Name: Lake Assal
Address: Djibouti, Djibouti
Rating: 4.5

Bodies of Water

About

Lac Assal is 150m (492ft) below sea level, and is an aquatic wilderness surrounded by dormant volcanoes and black lava fields. The lake is a one-day trip on the tarmac road west from the capital. You will pass Lac Goubet on the way, a seawater loch known locally as 'the pit of demons', then pass a stark, apocalyptic volcanic neck separating the two lakes.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5

218 reviews

Excellent

144

Very good

60

Average

10

Poor

1

Terrible

3

Lori L

Djibouti, Djibouti30 contributions

Nice for a partial day trip

Nov 2019 • Friends

Lac Assal is beautiful in an otherworldly way. The colors are brilliant and the surrounding landscape is intriguing. On the flip side, it’s nice for about 20 minutes. There’s not much at Lac Assal itself. I recommend if you go on this trip, pair it with another destination.

Written January 24, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

leciel83

Toronto, Canada282 contributions

Worth a visit

Feb 2020 • Solo

Lake Assal is a must visit if you are in Djibouti. The car ride from center of Djibouti is around 1 hour 30 mins (depending on the driving speed) and there is a lovely white sale beach where visitor can walk on and take loads of lovely photos.

PLEASE NOTE: it is important to wear thick bottom layer of foot ware (thin flip flops is not recommended) due to the sharp salty beach! Also if it is a sunny day, sun screen is important ! If not, like myself, got sun burn in minutes !

Written February 7, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

subinvs

Dubai, United Arab Emirates20 contributions

Nice and romantic place for a day visit

Aug 2019

It s an amazing place to visit; place surrounded by volcano affected area. salt lake is another attraction. beach is very much clean and clear. One of the natures wonder to see...for any travelers. Its too hot during summer

Written March 17, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Skullmann

Colorado Springs, CO176 contributions

Lots of history and worth the drive

Lake Assal is a worthwhile day trip from Djibouti. Very austere and harsh scenery along the drive, but that is Djibouti. If you're driving yourself and you're new to the African experience, beware of the rough roads, wild drivers, and animals along the road. Lake Assal itself is set well below sea level and is the origin of an old salt trail that penetrated the interior of Africa. Interesting geologic formations are worth exploring during the drive, and the are several stunning gorges that deserve some picture taking. At Lake Assal, be prepared to be assailed with the typical African merchants selling all the touristy items. If you're brave you can take a dip in the salt lake and experience bouyancy like you've never imagined! You'll be a slimy mess when you get out but you'll have bragging rights.

Written February 3, 2012

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bluebay06

La Spezia, Italy2,128 contributions

Djibouti - lake Assal and Lake Abbe

Nov 2016 • Couples

Together with my husband we decided to spend 7 days in November visiting Djibouti. Having a few days to plan the trip and knowing the difficulty of driving in the desert around lake Abbe we decided to contact Bambu Service Touristik. Daniel, the boss, was very fast in reply and professional in the coordination of the trip by e-mail. We take from him only the excursion booking the Atlantic hotel on line. Prices in Djibouti are higher than European prices. At the arrival, some time is necessary to clear immigration because after the passport check, some time is necessary for the Visa on arrival payment which costs 80 Euro or 90 US dollars. The Bambu representative was waiting for us (with an aged but in very good condition Land Cruiser) for the short transfer to the hotel. Atlantic hotel is a new hotel in the center of Djibouti which price is around 150 Euro per night for a double room. The fact that this hotel was a good solution, considering the prices in Djibouti, was confirmed by the fact that it was complete all days we stay there. The following day with a private boat we reached the Moucha Islands for a short tour in the mangroves where we saw some birds including the big goliath herons (Ardea goliath). The snorkeling in Maskali island was on a beautiful reef, but the visibility was pour making the underwater picture of poor quality. No mosquitos or flies at all. During the return to Djibouti a group of dolphins went close to the boat and Daniel offered us the possibility to stop and take several marvelous pictures of these animals playing next to us. The following day we had an hour transfer by boat to Arta Plage for snorkeling with Whale Sharks. Till a few years ago, to see the whale sharks was granted due to the large feeding on the plankton present in the gulf, but nowadays these animals are rare. The strong wind made the 3 hours of searching difficult due the masking impact of the waves. Daniel insisted in extending the search and finally a shark was seen. We jumped in the water. It was a 4-m long whale shark which started to circle around us showing a very relaxing attitude. These situation lasted more than 20 minutes offering excellent opportunity for underwater videos and pictures. The transfer to le Sable Blanc resort was realized with the same private boat. The Sable Blanc resort is a simple but very nice resort. The room was excellent and the food was good. The beach is really beautiful, but at low tide it is necessary to pass the coral reef for swimming and snorkeling. A challenging activity. With high tide (2 m) the swimming and snorkeling is simply perfect with the opportunity to see sea turtles and colorful fish. The following morning Daniel reached us with the land cruise and the road to Goubet gulf was good. The Goubet gulf is a very wind and an absolutely desert area of incredible beauty for the contrast of the deep blue of the sea and the dark lava plateau of the Ardoukoba region. The vulcan together with the Devil’s Island are a paradise for pictures even if the Chinese have built a pier for export the salt of lake Assal. A short drive take us to lake Assal. The beauty of this lake is incredible and pay you for the cost of the trip in this country. The salt along the coast of the lake make it appears as a beautiful tropical sea while approaching the lake. This is the lowest point of Africa, 155 m below the sea level.The following day we left Djibouti very early in the morning to reach lake Abbe. Four hours were necessary, two of them in a poor visible track in the desert where we have seen gerenuk Litocranius walleri and dorcas gazelle Gazella Dorcas. Before to reach the lake, there is a plateau with several limestone chimneys some as high as 40 – 60 m giving the impression to be on the moon surface. The hot springs create the condition for the presence of grass: some small green spots in a desert scenery of incredible beauty. It is very dangerous to drive in the area from the chimneys and the lake because the surface looks like as hard and compact but it is soft mud were even a 4WD can get stocked with no chance to come out. In the area there is a small camp where you can stay during the night sleeping in very basic accommodation. This can offer the possibility to see the sunset and to walk to the lake to see the flamingos at sunrise. Simply a fantastic trip!

Written December 4, 2016

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Devon Steeves

Vancouver, Canada92 contributions

Incredible salt beach!

Jul 2018 • Friends

Loved our visit to Lac Assal! The road trip there was filled with beautiful scenery making the drive fly by. And the white salt beaches made this place one of the top highlights of Djibouti 🇩🇯 Top Tip: Aim to arrive for 3:30-4pm to avoid the strongest sun of the day.

Written August 27, 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GlobalDegree

Vancouver, Canada28 contributions

Absolutely incredible!

Jul 2018 • Friends

Took a day trip with friends to Lac Assal and totally blown away! The drive there had tons of beautiful scenery but the endless white salt beach and clear water was truly incredible. Best tip I can share is arrange your arrival time for around 3:30-4pm. By this time the sun isn’t as strong and the heat is more bearable.

Written August 26, 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tnbms162016

Tokyo, Japan315 contributions

Superb landscapes, terrible guide

Mar 2014 • Solo

This is an averaged rating for a trip to Lac Assal and Lac Abbe

for both Lac Assal and Lac Abbe, 5 stars;
for Bambu Tours (management), 5 stars;
for the guide 1 star.

These lakes are both unique geological phenomena, fascinating to visit. Lac Abbe is an atmospheric dried up lake-bed with chimney fumaroles. There is some water left in the middle area, where flamingos congregate in the morning. The camp is basic but OK. (There’s no tea or cookies to welcome you, like there is in camps in Ethiopia.) Lac Assal is stunningly beautiful – turquoise water inside a brilliant white salt pan, surrounded by steep barren hills.
Bambu Tours is run by Daniel, and the trip was well organized – good email correspondence in advance, punctual departure, the car in good condition, and when problems arose with the guide, Daniel acted very professionally.
The guide, Akram, was truly terrible. He has good language skills (French and English) but behaves like an arrogant 14 year-old, although he’s in his 20s. Basically, he ignores the client. He has no interest in his job, no interest at all in the client (never even asking my name, although I was the only client on this 2-day trip), and makes no effort at all to be friendly, or even polite. This spoils the trip. Akram was so unpleasant on the second morning that I phoned a complaint to Daniel, who dismissed him from the tour, and I continued with just the driver, who was friendly and helpful. Afterwards, Daniel came to my hotel to apologize, which I appreciated, although the problem was not really his fault. He mentioned that another client had also complained about this guide. Akram works not only for Bambu Tours, but also for 2 or 3 other agencies in Djibouti.
So, yes, do visit these two unusual landscapes, and I recommend Daniel’s Bambu Tours, but avoid the guide Akram.

Written March 17, 2014

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TripMember06092015

United States1,507 contributions

Polluted dirty water! Sad and disappointing

Jan 2019

When I visited it a few days ago, Lac Assal was not emerald and green but brown and grey. The guide said the new factory started emitting chemical waste into the lake a week or two ago. If it continues, I would have second thought about coming. Now, I dared not float in the lake after seeing and hearing what the guide said.

Written January 12, 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DTA djibouti tourisme agency

Djibouti, Djibouti81 contributions

lake assal

Dec 2019 • Business

when you stand on view point of lake assal you can see how beautiful it's ,lake assal is also one of the most visited place in africa .

Written December 15, 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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