Morning pickup from airport/hotel. Drive across expanding basaltic lava fields and desert scrub to reach the Erta Ale base camp. At dusk, complete the trek to the volcano's south crater rim. Spend the night observing the active, boiling magma pools. Overnight open-air camping in basic rock huts on the volcano rim.

Early morning observation of the volcano at sunrise. Descend back to the base camp for breakfast. Drive 100 kilometers through the desert plains to the Afar outpost village of Hamad Ela. Late afternoon transit to the endless salt flats of Lake Asale (Lake Karum) to observe the sunset reflecting off the shallow salt plains. Overnight open-air desert camping at Hamad Ela.

Early departure to the Dallol Cobber Sink, sitting at 116 meters below sea level. Explore the surreal landscape of bubbling neon sulfur geysers, potash deposits, and toxic brine pools. Witness traditional Afar laborers manually cutting salt slabs and loading them onto vast camel caravans at Ragad. Return drive to Semera or Mekelle for evening flight connections.