough at this stage, with no showers or electricity. You set off early in the morning by 4x4 to cross the entire desert and return to the Tigray region. Stop for lunch in an Afar village, and again in Berta Alé for an ice-cold drink (at last!). Back to Mékélé around 4 p.m. after a winding road, back to the coolness of the altiplano. On arrival in the afternoon: a stroll through the town of Mékélé and a visit to the palace of Johannès IV. Return to Addis in the evening.
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