Lac AssalPersonal travel impressions in stories and pictures from Lac Assal, Djibouti. Click on the pictures to enlarge, send as a free e-card, or download for personal use. You can locate Lac Assal and navigate the world using Google Earth Show on map
N 11° 40.164
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Normally, thinking of a lake would make you think of a peaceful, friendly place, small waves lapping the shore of a quiet environment, and a place with a moderate climate. Not so Lac Assal. Before setting out there, everyone warns you of the prohibitive climate, while common sense tells you that a dip in the lake will not be on the programme. Lac Assal is situated more than 150 metres below sea level, making it the lowest point on the African continent. Moreover, it is also one of the hottest points. The lake consists of very saline water; it is saltier than the Dead Sea making it virtually impossible to enter.
On the way from Djibouti ville, you pass the Bay of Ghoubbet, a very deep lagune with a small opening to the sea, surrounded by myths about large monsters living in it. Indeed, the name of the bay in Afar, the local language, means Gulf of the Demons. Shortly after leaving the bay behind, you start a descent that will take you right to the shore of Lac Assal. As you go down, you can feel the temperature outside soar; perhaps more impressively are the crash barriers literally eaten away by the salty earth. When you finally step into this landscape, the forbidding white lake reflects on your eyes and makes you grab your sunglasses.
The salt in the lake gets compressed near the shore, and in some areas, it is possible to walk on the lake. More interestingly, the Afar nomads living in these areas have put this salt to commercial use for centuries, trading it as a highly sought after commodity in the highlands of Ethiopia. This is one of the starting points of the camel trains carrying the salt from this deep, desolate point to the fertile green lands of the East African highlands. Walking the shore, you come across crystallized things like small branches and dead birds. This, and the entire atmosphere of Lac Assal, convince you that you are in a unique place.
