Situated in the heart of the Danakil desert at the border of Eritrea, this active volcano is famous for its spectacular lava lake.

Africa

Ethiopia

Erta’ale

One of the most famous towns in Ethiopia, known for its incredible rock cut churches.

Lalibela

This volcanic furnace located at 136.8 metres above sea level, on the border with Eritrea, is a multicoloured plateau with an unearthly appearance surrounded by salt mountains. You can also visit the salt caravans and salt mine.

Dalol

A city scattered with impressive historical monuments 

Gonder

Lake Assale, also known as Lake Karum, is located in the heart of the Danakil Desert, next to the Danakil Depression. It evaporates under the sun during the dry season and turns into a salt pit, to where camel caravans travel.

Lac Assale

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Visiting Lake Assale is part of the expedition which leads to the <a href="/ethiopia/">Danakil Depression</a> and lasts two days. Among the various pit-stops, we start nearby, where there are areas of boiling water in the ground, salty natural jacuzzis where the salt concentration is greater than that of the Dead Sea! You can also go for a swim to try out the floating experience, but the salt dries out your skin and you'd be spending the night in the Afar Village of Ahmed Ela without a shower... We'll let you decide if it's worth it!
Then we walk to the banks of Lake Assale, actually a salt desert where the water doesn't reach a few dozen centimetres deep over some hundred metres before sinking into the salty depths. The place is magical, especially with the reflection of the mountains and the sky on the salt water which creates mirages. My convoy then stopped at the foot of some enormous salt mountains which you explore with a torch. Not suitable for claustrophobic people, it's quite narrow.
The highlight of the trip to Lake Assale, is when we found the salt caravans, made up of hundreds of camels which journey across the desert to a huge salt mine. There men carve out salt blocks using oppressive heat, something they've done for the last 2500 years, when the Queen of Sheba's artisans came here to find salt...

Lake Assale, also known as Lake Karum, is located in the heart of the <a href="/ethiopia/">Danakil Desert</a>, next to the Danakil Depression. It evaporates under the sun during the dry season and turns into a salt pit, to where camel caravans travel.

Lac Assale Vacations

Lac Assale: How to get there?

Lac Assale: When to go?

Lac Assale: For how long?

Lac Assale: What to see in the surroundings?