Vivid red and orange mineral pools spread across the otherworldly floor of the Danakil Depression.

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The Danakil and the North: Ethiopia in Full

Harar's walled city and hyena feeding, the Danakil Depression's extreme landscapes, and the full northern historic route.

Enquire about this trip See the day by day

Duration13 Days / 12 Nights

Group size2 – 8 travellers

Best monthsNovember – February (Danakil heat somewhat lower; avoid April – September entirely)

From$5,480 per person sharing

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The Trip in Short

This is the long version, for travellers who want the Historic Route and the two places that make Ethiopia genuinely unlike anywhere else: Harar, a walled city where men still hand-feed wild hyenas after dark, and the Danakil Depression, one of the hottest and lowest inhabited places on earth.

We’re direct about the Danakil: daytime temperatures regularly exceed 45°C, the terrain is a genuinely harsh salt-and-lava landscape, and the visit is run with a licensed local operator and the logistics that extreme environment demands. The sulphur springs of Dallol and the lava lake at Erta Ale are unlike anything else on this itinerary, or most others.

Official visitor information for Ethiopia is published on Visit Ethiopia.

Highlights

Harar's walled old town and its evening hyena-feeding tradition
Danakil Depression: Dallol's sulphur terraces and salt flats
Erta Ale's active lava lake, for those continuing the extension
Gondar's Fasil Ghebbi and Lake Tana's monasteries
Eleven rock-hewn churches at Lalibela
Axum's ancient stelae fields

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Where You Go, Stop by Stop

Day 1–2

Addis Ababa – Harar

Day 3–4

Harar – Addis Ababa – Mekele

Day 5–7

Danakil Depression: Dallol, salt flats

Day 8–9

Mekele – Axum

Day 10–11

Gondar, Lake Tana

Day 12–13

Lalibela, return to Addis Ababa

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Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1–2: Harar

A flight east to Harar, a walled city of narrow lanes and over eighty historic mosques. After dark, the city's well-known hyena men hand-feed wild spotted hyenas at the edge of town, a tradition generations old rather than a show staged for visitors.

Day 3–4: Back to Addis, on to Mekele

A return flight to Addis Ababa, connecting on to Mekele in the north, the usual staging town for the Danakil Depression.

Day 5–7: Danakil Depression

Three days in one of the lowest and hottest inhabited places on earth, working with a licensed local operator for the extreme conditions. Highlights include Dallol's surreal sulphur and mineral terraces and the vast Danakil salt flats, worked by camel caravans that still cross them daily; an optional extension reaches Erta Ale's active lava lake for those prepared for the additional exertion and heat.

Day 8–9: Mekele to Axum

A drive to Axum, seat of an ancient civilisation, for its granite stelae fields and the Church of St Mary of Zion.

Day 10–11: Gondar and Lake Tana

On to Gondar for the Fasil Ghebbi royal enclosure, then Bahir Dar for a boat trip on Lake Tana's monastery islands.

Day 12–13: Lalibela and departure

A flight to Lalibela for two church clusters carved into volcanic rock, before the return flight to Addis Ababa for departure.

From

$5,480

Enquire about this trip

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What the Price Covers

Included

All domestic flights on the route
Licensed Danakil ground operator, vehicles and armed escort as required by regional protocol
All accommodation, 12 nights (camping in the Danakil)
All meals as noted in the itinerary
English-speaking guide throughout
All listed entry fees

Not included

International flights
Ethiopia entry visa
Erta Ale lava lake extension (priced separately, additional trekking required)
Gratuities
Travel insurance, which should explicitly cover the Danakil region

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Before You Book

How hot does it actually get in the Danakil?

Daytime temperatures regularly exceed 45°C and can go higher; this is one of the hottest inhabited places on the planet, and the itinerary is timed for the cooler months to make it manageable rather than merely survivable.

Is the region safe to visit?

The Afar region has experienced periods of instability historically, and current safety protocol typically includes a licensed operator and, where required, an armed escort as standard practice – not an indication of active danger on a given date. We follow current government and operator guidance and will not run a departure into conditions assessed as unsafe.

What are the physical demands like?

Considerable heat exposure, basic camping conditions, and for the optional Erta Ale extension, a demanding overnight hike to the crater rim, usually done at night to avoid the worst heat.

Is this trip appropriate for everyone?

No – it suits travellers in good health who are comfortable with heat, basic facilities and long driving days. It is not the itinerary to choose for a first, easy introduction to Ethiopia.

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Where This Trip Goes

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The Danakil and the North: Ethiopia in Full