Ethiopia: Danakil – Road from Afrera to Danakil
The road from Semera to Lake Afrera is in excellent condition, but soon thereafter it turns to the right toward the Danakil depression and rapidly deteriorates as you descent into driving hell. The Chinese tried to built a road to access the potash, but then the 2018 Ethiopian civil war stopped everything. Thus, the road mostly traverses lava flows, and is as rough as one can imagine, with just a few good patches. But you quickly forget about the road as the views are spectacular – volcanoes stand in all directions, including the iconic Erta Ale (although the lava lake has disappeared, for now).
