Lake Karum

Lake Karum (also known as Lake Asale) resembles an Arctic desert rather than a salty lake. Despite the surrounding attractions of Erta Ale and Dallol, Lake Karum is a true highlight of a Danakil tour. A halt by the lake will only last 20-30 minutes before the heat forces you back into the relative comfort of the air-conditioned Landcruisers.

Large amounts of mineral salts and deposits collected in the area following a period of continual inundation from the Red Sea, leaving a thick hard crust. The lake bed is a jet white salt crust with uneven outlines that gradually sinks into Lake Karum's pure water. The shift from salt pan to salt lake is so subtle that it appears that the salt pan merely begins to shimmer and gleam as it juts off into the distance. Salt is continuously mined in the area, as it has been for millennia, with traditional methods of cultivation and cutting. It is one of the world's lowest salt flats, at 116 meters below sea level, and has produced some the most sought after salt.

Dallol, a former mining village, is located immediately north of the lake. The sulphur flats near Dallol are one of the Danakil's main attractions, with multi-colored rocks emerging from long dry geezers that previously spewed steam. When you get at the lake, an array of stunning intermingling colors found within the semi-dried pools sparkle in the midday sun, creating an almost psychedelic landscape.

Lake Asale is one of the Danakil Depression's two hypersaline lakes and one of the most beautiful lakes to visit in Ethiopia. You should spend no more than 20 minutes here. But don't worry, 20 minutes is plenty of time to take in the strange scenery and take some amazing photos.