The Danakil Depression is located at the top point of the African Rift Valley, in the Afar Triangle, which is an area where three divergent tectonic plates meet. The Arabian and two African plates, simply put, are pulling away from each other, revealing new and dramatic landscapes. The northern part of the Afar Depression is known as the Danakil Depression. This area is one of the most tectonically active on earth.

When visiting the Danakil, it is easy to imagine that one is on an alien planet. The scenery is so dramatic that it is unlike anywhere else on earth. Vast white salt pans give way to steaming sulphur springs, seeming to erupt with dazzling lemon and lime colours. The build-up of salts cause interesting patterned rims and chimneys to form along the pungent pools. Copper salts give the cooler pools a brilliant turquoise colour. Geysers spew steam and boiling water, adding a dimension of sound to an otherwise silent, almost lifeless place.

A single river, the Awash River, flows into the Dallol Depression. The water quickly evaporates, though, and beyond the river lies a string of salt lakes, covering a surface area of around 1,200 square kilometres.

The area is home to the nomadic Afar people, who make a living from mining the salt from these pans. The salt is carved into bars and then transported by camel caravan to other parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea.