LAKE ABBE (DJIBOUTI)

Lake Abbe, or Lake Abhe Bad, in Djibouti, Africa, is a salty lake situated at the Afar Triple Junction, the central meeting place where three segments of the Earth’s crust – the African, Somalian, and Arabian plates – writhe, buck, and tear apart from each other.

The limestone chimneys which form the landscape were created when water was diverted from the Awash River for irrigation in the 1950s. This dam dried up the lake’s surface and caused the underground thermals to spew muddy water to the surface, creating the tall (some 150 feet high), otherworldly chimneys that are there today.

Lake Abbe is an active thermal area and steam comes out of the limestone formations creating a true illusion of a chimney. Hot springs fracture the earth but, unlike Yellowstone National Park in the United States, there are no signs, boardwalks, or fences to keep you safe.