The New Year Adventure to the Danakil Depression
Join us for the adventure of a lifetime as we visit the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia aka ‘The Gateway to Hell’ which is claimed to be the hottest place on earth with recorded temperatures of 51 degrees celsius! Discover magical landscapes, salt lakes, volcanoes, camel caravans as well as the friendly local people who manage to survive in this remote area of the world. The trip will also see us celebrating New Year’s Eve on the ridge of a volcano watching exploding lava lakes! This trek will truly take you to one of the most incredible places on earth…
Sunday 29 December 2019
Guests arrive at leisure and check into our hotel.
Dinner and bar crawl across town to get to know your fellow revellers!
Monday 30 December 2019
In the morning we will drive 260 km via Berhale until we reach Hamadella which is located in the desert and only 25km away from Dallol.
We will have lunch on the way stopping occasionally to get some awesome photographs of the dramatic landscape as well as the impressive camel caravans!
When we arrive in Hamadella we will head to Lake Asale to see the spectacular view of the sunset reflection. We will also experience Tigrean and Afar tribes’ camel caravans as they carry salt bars to the nearest local towns.
We spend the first night on local afar-beds in the open air under the stars.
Tuesday 31 December 2019
In the morning we will drive to Dodome.
From here camels will transport our luggage and water and we will start hiking to the Erta Ale Volcanic hills (613 meters above sea level) to see the volcanic eruptions. The trek is 15km in length.
On arrival we will experience this incredible sight - colourful and spectacular lava explosions!
At night, we will camp nearby the eruption, on the crater rim above the active lava lake and celebrate the New Year in style!
Wednesday 1 January 2020
We wake early for our 2 hour descent back towards Dodome. Here breakfast will be served and you will have some time to relax after our long night of celebrations.
After a peaceful morning we start our drive to Hamed Ale with lunch served en route.
We will reach Hamed Ale about 4:30pm in time to visit Lake Asale again, where will have a wine tasting watching the sunset and the awesome lake reflections.
Camp overnight in Hamed Ale.
Thursday 2 January 2020
We take a morning driving tour to the salt mines of Ragad. We will watch as the miners break the salt from the ground, cutting it into rectangular pieces and loading it onto camels.
We will then walk down to the camp at the bottom of the volcano.
Next stop is Afdera where we will swim in Lake Afrera as well as bathing in a naturally hot spring water near by the lake.
After lunch we will drive back to Mekelle and check into our central hotel for a much needed shower and rest!
Farewell dinner and drinks.
Friday 3 January 2020
End of tour.
International flights home.
TOUR COST: £800
Included:
Excluded:
BOOK NOW!
Secure your adventure today with just a £99 deposit...
For your financial protection Smiling Grape Adventure Tours Ltd is a member of Trust My Travel and our membership number is TMT51510. All client money, whether by bank transfer or card payment is paid into an independently managed Trust Account held at Barclays Bank in the UK. This means in the unlikely event of our financial failure you will receive a refund for the services you have paid for. Money is not received by us until all suppliers have been paid and you have completed your trip. Trust My Travel is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority under the PSR 2009: No. 569641. For more information about how your payments are protected please visit www.trustmytravel.com for more information.
Fill out your information below and we will be in contact to get you signed up to the Tour of the Year!
Join us for the adventure of a lifetime as we visit the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia aka ‘The Gateway to Hell’ which is claimed to be the hottest place on earth with recorded temperatures of 51 degrees celsius! Discover magical landscapes, salt lakes, volcanoes, camel caravans as well as the friendly local people who manage to survive in this remote area of the world. The trip will also see us celebrating New Year’s Eve on the ridge of a volcano watching exploding lava lakes! This trek will truly take you to one of the most incredible places on earth…
Sunday 29 December 2019
Guests arrive at leisure and check into our hotel.
Dinner and bar crawl across town to get to know your fellow revellers!
Monday 30 December 2019
In the morning we will drive 260 km via Berhale until we reach Hamadella which is located in the desert and only 25km away from Dallol.
We will have lunch on the way stopping occasionally to get some awesome photographs of the dramatic landscape as well as the impressive camel caravans!
When we arrive in Hamadella we will head to Lake Asale to see the spectacular view of the sunset reflection. We will also experience Tigrean and Afar tribes’ camel caravans as they carry salt bars to the nearest local towns.
We spend the first night on local afar-beds in the open air under the stars.
Tuesday 31 December 2019
In the morning we will drive to Dodome.
From here camels will transport our luggage and water and we will start hiking to the Erta Ale Volcanic hills (613 meters above sea level) to see the volcanic eruptions. The trek is 15km in length.
On arrival we will experience this incredible sight - colourful and spectacular lava explosions!
At night, we will camp nearby the eruption, on the crater rim above the active lava lake and celebrate the New Year in style!
Wednesday 1 January 2020
We wake early for our 2 hour descent back towards Dodome. Here breakfast will be served and you will have some time to relax after our long night of celebrations.
After a peaceful morning we start our drive to Hamed Ale with lunch served en route.
We will reach Hamed Ale about 4:30pm in time to visit Lake Asale again, where will have a wine tasting watching the sunset and the awesome lake reflections.
Camp overnight in Hamed Ale.
Thursday 2 January 2020
We take a morning driving tour to the salt mines of Ragad. We will watch as the miners break the salt from the ground, cutting it into rectangular pieces and loading it onto camels.
We will then walk down to the camp at the bottom of the volcano.
Next stop is Afdera where we will swim in Lake Afrera as well as bathing in a naturally hot spring water near by the lake.
After lunch we will drive back to Mekelle and check into our central hotel for a much needed shower and rest!
Farewell dinner and drinks.
Friday 3 January 2020
End of tour.
International flights home.
TOUR COST: £800
Included:
- Transport in 4WD land cruisers.
- Accommodation
- Local guides
- Security team
- Meals
- Camels
- Entrance Fees
- Water
- Camping equipment
Excluded:
- Airfare
- Tipping
- Travel Insurance
- Personal Expenses
BOOK NOW!
Secure your adventure today with just a £99 deposit...
For your financial protection Smiling Grape Adventure Tours Ltd is a member of Trust My Travel and our membership number is TMT51510. All client money, whether by bank transfer or card payment is paid into an independently managed Trust Account held at Barclays Bank in the UK. This means in the unlikely event of our financial failure you will receive a refund for the services you have paid for. Money is not received by us until all suppliers have been paid and you have completed your trip. Trust My Travel is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority under the PSR 2009: No. 569641. For more information about how your payments are protected please visit www.trustmytravel.com for more information.
Fill out your information below and we will be in contact to get you signed up to the Tour of the Year!