| Coordinates | 14.2400, 40.3000 |
|---|---|
| Category | Hiking, Hiking, Scenic |
| Nearest city | Arerti |
| Region | 37, Ethiopia |
| Sources | geonames |
Dallol Hiking & Travel Guide
Dallol is a mountain in 37, Ethiopia. The nearest service base is Arerti, roughly 51 km away.
Dallol at a Glance
- What it is: mountain (Hiking)
- Where it is: 37, 37, Ethiopia — coordinates 14.2400, 40.3000
- Why it is listed: a source-verified entry in the CollabsTravel master database, matched against official gazetteer and geographic records before publication
- Time needed: two to four hours
- Best season: late spring to early autumn
Quick Facts
| Place type | Mountain |
| Primary category | Hiking |
| Also good for | Hiking, Scenic |
| Region / state | 37 |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Nearest city | Arerti |
| Coordinates | 14.2400, 40.3000 |
| Nearest base town | Arerti (51 km) |
Why Dallol Is Worth Visiting
Dallol earns its place in this guide for a simple reason: it is a verified hiking in 37, Ethiopia,. Its position 51 km from Arerti also makes it an easy add-on rather than a detour that costs half a day. Visitors book it for hiking, scenic as much as for hiking. And unlike listicle recommendations, everything on this page - coordinates, category, sources - was checked against official records before publication.
About Dallol
In plain terms, Dallol is a mountain in the 37 area of 37, Ethiopia that travellers book around hiking trips. Beyond its main draw, the record tags it for hiking, scenic too, so it rewards more than one kind of visit. Functionally it belongs to Arerti - the town most maps and locals will reference when describing how to reach it. Everything stated on this page comes from that verified record; where background history is quoted, the source is named at the end of the section.
The Story of Dallol: History & Background
Dallol (Amharic: ዳሎል) is a locality in the Dallol woreda of northern Ethiopia. Located in Kilbet Rasu, Afar Region in the Afar Depression, it has a latitude and longitude of 14°14′19″N 40°17′38″E with an elevation of about 130 metres (430 ft) below sea level. The Central Statistical Agency has not published an estimate for the 2005 population of the village, which has been described as a ghost town.
Dallol currently holds the official record for record high average temperature for an inhabited location on Earth, and an average annual temperature of 35 °C (95 °F) was recorded between 1960 and 1966. Dallol is also one of the most remote places on Earth, but paved roads in the area were built in 2015. Still, the most important mode of transport besides off-road vehicles are the camel caravans that travel to the area to collect salt.
In the region is the highly active hydrothermal system of Dallol, with numerous springs, terrace systems and fumaroles.
Lead passage from the Wikipedia article "Dallol (ghost town)", reused under CC BY-SA 4.0 with a coordinate-verified name match; the source article carries the full referenced history.
The Beauty of Dallol
What people mean when they call Dallol beautiful is usually elevated, unblocked views - the kind of layered landscape that photographs badly from the road and perfectly from the first viewpoint. The light does most of the work: low-latitude light keeps greens deep and skies dramatic; the difference between hours, not seasons, drives the look. The seasons restyle everything around it - wildflower spring, deep-green summer, gold-and-rust autumn and, above the snowline, a winter version of the same scene. And the beauty compounds with context: with 6 other verified places nearby, the 37 area reads as one continuous landscape rather than a single viewpoint, which is worth more than any filter on the photos you take here.
Getting There
Dallol sits at 14.2400, 40.3000 in 37, Ethiopia. Most visitors reach it by car, regional rail or local transit; pin the coordinates above rather than only the name - Dallol names repeat across regions, and rural entries often lack street addresses.
Base yourself in Arerti and make this a half-day trip; services, fuel and lodging are easiest there. The run from Arerti is about 51 km (32 mi) each way, so allow Arerti as your anchor for the day.
Best Time to Visit
Late spring to early autumn (May to September) brings the warmest and most reliable conditions across Ethiopia. Shoulder months just before and after that window trade a little weather for noticeably lower prices and thinner crowds.
Dallol Season by Season
- Summer (Jun-Aug) - peak season: the warmest, longest days and everything open, which also makes it the priciest and busiest window
- Autumn (Sep-Nov) - shoulder season: crowds drain away, the light turns photographic, and lodging rates typically fall
- Winter (Dec-Feb) - off-season: cheapest beds and empty viewpoints, but check for closures, snow or rain before committing
- Spring (Mar-May) - rebuild season: wildflowers, newborn wildlife and reopened facilities - the best balance if the weather holds
Things to Do
Planning what to actually do at Dallol comes down to the setting it sits in:
- Arrive with the exact coordinates (14.2400, 40.3000) pinned in your maps app — rural place names repeat across states
- Walk the shortest signed loop first, then decide how far to push on with the lightest pack
- Check sunrise/sunset times before setting out; carry water for double the distance you plan
- Photography stops at the first viewpoint are usually the best framed ones
- Chain the stop with what is nearby — see the list below before fixing your day route
None of this needs a rigid schedule - the honest pattern at Dallol is one anchor at the trailhead or first viewpoint, one longer stop, and the rest of the time left for whatever looks better from the car window. That flexibility is what separates a good half-day from a rushed one.
A Perfect Day in Dallol
Morning (start early). Have breakfast at Arerti and roll out before mid-morning - the light is softer, parking is open, and Dallol is at its quietest before the day-trippers arrive. Give the main stop its full due first rather than saving it for later.
Midday. From Dallol, Gada Ale is only 32 km away - pair the two rather than driving home for lunch; a picnic beats a reservation near most of these spots.
Afternoon. Keep going to Dalaffilla (57 km) if the group still has legs; it is the standard second half of this loop.
Golden hour. End at the main viewpoint, waterfront or main street as the light drops; this is the hour Dallol is genuinely famous for locally, and it costs nothing.
Evening. Sleep at Arerti unless the road out is long - leaving at dusk is the one mistake that can flatten an otherwise perfect day.
Know Before You Go to Dallol
- Save the pin (14.2400, 40.3000) offline - reception in 37 is exactly as good as it needs to be and no better
- Check the official source listed at the bottom of this page for current hours, fees and closures before driving out
- Carry more water than the plan says; shade is usually optional on these routes
- Tell someone the turnaround time - help arrives slower than it looks from the trailhead
Nearby Places Worth Combining
Dallol does not sit in isolation - these verified places are all within a short hop and combine into a full loop:
- Gada Ale — hiking, about 32 km (20 mi) away
- Dalaffilla — hiking, about 57 km (35 mi) away
- Hayli Gubbi — hiking, about 93 km (58 mi) away
- Borawli — hiking, about 128 km (79 mi) away
- Tat Ali — hiking, about 135 km (84 mi) away
- Ma Alalta — hiking, about 137 km (85 mi) away
Planning More of Your Trip
See everything in Ethiopia on the Ethiopia country hub, browse the full Hiking Ethiopia collection, or take in the whole 37 region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dallol worth visiting?+
Yes, if you are in the area for more than a single day. Dallol is a verified mountain in 37, Ethiopia that most drive-by lists miss, and the official-record provenance behind this page means the location, name and access facts are checked rather than guessed. Give it two to four hours.
Where exactly is Dallol?+
Dallol is in 37, Ethiopia, at coordinates 14.2400, 40.3000. Use the coordinates rather than the name alone - place names repeat across regions, and a map pin beats a keyword search.
How far is Dallol from the nearest city?+
Dallol is about 51 km (32 mi) from Arerti, which is an easy out-and-back day trip - most visitors base themselves in Arerti and make the run in well under an hour each way.
What is the best time to visit Dallol?+
late spring to early autumn. Book the shoulder months either side of that window for the same scenery at lower prices, and check seasonal closures before fixing dates.
How long do you need at Dallol?+
Plan on two to four hours for a first visit - the highlights at a normal pace without rushing. Add another half day if you want to combine it with the nearby places listed above.
Is Dallol good for families with kids?+
With kids, judge Dallol by the shortest signed loop rather than the headline route - if the first viewpoint holds their attention, extend; if not, leave early and nobody is disappointed.
Does Dallol cost anything to visit?+
Most public places like this have no entry fee, but parking, guided programs and seasonal shuttles are the usual small costs. Confirm current fees with the official source cited on this page - they change more often than guidebooks do.
What is near Dallol?+
The closest verified neighbour is Gada Ale; the nearby list above has the full set with distances, and combining two or three of them is the standard way to fill a day around Dallol.
Is Dallol open to visitors, and do you need a permit?+
Public places listed here are visitable by default; the permit exceptions are usually specific activities (backcountry camping, drones, commercial photography) rather than the visit itself. Check the cited official source for anything activity-based.
Should you visit Dallol in bad weather?+
Rain reshapes rather than ruins the day - viewpoints become cloud-scapes and trails get muddy. Keep Dallol as a fair-weather item on your trip and swap in the covered alternatives from the regional list when the forecast turns.
What makes Dallol different from other places like it?+
Its exact combination: a mountain in 37, Ethiopia with verified coordinates and, where listed, an official designation. The difference is usually the setting and the access pattern rather than the category label - the facts table on this page shows that specifically.
Can you visit Dallol as a day trip?+
Yes - at two to four hours on site, a day loop is realistic: morning at Dallol, one nearby stop, and home by evening. The Perfect Day section above has the hour-by-hour version.
What is Dallol known for?+
In the wider record, mountain-class place: Dallol (Amharic: ዳሎል) is a locality in the Dallol woreda of northern Ethiopia. This guide adds the practical layer - verified coordinates, access, seasonality and what to combine it with.
What is the most beautiful thing about Dallol?+
The honest short answer is in The Beauty of Dallol section above, but distilled: what people mean when they call dallol beautiful is usually elevated, unblocked views - the kind of layered landscape that photographs badly from the road and perfectly from the first viewpoint. Come for the light and the setting rather than a single checklist object.
Is Dallol crowded?+
Dallol sits below the headline-name tier in its region, so crowding is an event-and-weekend problem rather than a standing one. Weekday mornings in the shoulder season are the quietest version of the visit.
What is the history of Dallol?+
The sourced background above places documented events for Dallol around 2005 at the earliest point its article dates; for the full timeline with references, the linked Wikipedia article is the primary trail and this guide keeps the practical travel layer on top of it. ## Source Verification This guide's facts come from official public datasets: [Geonames record 9883897](https://www.geonames.org/9883897). Location data is reviewed in per-state batches before publication.