LAC ABBE : DANS UN AUTRE MONDE

Lake Abbe is fascinating because it takes us into an otherworldly setting. And we can only bow to the beauty of these mysterious lunar landscapes that are revealed to our eyes. Lake Abbe has what it takes to bewitch travellers, lovers of unexpected and unique landscapes, observers of the fauna and flora who can only admire the remarkable adaptation of these to this hostile environment, dreamers, contemplative and restless people. And all the others.

The stars of Lake Abbe. The stars are the hundreds of limestone chimneys of all shapes and sizes that stand out on the horizon. It's as if you're on another planet... The highest are nearly 50 meters high. Tormented, jagged, they evoke giant termite mounds with a misaligned architecture, petrified carcasses in the process of decomposing, miniature Bavella needles, immense fossilized and tortured tree trunks. Depending on the time of day you look at them, their colour changes: red, ochre, grey, sulphur yellow, brown... Their rather dark hue contrasts with the light-coloured ground. If you look closely (or rather from a distance), you will notice that these limestone beings are not arranged in any particular way. They seem to be oriented, to follow each other, on an east-west axis. A handful of these chimneys let out fumaroles that smell of sulphur. Their name of chimney becomes then fully justified. The smell is explained by the fact that the lake is fed by the waters of the Awash River, diverted by the Ethiopian volcano Dama Alé towards the marshes. These waters, which have slowly passed through a volcanic area, deposit carbonate and calcium sulfate in Lake Abbe. The lake is also fed by water flowing through gypsum terrain, sometimes heated by magma incursions. These waters then flow into the lake, raising its temperature. Finally, the different chemical elements contained in the lake will over-saturate its waters and form the chimneys, vertical (and hollow) accumulations of calcite. The steam from these hot springs could one day be exploited, transformed into geothermal electricity, inexpensive and a priori unlimited. It is a project... ...that's been in the planning stages for a long time.

The lake, source of life. You will quickly notice the "pastures" and the reeds which surround the lake. They are unique in Djibouti, created by hot springs, sometimes bubbling, clearly visible in small basins. Nomadic children from the surrounding area come to graze their sheep, goats, donkeys and dromedaries. They all arrive in the morning and leave in the evening. The water of the springs is hot, but the animals (and plants) are used to it. The waters of the lake are populated part of the year by flamingos, ibises, pelicans, ducks, birds big enough to compete with the mineral beauties of the site and represent the animal world with dignity. The flight of the flamingos in the morning is a superb spectacle. If you are lucky, you may see groups of ostriches approaching the lake. At night, after the departure of the herds, the wildlife takes over, especially the gazelles. Jackals and hyenas will fill your sleep with their hideous cries. A lake is a watering place, a major meeting and hunting place. The surroundings of the lake are sandy, sometimes muddy. The risk of getting stuck calls for vigilance. Despite the presence of pastures not far away, an impression of desolation seizes the spirits when fossilized trunks and skeletons, clean and smooth, of dromedaries appear. We are at the edge of a lake, but the water seems distant, secondary. Tamarisk trees grow on the banks, birds gather there, many insects too, too happy to find a place of reproduction.

A lake on borrowed time? Lake Abbe is the remnant of a vast lacustrine expanse which, 9,000 years ago, probably covered the entire Gobaad area (hence the fossilized shells sometimes found there). Today it covers an area of less than 150 km2, whereas in 1939 it covered more than 550 km2 ! It is falling by 4 cm per year.

Like the Aral Sea in Central Asia and many other bodies of water around the world, Lake Abbe is in danger. The receding waters are creating muddy and unstable shores. The lake is shrinking for two reasons. The increasingly dry Ethiopian climate is reducing the amount of water flowing into the lake. At the same time, the capture or diversion of water from the Awash River by the Ethiopians has the same consequences. As in the case of the Aral Sea, it is a question here of capturing water to irrigate cotton crops, which consume a lot of water.

Small advice before going there. The surroundings of the lake must be visited with caution. It is necessary to be accompanied by a guide to avoid the shifting ground and the mud at sometimes 80 °C of certain banks. The guides also know the best points of view, the best axes to embrace the immense site. It is necessary to count one night on the spot at least in bivouac. Think of the mosquito repellent!