Lake Karum, also called Lake Asale, is one of the starkest stops in the Danakil Depression: a hypersaline lake and salt flat lying far below sea level. The appeal is not comfort. It is the strange, hard beauty of white crust, shallow brine, camel caravans, and heat that makes every movement feel deliberate.
Visits are normally brief and folded into organised Danakil expeditions, often with Dallol and the salt-mining areas nearby. Conditions are extreme and independent travel is not realistic for most visitors, so go with a responsible operator, carry more water than seems reasonable, and listen when guides say it is time to leave the flats.