Ardoukoba Volcano
Ardoukoba Volcano is one of the youngest volcanoes on the planet, lying in the seismically active zone of the Great African Rift in the Republic of Djibouti. It is a fissure volcano, which is composed of basalts and volcanic slag and is a 17 km long and up to 800 meters deep fault in the Earth’s crust.
General information
Tourists come here to climb up to the 30-meter diameter crater. At Ardoukoba volcano, you can see large lava fields, chunks of rock and huge boulders ejected during the last major eruption. The summit of Ardoukoba volcano rises to 298 meters. It is a great vantage point, offering beautiful views of the surrounding hills and Lakes Assal and Lac Goubet.
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Volcanologists have found that the greatest volcanic activity in the area occurred between 7000 and 2000 BC. Then the Arboukoba volcano went quiet for a long time, but in 1978 it woke up and there was a violent eruption. During three weeks around the ancient volcano, about 800 tremors were registered. The strongest of them reached 3.3 points on the Richter scale. As a result of the earthquakes, deep cracks were formed in the Earth’s crust. From one of them, an extended lava flow poured out, and three volcanic cones were formed.
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Nowadays, climbing to the volcanic crater is considered absolutely safe. During them, travelers can see bizarre piles of rocks and gazelles grazing on the slopes of the volcano. The soils here are colored differently, so the Ardoukoba volcano is surrounded by colorful landscapes.
.How to get there
Ardoukoba Volcano is located in the Tadjoura region, 100 kilometers east of the state capital, Djibouti. Travelers get here by high-clearance vehicles, and the road to the foot of the volcano takes several hours. Traveling to the mountain is usually combined with a visit to the picturesque salt lakes.
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