BERAHALE / BERAHILE

BERAHALE / BERAHILE, SALT MARKET & GATEWAY TO THE DANAKIL. Get a permit to travel from +2000m Tigray to -115m Afar

Berahale

Berahile is a small town with mostly stone houses at a distance of ± 110km from Mekele and half way the Danakil Depression. It not only is the salt market for the Afar people, but also the place to get permits for tourism into the Dallol or Danakil Depression.  an interesting place as this is the transition town from the Tigray province to the Afar province with all the changes that one can imagine: From Tigray capital Mekele, 2,100masl, one passes from the cool Ethiopian highlands of more than 2000m to the 8th lowest point on Earth, the Danakil Depression at -115m below sea level. The highland population being Tigray Christians, while the the Afar people in the lowlands are Muslims, many of which are pastoral semi-nomads, living in wind-shielded huts built from woven mats to protect the Afar from the harshest of the climates of Ethiopia.

At an elevation of about 675 masl, Berahale is the gateway to the Afar lowlands. In this little town, every tourist has to get a permit to visit Lake Assale and the Erta Ale Volcano. From Berehile to Hammad Ale the base for visiting Lake Asale is ±70km.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Most of our hundreds of pictures are favored in Google! Why? Because no other website has so many beautiful high resolution pictures, taken by ourselves. Our pictures not only show you the beauty of Ethiopia, but they also show that we go everywhere, photographing wildlife, plants, people and culture. They show our professionalism, our keen eye for detail and our passion for the culture and nature of Ethiopia. So why consider booking our our Ethiopia Culture & National Parks modules? Because we don't mislead you like many tour operators do. When the Blue Nile falls are dry.... we tell you. When fog clouds the lava lake of Erte Ale? We let you know. Just drop us a mail and we will check it out for you.

Our tours take you to ALL famous cultural places of Ethiopia, and on top of that, you get to see up to 12 large nature reserves accompanied by a conservation forester. There is nothing similar on the market.

As Ethiopia can be combined with other East African countries, we organize tours in modules. Destinations Overview: Historical Circuit; Danakil Depression; Eastern Route; Simien Mountains; Bale Mountains; Southern Parks Safari; Gambella; Addis Ababa. BUT WAIT: if you buy your international ticket with Ethiopia Airlines, they will sell the internal flights at a price that you can't even ride the bus for. But you MUST plan it all in one package and making changes may be very costly. So let us help you plan your entire trip and book your local flights for an incredibly low price after you booked your international flight with Ethiopian Airlines!

Berahile is the end destination for the salt caravans coming from Lake Asale in the Danakil depression. Camels and donkey get unloaded and the salt is put on trucks for further transportation in the highlands.

The houses in Berahale son predominantly stone houses which reminds one of the stone houses in the Tigray highlands, but the population is predominantly Afar.

As one descents on the steep road from Berahale down to the desert, the scenery changes from semi-arid savannahs to almost totally bare mountains with no more than an occasional tree along dry river beds, and soon after, the mountains go over into hills and the totally bare lowland plains of the desert.

Being one of the driest deserts in the world, large parts of the Danakil Depression totally without vegetation.

Scattered vegetation of very draught hardy vegetation can be found, like these dwarf palms.

After visiting Lake Assale and the Erta Ale Volcano, it is possible to continue to Lake Afrera and from there to the Lucy site at Hadar, but most people return to Tigray capital Mekele to continue from there to Lalibela.

Ethiopia modernizes and changes more rapidly than any other country in Africa. Many features may not be there anymore in the near future. If you want to see it the way it was for thousands of years, see it now before it has changed forever! Compose your own once-in-a-lifetime Ethiopia-Africa-Adventure from our affordable modules:

Famous Ethiopia Historical Circuit

Simien Mountains trek or car visit

Danakil Depression and Erte Ale Volcano Expedition

Awash Babile Harar Safari Tour

Ethiopia Central and Southern Parks & Tribes Safari Tour

Bale Mountains National Park and Sof Omar Caves Tour

Gambella National Park Safari

Addis Ababa City Tour & Airport Transfer

All Ethiopia modules and prices together

We designed our itineraries in such a way that you can compose a 1 to 4 weeks journey from different modules that can show you the entire country or just the parts that interest you, all depending on your personal preferences, available time and budget. Email us on your interests and we can discuss a custom program with you by phone (we have phone lines from the USA and Europe) or skype. So, weather you have a great ethnic affinity, are a birdwatcher or want to go on safari, contact us and we work out a customized program that focuses on YOUR interests.

Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is home of Ethiopian Airlines, featuring Africa's youngest fleet of the latest intercontinental jet airplanes - including 2 Dreamliners - as well as short-distance Bombardier turboprops for affordable and reliable in-country flights servicing all major cities of Ethiopia. The best airline of Africa, will fly you non-stop from the USA and Europe to Addis Ababa. Take our 1-week Ethiopia Cultural Monuments Tour and then continue for your Kenya or Tanzania safari - or any other East African capital - thus completing your journey. IF YOU BUY YOUR INTERNATIONAL TICKET FROM ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES, YOU WILL GET MOST INTERNAL FLIGHTS FOR $40 - $70 PER LEG! BUT CHANGING AFTERWARDS IS EXPENSIVE, SO WORK OUT A SCHEDULE WITH US TO GET A FABULOUS DEAL FOR FLYING THROUGH THE COUNTRY IN STEAD OF SPENDING ENDLESS TIME ON THE ROAD!!!