Ethiopia & Djibouti vacation, Danakil Depression

Planet

This tour travels through some very remote regions, many of which have barely been touched by the presence of humans, and we strongly believe in maintaining their pristine nature. The nature of this trip means that many nights are spent camping. We strive to ensure that we leave these areas as we find them and our team have been trained in strict no litter policies, meaning that we take all refuse to either be recycled or properly disposed of in nearby towns. We use gas for cooking, but on occasions may use firewood – but only where this does not deplete natural resources and deprive local communities from using this themselves. Washing of dishes is carried out well away from any water sources so as not to contaminate them.

We visit the Foret du Day National Park on this trip, a rare example of forest environment in an otherwise arid land which provides a habitat for locally rare and endangered species. We are careful to use tracks (where they exist) to avoid disturbing the flora and fauna of the region. Travelers are briefed on appropriate behaviour within the park and other areas. As well as this, the presence of tourism here provides a financial incentive for local communities to maintain the environment, as the park provides jobs for some.

In conjunction with our local team we work with the hotels to help them to implement best practice in terms of environmental issues, from energy conservation to waste disposal.

The lakes of Assal and Abbe consist of fairly fragile environments which could be easily be damaged – we expressly brief our travelers on appropriate behaviour here so that these natural wonders remain for others to see.

People

This tour spends much of its time traveling through the remote Danakil Depression, an isolated area that is home to the Afar people. The Afar have traditionally been rather wary of outsiders and we feel that it is important that we respect their traditions and behave appropriately here; thus all travelers are carefully briefed on this. Where we stop to visit communities we ensure that our presence is welcomed – we do not want to treat the Afar as an exotic exhibit just to be photographed, but consult with tribal elders carefully. Photography can be a sensitive subject and so we ask all travelers to respect the wishes of local people in this respect.

We also sometimes offer donations to settlements and family groups – not financial but rather material goods which they may need and appreciate, and which can be hard to come by in the desert regions, such as tea and sugar.

We employ local Afar guides for part of this trip, meaning that this community is able to benefit financially from the presence of tourism in their homeland.

As head further into Ethiopia we visit a number of monasteries and religious sites. Again, appropriate behaviour here is key to ensure we do not offend local sensibilities.