There is much to explore in the Afar Region, from the Awash National Park which straddles the two Regions of Afar and Oromia, Yangudi Rassa Park, the old capital at Aissayita and the lakes into which the Awash River drains, but our focus in this section will be Afdera or the great salt lake, the volcano at Erta Ale and Dalol with its weird and wonderful multi coloured mineral formations.

It is possible to do the whole circuit by road, but much time will be saved by using domestic flights, to either the Afar Regional capital at Semara, or to the Tigray Regional Capital at Mekele. You can fly in one way and fly out the other.

A visit simply to the volcano at Erta Ale will take 2 nights and 3 days, one night will be camping at Erta Ale, and one night in a hotel at Semara or Mekele. However, it would be a pity to miss Dalol and Lake Asale, and visiting these places would add another night’s camping and a return to Addis Ababa on Day 4.

The road network in the Afar Region has been much improved, and it’s now possible to drive to within a 30 minute hike to the caldera at Erta Ale – it used to involve a 3 to 5 hour hike.

Because of the very high daily temperatures during the summer months, these trips are best made between September to April.

AFDERA, ERTA ALE AND DALOL
Day 1: Fly Semara, drive via Afdera to Erta Ale. Camping.
Day 2: Sunrise at Erta Ale, drive to Hamed Ela. Camping.
Day 3: Visit Dalol, then drive Mekele. Either evening flight to Addis Ababa or overnight in Mekele, returning to Addis Ababa on Day 4.