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Ethiopia Adventure Tour
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This is the hottest spot on the planet`s outer
surface.
The
Dallol area which is practically unpopulated is
known to be the hottest place on earth. Thousands of
years ago, this low-lying area was a salt lake which
has subsequently dried up and resulted in a vast
plain of salt which covers an area of more than 10
square kilometers and from which salt has been
extracted since ancient times. It is estimated that
there are 290 million tons of sale at Lake Afrera
alone. Today one can see hundreds of Afar and
Tigrayan cameleers cutting open the crust of the
salt lake to produce neat rectangular salt tablets,
and loading them on to thousands of camels for
distribution to markets across Ethiopia.
Not
far from Dallol in the Danakil Depression north of
the Great Rift Valley, the only volcanic crater
below sea level has remained silent since 1926 as
the seabed it will one day occupy gradually widens.
Another impressive natural phenomenon of this region
is Er'tale, an active shield volcano in the Afar
Region of northeastern Ethiopia. It is the most
active volcano in Ethiopia. Er'tale is 613 meters
tall, with a lava lake, one of only five in the
world, at the summit. It is notable for being the
longest existing lava lake, present since the early
years of the twentieth century. It is located in the
Danakil Depression.
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