The Lake Abhe is a salt lake situated in the embouchure of the Awash River forming a chain of six interconnected lakes positioned in the centre of the Afar Depression including Afambo, Bario, Gargori, Gummare and Laitali. Lake Abhé constitutes the largest permanent inland wetland ecosystem in Djibouti and is well-known for its landscapes with a plethora of thermal springs, only found the Djibouti side of the lake formed by “bizarre” chimneys lined up as human made structures “towering mineral deposits dating from the period when the was deeply flooded” which confer to this site an unconventional beauty rewarded to make more popular by the fiction movies “Planet of Apes” filmed entirely inside.
Furthermore, the lake is more renowned for its thousand and thousand of greater and lesser flamingos that flock to the site year around with at least 50 migrant species of water birds, White pelican and possibly cormorant may breed on the Ethiopian side. The site is relevant also other threatened wildlife such as spotted hyenas, Somali and Eritrean warthogs and Dorcas gazelles. It highly contributes the livelihoods of the nomadic Afar people who reside all surrounding arid areas in and over the border.