Lac AsSal: Second Saltiest Lake in the World

LAC ASSAL

ME!

The last stop on my overnight is to Lac Assal in the Afar depression where three tectonic plates diverge. It is a beautiful sight, and if I did not know better, would have mistaken Lac Assal for a Caribbean beach, with bleached white sand and the clearest, deep blue water. It is very deceiving to the eyes from a distance, but as we neared the edge, I realized the immense expanse of white sand was not sand at all, but hard, crusty salt, rock-salt crystalized, jagged and razor sharp. It was gorgeous.


The water is ten times saltier than the ocean and at 155m below sea level, it is the lowest point in Africa, and third lowest point in the world after the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Geologists say the lake originally contained freshwater and there is no real evidence for how it turned.


Hard soled water shoes are a must. The salt crunched beneath my feet and the whiteness of it was blinding. I didn't swim, just waded in for a quick pic, but the salt stuck like glue to my feet. A thick, itchy layer of salt. Fresh water is at a premium in Djibouti so I had to ride back to the city to rinse the rinse the salt from my legs and hands.


The water is ten times saltier than the sea and at 155m below sea level, it is the lowest point in Africa, and third lowest point in the world after the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Geologists say the lake originally contained freshwater and there is no real evidence for how it turned. The local Afar and Issa people have long mined the lake, scraping or digging salt from the shore, and camel caravanning across ancient routes to Ethiopia to trade for much need commodities.  

Today, private companies extract salt from Lac Assal for commercial purposes and a brand-new industrial plant funded by Chinese is mining salt for its own uses.

My guide, Fahsi! The best!