East + North Tour

Drive to Harar via Dire Dawa along the Rift Valley. Arrive at the ancient walled city of Harar. Harar is located in the eastern part of the country and part of the historic circuits. The walled city of Harar is an ancient city with rich and colorful history. Harar is 523 Kilometers east of Addis Ababa, the capital. The most dominant feature of Harar is its strong encircling wall, which embraces the town, its exciting market places, and Its 99 mosques Harar is the fourth holiest city after Makka, Madina and Jerusalem. Muslim Capital of Ethiopia which is regarded by many as the fourth holy city of Islam next to Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. On your way, you will cross the Mountains, and visit the people of Hararghe Oromo at their villages. After lunch at Harar, have a city tour to visit the walls and gates of Harar, the multicultural market of the people of Amhara, Oromo, and Adere (Harari), O/n Harar. Excursion to Babile. Situated 30km from the walled Muslim city of Harar, Babile lies in a desolate landscape of red earth, low acacia scrub, chimney-like termite Mounds and gravity-defying rock formations that appear to be one puff away from collapsing.
The village houses the headquarters for the Babile Elephant Sanctuary, whose migratory population of 150 elephants is assigned to the endemic race orleansi. Despite its proximity to Harar, this reserve is little known and totally undeveloped for tourism, but the elephants are quite easily located with the help of a ranger between June and September or from mid-November to early March, when they congregate close to specific water sources.
Babile may gain greater recognition should plans to relocate the headquarters from Babile to Harar ever be translated into action. O/n Harar in a chosen hotel.

Drive back to Awash NP. O/n Awash NP camping or Kereyu lodge.

Drive to Afdera. In Afar Regional State, following a volcanic eruption that covered much of the lake and salt mine in volcanic ash. Afdera’s annual production capacity of salt is around 1.2 million tonnes. O/n Afdera camping.

Drive from Dodum to Ertale. Erta Ale is one of the spectacular and unique places in Afar- Ethiopia (May be in the world). It is the most active isolated shield Volcano in Ethiopia famed for its long-standing lava lake activity. This volcano is situated in the Danakil depression of Northern Afar. This basaltic broad volcano is about 50 KMs in diameter and rises more than 600 meters from below sea level. On its Summit, the volcano hosts an elliptical shaped caldera (mouth of volcano) of about 1600 x 700 meters width. Erta Ale's Lava Lake has been active for at least the last 90 years making it one of the longest known historic eruptions. According to earth scientists, Erta Ale has erupted seven times in the past 125 years and has been erupting continuously since 1967. O/n Ertale camping.

Drive to Dallol. Dallol volcano is located in the Danakil Depression. Dallol Mountain (which rises 50-60m above the surrounding salt plains and has approximate dimensions of 1.5 x 3 km) and several other features in the vicinity, such as the 1926 crater near the "Black Mountain". Dallol Mountain is thought to have been formed as the result of intrusion of a basaltic magma body underneath. The circular depression near the center of Dallol Mountain is presumably a collapse crater, although neither its age nor the exact process from which it resulted is known. The characteristic white, yellow and red colors are the result of sulphur and potassium salts colored by various ions. The terminology Dallol is often used to define an even larger area, which may cause confusion as to the location of mining operations in the area. The Danakil Depression is located in what is effectively a northerly extension of the East African Rift Zone. It lies in the gap resulting from gradual separation of the Danakil horst from the Ethiopian Plateau. Dallol is one of the few places where potash deposits are found at the surface. These are brought to the surface by geothermal heated groundwater and can form large secondary deposits as the water that transported them evaporates. It was once estimated that a spring in the Black Mountain area was bringing around 1000 Tones of potash to the surface in a single year. O/n camping.

In the morning drive to Mekele. O/n Mekele in a chosen hotel.

Excursion to the Tigrian rock-hewn churches. Damo is unique and unforgettable although, as with most Ethiopian monasteries, women are not allowed to enter it. Even so, there is a daunting obstacle to the monastery: the only means of access is a climb of twenty‐five meters up a sheer cliff. Monks lower a safety rope which visitors tie around their waists. Then they use a second, thicker rope to climb with. Some may reflect, as they make their way to the top, that because of this arduous, dangerous ascent the art treasures of Debra Damo have remained intact through the monasteries 1,400 tumultuous years of history. O/n stay at the selected hotel.

After breakfast, drive to Kombolcha. Proceed driving from Mekele to Kombolcha. After breakfast, start driving to Kombolcha. Visit the stunning and the Flourishing point of a thickly wooded peninsula Houses the Male-only 9th century Monastery of Hayk Istafanos, which became the most Powerful Religious centre in Ethiopia under the influence of Iyasus Moa, a 13th century monk whose busy daily Routine included kissing the ground a full 10,000 times. Hoarded away in the treasury are several remarkable Antiquities, ranging from a heavy Stone cross that Belonged to Iyasu Moa to hollow Sacrificial stones confirming legends that the site served as a pagan shrine prior to its monastic. O/n in a chosen hotel.