Dallol Ghost Town
Dallol
The abandoned remains of a potash mining town built in the early 20th century by Italian miners, with houses made of salt bricks. The site once recorded one of the highest average annual temperatures on Earth.
The Dallol mining town was built in the early 20th century. Italian and American companies mined potash here in succession and built a narrow-gauge railway to the port in Eritrea. The town was abandoned after the 1960s. Today, only the remaining walls of houses built from salt bricks and rusted machinery stand, looking desolate on the salt flats. From 1960 to 1966, the local weather station recorded an average annual temperature of about 34.4°C, one of the highest records for any inhabited place. Most visitors make a brief stop here for photos on the way to the Dallol geothermal area.
Opening hours
Group tours only