Camping at Lac Abbe

Lac Abbe is a salt lake that borders Ethiopia and Djibouti. As a morale booster, the team took an overnight camping trip to Lac Abbe. It was only 60 miles away, but it took us almost 4 hours to get there with all the unnecessary stops and rough roads. Along the way, we stopped and took pictures with Camels and of other animals that I don’t know how to spell.

When we finally arrived, we went hiking about 3 miles to view chimneys and watch the sun set.

For dinner, we dined on MREs. That alone was enough of an experience for me to know that I would have never lasted in the military. While we ate, a few of the staff entertained us with authentic Djiboutian chants and songs. As the only American female, I was singled out to dance with the natives.

After all the excitement, we prepared for bed and slept in huts/tents. My hut did not have a covering over it so I could see the stars as I lay on my back. Each hut included a cot and mosquito net, but mosquitoes are very clever insects. Even with long pants, long sleeves, and deet spray, I still wound up with bites on my butt. How is this even possible???

I hope this didn’t sound negative, but clearly I am not the outdoorsy type of girl. Getting bit my mosquitoes was not my type of party. I am now reminded why I never took my girl scout’s camping.

In the morning, we hiked towards the lake to watch the pink flamingos. Lac Abbe is full of sulfur so we weren't able to swim in it. Because of this,I am told there is no living matter in the water. The flamingos eat bacteria from the bottom of the lake. (Hey, don't quote me on this, It was 6am in the morning when he was trying to tell me this information.) Even more interesing is this is where the movie, Planet of the Apes, was filmed.

Well, I guess that would have been interesting to me if I had seen the movie. Nonetheless, it was a cool fact to throw in. Hopefully, it was enough to make you want to come to Djibouti to visit me.