Danakil Depression Tour Safety

Is the Danakil Depression Safe to Visit?

Danakil Depression Tour Safety. Is the Danakil Depression safe for travelers to visit? the answer is yes; it is very safe for travelers to visit. but it is safe only in good hands. The Safety concern is fair and reasonable given that the Danakil is located in such a large but scarcely populated desert. one of the reson making it mandatory for any tour to be secured by 4 police officers and a local scout at any time. not to mention it is one of the hottest places on earth.

What is the Danger In Danakil Depression Safety?

The main danger in the Danakil Depression tour is mother nature and negligence.

In the 3 days Danakil Depression tour you will drive approximately 800km in total. So, regardless you are a private traveler or in a group of 60 tourists your tour must be accompanied by 4 armed guards and 1 local scout. These 4 police officers are there to protect the tour from any harm during the 800km driving and while trekking up to the volcano. But not only that, the officers will do amazing job by looking after tourists from sprinting and from possible volcano accident and watch out for the tour whilst it is taking place and during camping.

Danakil Depression cheap Price can Kill You.

While the 4 officers are enough to keep you safe like being at home. The tour agency will have to provide them with their own 4×4 land-cruisers, fuel plus the security fees, making the Danakil depression safety very costly. This and business competition bring some travel agencies to review their business strategy into be the good old ‘’Quantity is Quality’’ type. This strategy is simply lowering the price down to $300 to attract as many travelers as possible into a group.

In other words stretching the safety of travelers by lowering the price. It worked very well for some agencies but since it can not work without cheating it caused the death of a German and an Israeli in 2017 and 2019. will be on it

Well while this price seems a win win situation for budget travelers it causes a travel disaster for almost all the photographers and family vacations who need an intimate attention unfortunatly were lured to be thrown into a group of 50-90 travelers. and so far, claimed 2 lives.

How the Quantity is Quality type tour is Dangerous?

Cheap tours benefit by squeezing Safety in Danakil Depression. 

First it is cheap ” pays little to its stuff ” and second it involves cheating. The QQ agencies will bribe the security guards paying them the 3 days payment and telling 4 of them to decline from the tour. this way the QQ agency will save a land-cruiser, its 3 days fuel and driver’s fee. Most travelers won’t notice the scale of the danger they are in. Another way they cheat is that they will provide an old car most of the time with no functioning Air Con. this old land-cruisers are much cheaper to provide. Some of the travel agencies even go as far as giving bloggers a free trip so the bloggers lie about the tours giving them a 5 star when in fact they are dangerously over crowded.

Danakil Depression Tour Safety & Accidents so far

Danakil Depression Tour Safety

A German Tourist Killed in Ertale

In the evening hours of 3 Dec 2017 a group of 48 travelers were hiking up to mount Ertale, when a member of the tour was unable to carry on anymore half way and demanded to take a break but his super sized group decided to continue the hiking. leaving the tour guide to stay with the 62-year-old German in the darkness, and the lonely security guard had to lead the rest of the travelers to the volcano. After an hour long break the German decided to carry on the hiking, then by the time he and his tour guide approached the active volcano area but from a different direction as they were lost while hiking, the army at the mount Ertale mistook them to intruders and open fire killing the German and wounding the young tour guide. Had 4 of the security guards were present in that evening communication could have saved the poor men. Sadly the Tour guide didn’t knew the Afar language, faild to identify himself leading to a friendly fire and death.

Young Lady found Dead in Danakil Depression

17 August 2019 an Israeli traveler 22 was left behind in mount Dallol and her body was found 24 hours letter. Aya Naamneh, 22, from the Galilee town of Arraba joined this large groups and was left behind at mount Dallol, sadly the tour went down the mountain using another route, leaving her lonly and confused in one of the hottest place on earth. This is one of the tragedies of 2019 because the heat in Dallol mountain would dehydrate and kill her in few hours. This is a very sad accident which could have simply been avoided if it wasn’t for greed and selfishness of the travel agency. I will not mansion the travel agency because you can read about it in the travel forums, by the travelers who were part of her group & who have documented about what happened.

Danakil Depression Tour safety

Below are Some safety precautions

•  It is impossible to travel on your own so find tours from Mekele (Semera) or Addis Ababa in Advance. you Are more than welcome to join our small group tour or private tours. “you can request a video discussion on details even your diatery requirments will be discussed prior to your visit””.
•  Make a detailed agreement on the size & Numbers of the group you will join.
• For any size of a group it can be 1 private traveler or 12 tourists or even 60 tourists the number of the security guards is always 4 officers so Avoid big groups.
• Make sure you are traveling with tour operators who care.
• Don’t stray far or do Not leave your group!
• Contact us for more details