Excited. Nervous. But, ready to go!
I was about to spend the next three weeks visiting the lowest point in Africa at Lake Assal in Djibouti, wandering the streets of Somalia’s war-torn capital Mogadishu, hiking Erta Ale in the hottest inhabited place on Earth (the Danakil Depression), feeding hyenas with my mouth in Ethiopia, visiting the self-declared state of Somaliland, exploring Sudan’s “forgotten” pyramids, and indulging in all that is Turkey on a stopover in Istanbul.
Djibouti was not originally a part of the plan. I booked Untamed Borders’ Mogadishu Add-On and Horn of Africa tours to visit Somalia, Ethiopia, and Somaliland. After realizing that the Turkish Airlines flight to Mogadishu (from Chicago via Istanbul) made a stop in Djibouti City, I decided to take the flight a day early to spend a day in Djibouti.
After a seven and a half hour layover in Istanbul, Turkey [see post: Istanbul Layover], I boarded the flight bound for Djibouti City, and arrived at Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport a little less than six hours later on the morning of Friday, March 30, 2018.
Upon arrival, I was collected by my guide Akram and taken to the Atlantic Hotel. I only had one full day in Djibouti, so I had to make it worthwhile. Aside from scuba diving in the Red Sea, the country’s lakes are the main attraction. Although Djibouti is a relatively small country, Lake Assal and Lake Abbe are located quite far away from each other. So, I had to pick one. Lake Abbe is located further away from Djibouti City on the Djibouti-Ethiopia border. According to Google Images, it also resembled the landscapes that I would be visiting in the following weeks in Ethiopia. So, I decided to pass on it.
I chose Lake Assal because it had something special – the crater lake lies about 155 meters (or approximately 508 feet) below sea level, making it the lowest point on land in Africa. All of the multi-day tours that I found had the lake included in the proposed itineraries. However, I did not see any day tours advertised. I reached out to several companies and only heard back from one – Somaliland Travel Agency. I was shocked at how expensive it is to visit Lake Assal from Djibouti City as a solo traveler. Unfortunately, I did not really have any other options for that day.
After a brief city tour, we headed for Lake Assal.
The drive takes about two hours each way. On the way, we stopped for panoramic views of the “Grand Canyon” of Djibouti and Goubet Al-Kharab.
The stops were a pleasant surprise as I was not expecting much given the dull volcanic terrain we passed throughout the morning.
But, the highlight really was Lake Assal. Out of nowhere, 50 shades of blue.
Spectacular. Fed by hot springs, Lake Assal is the most saline lake outside of Antarctica.
After visiting Lake Assal, we stopped near the sea for lunch before making our way back to Djibouti City.
I had the entire evening to myself before I headed back to the airport to catch my flight to Mogadishu early the following morning [see post: 48 Hours in Mogadishu].
