Chalbi Desert

The Chalbi Desert is an immensity of almost 100,000 sqkm. In Gabbra language, “Chalbi” means “naked and salty.” The desert is completely surrounded by volcanoes and ancient lava fields. The discovery of fossils of fish and snails suggest that this area was a huge lake approx. 10,000 years ago.

Today, the remnant of this lake is a desert of sand, clay and white salt that hosts a few groups of oryx and Grevy’s zebras. The village of Kalacha is an oasis hoasting the fascinating members of the Gabbras tribe.