Dec 24-27 2022
AFAR
In northeastern Ethiopia, it is the homeland of the Afar people. 95% are Muslim. Adult literacy for men is 27% and for women 15.6%. It is bordered by Eritrea to the north and Djibouti to the northeast.
The Danakil Depression is the northern part of the Afar Triangle. Its depth results from the divergence of three tectonic plates where Africa and Asia are moving apart in the Horn of Africa. Sandstone and limestone are overlain by basalt
The Afar Triangle, the northern part of the Danakil Depression, is part of the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia. The southern part of the region consists of the valley of the Awash River,
Dallol is a ghost town in NE Ethiopia with an elevation of about 130 metres (430 ft) below sea level. It is one of the most remote places on Earth. The highly active hydrothermal system of Dallol, has springs, terrace systems and fumaroles. Dollol holds a record-high average temperature of 34.6 °C (94.3 °F).
It was a 300 km, 6-hour drive through volcanic fields, an incomplete Chinese highway, camels and tiny domed homes. Overnight was under the stars at an Afar village. One of my usual Christmas days, we were up at 5 and drove north towards Eritrea, to an immense salt flat in an area called Dallol. Initially hard crystalline, we stopped where 1-2″ of water covered the salt.
Over the huge salt plain, the white salt changed to brown, there were many heaves and uneven cracking. We parked below a dome of active volcanic action. We climbed gently up to a large flat area with salt pools coloured bright yellow from the sulphur and brown from iron, bubbling water through tiny salt domes and areas of bright yellow sulphur “flowers”.
Dallol is a unique terrestrial hydrothermal system around a volcano’s cinder cone. It is in the Danakil Depression and is known for its unearthly coloured mineral patterns. Acidic fluids discharge from its hydrothermal springs.
An open pool in the plain had clear water less than a foot below the surface. Several went in but most dangled their feet in the water. Water underlies the entire plain.
The Salt Mine was on the fresh edge of a salt flat. The salt here has a layer of dirt about 6″ down and forms a good cleavage zone, The “miner” uses an axe to cut uniform blocks. others dress the blocks by cutting off the dirt bottom and trimming them into more precise rectangles. 300 worked the area. The salt was carried away in large trucks.
ERTA ALE VOLCANO
We returned on the same difficult roads through the volcano fields. From the good road, a narrow road through the lava went for 15 km to a camp under the volcano. Starting at 17:30, it was a 30-minute walk on a rough hiker-made trail to the crater rim. At the top are many rock buildings. Below is a huge crater. Drop down into the crater on a rough trail and walk across it to a caldera with two active sites. One is a large cone with great red fire. The other is off to the left and not as dramatic. It was pitch black at this time and we walked back in the night, impossible without a torch.
We had dinner and slept on mattresses on the ground. It was colder and windy but I was comfortable with my sleeping bag and sheet. I caught a flight to Lalibala via Addis.
SIMIEN MOUNTAINS
Simien National Park WHS. Massive erosion on the Ethiopian plateau has created jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping 1,500 m. The park is home to rare animals such as the Gelada baboon, the Simien fox and the Walia ibex, a goat found nowhere else in the world.
Ethio Backpacker Tour – the 3-day Simien Mountain tour ($225). I had a day to wait to join a group.
Day 1. Gondar to Sankabar camp. A three-hour drive to the start of the trek at Buytras (Simien Lodge). Our luggage followed us each day. Five clients, two guides and three cooks.
3-4 hours to Sankabar campsite (3250m). The walk followed the escarpment edge. There were huge views down to the west – endless small mountains and farming villages. We saw two troops of Gelada baboons, each with an imposing large male with a gold mane and about 10 females and juvenile males. They were very habituated and walked right in front of us.
Day 2 Sankabar to Geech. Walk 5-7 hours descending Jinbar Wenz (which feeds the waterfall) to Jinbar Waterfall, and a short ascent to Geech village and the campsite at 3600 m. There were great views of the mountains, giant lobelia plants and a Simien wolf who hung around the outside of camp. See the sunset from the nearby Kedadit summit.
Lobelia is a remarkable plant with a palm-like trunk, long leaves and a massive flower stalk. It blooms only once, then dies. There was also a pine tree similar to bristlecone pine. Much of the trunk is dead but a thin strip of active tree nourishes small bunches of needles. 3,800m elevation.
Day 3 Geech to Ambaras to Gondar. 4-5 hours. Trek to the Imet Gogo promontory, for one of the most spectacular views in the mountain range. Lammergeier vultures.
Walk through a forest covered in lichen and hanging moss. Reach the bunch grass plateau and walk to Ambaras. Then, it’s a 3-hour drive back to Gondar airport and a flight to Addis.