Dallol, officially one of the remotest places on earth, is located in the Danakil Depression in northeast Ethiopia. The area is known for its otherworldly hydro-geothermal features that include acidic sulfur lakes, geysers, and bizarrely colored mineral deposits. Though technically listed as a settlement by the government, Dallol is no longer inhabited. Other than nomadic … Read more
Initially, I thought the line of brown bumps were cliffs on the distant horizon. But as our jeep sped across Ethiopia’s infinite salt flats in the Danakil Depression, I realized the bumps were moving. Moments later our driver pulled over and invited us to step out into 115 degree temperatures to watch the first camel … Read more
The urgent need to pee woke me at 5:30 a.m. I swung my legs over the side of my bamboo cot and gingerly tested my right ankle, which I’d twisted the previous day on a loose rock. It was much better, but I wasn’t taking any chances in the rock-strewn landscape. Carefully, I picked my … Read more
Many of the indigenous peoples that inhabit southern Ethiopia have settled in the lowlands, but members of the Dorze Tribe prefer to live in the mountains that surround the Great Rift Valley. Twelve Dorze villages are scattered across these mountains, each nestled in a green glade like the one shown in the above photo. The … Read more
The Mursi people are among the least developed of the 56 indigenous tribes that inhabit the southern Omo Valley in Ethiopia. I visited this tribe during a day trip into the remote Mago National Park. Thick, black mud sucked at my shoes as I walked among chest-high straw huts scattered around a small clearing. There … Read more
