Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
There's no public transport to Lac Assal. Most visitors come with tours (
Click here
)
or
hire their own vehicles from the capital (
Click here
)
. A tour should set you back about
DFr15,000.
Grand Barra & Petit Barra
The road from Djibouti City to Lac Abbé crosses two spectacular desert plains that are the
remnants of an ancient lake: the Petit Barra and Grand Barra, the latter being 27km long
and 12km wide. The Grand Barra is basically a plain of white clay, which has dried and
cracked in the desert sun. It can be visited en route to Lac Abbé.
Lac Abbé
You'll never forget your first glimpse of Lac Abbé. The scenery is sensational: the plain is
dotted with hundreds of limestone chimneys, some standing as high as 50m, belching out
puffs of steam. Located 140km southwest of Djibouti City, it is often described as 'a slice
of moon on the crust of earth'.
Though desolate, it is not uninhabited. Numerous mineral-rich hot springs feed the
farms of local nomads who graze their camels and goats here. Flamingos also gather on
the banks of the lake at dawn.
The best time to visit the lake is in the early morning, when the chimneys appear to
belch smoke in the cool morning air. An even better plan is to arrive in the late afternoon,
stay the night, and leave after sunrise the following morning. In the evening, when the sun
sets behind the chimneys, the landscape can look almost magical.
LAC ABBÉ GUIDED TOURS
A guide to Lac Abbé is essential (
Click here
). Not just to get there, but also to steer you clear of the quicksand and
pits said to riddle certain areas of the banks. Guides can also give you a proper tour of the site, which should include
