Danakil: a natural, but occasionally fatal, beauty

In January, five foreign tourists were killed and four people kidnapped in Afar, a region located in north-eastern Ethiopia, next to Eritrea. These crimes were not isolated events. Yet the tourists keep coming...
by Borja Santos Porras, Danakil
Five years after Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, a border war broke out that caused around 70,000 casualties. In December 2000 a peace agreement was signed between the two governments but the situation remains tense, with regular news reports about bandits, accidents and kidnappings in the region. In 2007 alone, five European and 13 Ethiopians were kidnapped while visiting the area. 
Two German tourists kidnapped in January were released on 6 March 2012. The fate of their two Ethiopian guides remains unknown. 

Resilient locals
Besides kidnappings, this arid stretch of land has high temperatures regularly exceeding 50 degrees Celsius. Ana Gallego, who has been an aid worker in the area for almost four years, says: “The hard conditions have made the people very tough survivors. But once you get to know them, they are a very genuine and friendly people.”
However, some local travel guides try to captivate tourists with stories and legends from elders, such as how in the past Afar men would cut off the testicles of any male outsiders entering the region.
So why does this region still attract tourists?

Beauty over risk
The Danakil Depression (also known as the Afar Triangle or the Afar Depression) is often celebrated in the media as one of the world’s top destinations. With several points lying over 120 meters below sea level, it is one of the deepest, hottest and most inhospitable places on earth, yet harbors many different astonishing landscapes. For example, Dallol is a colorful group of countless sulfurous springs emitting steaming water.
The area also holds 30 percent of Africa’s active volcanoes. Arte Ale, the most famous volcano, has been in constant state of eruption since 1967 and can be climbed at night to see its lake of lava. And if that is not enough, there are also sandy deserts and a massive salt lake.
Naigzi Gebremedhin, an experienced guide of the area, seeks to reassure potential visitors: “Nowadays, despite the sad recent incidents, the situation has become more normal. The military presence has made it much safer. The tourists are still coming”