Dodom is the last stop for vehicles before Erta Ale: a scatter of low stone huts roofed with dry branches, a parking area on the lava, and the kitchen where your cook prepares dinner before the night trek. Every licensed expedition passes through here, and it is also where local Afar guides, scouts and camel handlers join your group.
It is not a comfortable place — there is no electricity, water is brought in, and the afternoon heat can be brutal — but it has a real frontier atmosphere, and on the way back down in the morning it is where breakfast and cold drinks are waiting.
Top things to do at Dodom Base Camp
Rest before the climb
Groups usually arrive in the late afternoon. Drink, eat, and lie down in the shade of a shelter — the walk starts once the heat has broken.
Meet your Afar escorts
The scouts and guides who will walk with you are local Afar. Their knowledge of the terrain is your best safety equipment; a few words of greeting go a long way.
Pack your daypack properly
Only take what you need up the mountain: water, torch, warm layer, camera, snacks. Leave the rest locked in your vehicle.
How to get to Dodom Base Camp
- Dodom is reached by 4x4 only, on a slow, rough final track across the lava that can take a couple of hours.
- From the south (Semera and Lake Afrera) and from the north (Mekele, via the salt plain) tours converge on the same base camp.
- You cannot get here independently — the approach is only permitted with a registered operator and escorts.
Insider tips
- Keep valuables with you or locked in the vehicle.
- Use the toilet facilities at base camp before you set off — there are none on the rim.
- Tip the camel handlers and scouts if they have done a good job; your guide will advise on amounts.
- Mobile coverage is weak or absent. Tell family you will be out of contact for a day or two.
Best tours that include Dodom Base Camp
These licensed expeditions are the practical way to reach Dodom Base Camp — transport, permits, Afar escorts and meals are all arranged for you:
3-day camping from €352 3-Day Danakil Depression Tour with Camping
A budget-friendly camping expedition from Mekele that covers the three essentials — Erta Ale, the salt flats and Lake Afrera — with sleeping mats, meals and drinking water provided. Expect basic but well-organised camps and a proper sense of how remote this place is.
- Erta Ale volcano with a night under the stars
- Lake Afrera and the salt flats
- Camping gear, meals and water included
3-day expedition from €396 From Semera: Danakil Depression 3-Day Tour
Semera, the capital of the Afar Region, is the closest airport to Erta Ale, and this well-rated three-day tour uses it to reach the volcano from the south along the shore of Lake Afrera — shorter drives on day one than the classic Mekele route.
- The southern approach via Lake Afrera
- Overnight at the Erta Ale crater
- Salt flats and the Danakil landscapes
2-day express from €440 Extreme Danakil: Lava Lakes & Acid Springs
A compressed two-day version of the classic loop from Semera, pairing the volcano with Dallol and its acid springs. Demanding, but it gets both headline sights into a weekend.
- The Erta Ale trek
- Dallol’s acid springs and salt formations
- The Sulphur Lake
