Lac Assal is 150m (492ft) below sea level, and is an aquatic wilderness surrounded by dormant volcanoes and black lava fields. The lake is a one-day trip on the tarmac road west from the capital. You will pass Lac Goubet on the way, a seawater loch known locally as 'the pit of demons', then pass a stark, apocalyptic volcanic neck separating the two lakes.You can only reach Lac Abbé by 4WD, and you'll need to hire a guide and set aside two days to do it. In the far south-west of the country on the border with Ethiopia, Lac Abbé is the dawn gathering place for flamingoes. Weird natural chimneys (or fumaroles) formed by escaping underground steam dot the foreshore. The town of Dikhil, where the sealed road runs out, is a good starting point for 4WD expeditions.