Lake Abbe – Djibouti - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

Lake Abbe

Djibouti

A salt lake dotted with steaming limestone chimneys. 

View all photos
(WikiCommons) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abbe-3.jpg (Creative Commons)
26
86

Situated in the middle of the hot and hellish Afar Depression, Lake Abbe stretches six miles in width and is covered in clusters of massive, steam-blasting limestone chimneys.

Although Lake Abbe is the ultimate destination for Ethiopia’s Awash River, its dry landscape absorbs the water, and the area is a vast landscape of salt flats. Besides Mount Dama Ali, a small dormant volcano, the landscape is almost completely level, and the steaming, sulphuric vents lend the region an apocalyptic, and Tatooine-like look.

Some of the vents stretch as high as 150 feet into the air, and make the lake visible from miles around. Despite the hellish climate near Lake Abbe, nomadic Afar shepherds live in the area, along with a surprising population of flamingos.

martian landscapes geological oddities natural wonders ecosystems geology nature
Community Contributors
serflac
Added by
serflac
a
Ursula
atimian
Edited by
aribrown, Ursula, atimian
Published
January 26, 2012
Edit this listing
Make an Edit Add Photos
Nearby
Hadar Archaeological Site
40.77 miles
Lac Assal
53.47 miles
The Afar Rift
67.67 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
The archaeological site of Hadar.
Shinile, Ethiopia

Hadar Archaeological Site

The skeletal remains of the famous hominid "Lucy" were found at this spot.
Lac Assal
Tadjourah, Djibouti

Lac Assal

Rimmed by white crusts of salt on every edge, Lac Assal is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world.
Afar Zone 1, Ethiopia

The Afar Rift

An ocean in the making, in the Ethiopian desert.
Chemin de Fer Railway Museum
Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

Chemin de Fer Railway Museum

Rusting railcars and locomotive equipment fill this Ethiopian train graveyard.
Related Places
The Smoking Hills, as seen from the sea.
Inuvik, Unorganized, Northwest Territories

The Smoking Hills

These hellish-looking cliffs in the Canadian Arctic have been burning for centuries.
A mud pot.
Iceland

Námafjall

In Northeastern Iceland lies something of an oxymoron: a steaming desert.
Fairy Glen, as viewed from Castle Ewan.
Isle of Skye, Scotland

Fairy Glen

This dramatic landscape hidden on the Isle of Skye looks as though you've stepped into the magical realm.
Antarctica

Mount Erebus

Fire meets ice at the southernmost volcano on Earth.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web