Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
Ethiopian Airlines
(
0344-400055)
flies three times daily to Addis Ababa (Birr1327,
1 to 1½ hours).
Numerous minibuses run to Adigrat (Birr36, 2½ hours), while one bus runs to Aksum
(Birr82, seven hours, 6am). For the Tigray churches, vehicles leave from the bus station
daily for Abi Adi (Birr35, 3½ hours), Wukro (Birr15, one hour) and Hawzien (Birr33, 2½
hours) via Sinkata.
There's no direct transportation to Lalibela so you must transit through Woldia. With a
bit of luck, it's usually possible to make it in one day. To get to Woldia either take an Ad-
dis Ababa-bound bus (Birr140, six hours) or take a minibus to Alamata (Birr45, four
hours) and continue to Woldia (Birr30, 1½ hours) from there. Vehicle hire can be arranged
through travel agencies or the tourist office from Birr2000/2500 for a minibus/4WD.
To Addis Ababa, you have the choice of normal service (Birr230, two days, 5am daily),
deluxe Selam Buses (Birr340, 1½ days, 6am daily) or Post Bus (Birr300, 1½ days, 6am
thrice weekly).
Danakil Depression
Bubbling volcanoes light up the night sky, sulphurous mounds of yellow contort into oth-
erworldly shapes, and mirages of camels cross lakes of salt. Lying 100m and more below
sea level, the Danakil Depression is about the hottest and most inhospitable place on
Earth. In fact it's so surreal that it doesn't feel like part of Earth at all. If you want genu-
ine, raw adventure, then few corners of the globe can match this overwhelming wilder-
ness. But come prepared because with temperatures frequently saying hello to 50°C and
appalling 'roads', visiting this region is more an expedition than a tour.
Trips here can be organised through tour operators in Addis Ababa (
Click here
)
or
Mekele (
Click here
)
. The Mekele companies are in the habit of joining travellers togeth-
er into large groups and you can usually just show up and find a trip departing in a day or
two. The going rate in Mekele is US$500 per day with a big enough group, but all prices
are negotiable. Four-day tours visiting Irta'ale, Dallol and Lake Asale are the norm. You
can also add one day and add Lake Afdera to the itinerary or do only Dallol in two days or
just Irta'ale in three. Some companies will take you year-round, but between July and
early October there's a good chance of flooding and you may not be able to make it to
Irta'ale or Lake Afdera.
