Explore Erta Ale
Ticked off
Hike through the desert night to a volcano's rim and peer down at molten rock glowing in the dark.
The adventure
Erta Ale means smoking mountain in the Afar language, and it rises from the floor of the Danakil Depression, one of the hottest places on Earth. The hike starts after sunset to avoid the heat, a walk of around three hours across sharp, glassy lava fields lit only by head torches and the stars, while camels carry water and mattresses up to the camp.
Near the top, you smell sulphur and see the sky glowing red. Then you reach the rim. When the lava lake is active, its black crust cracks into plates, molten rock surges up through the seams, and fountains of lava spray and fall back with a sound like surf breaking. The heat hits your face from metres away. You sleep on the rim in simple stone shelters, then walk down before dawn as the sun rises over the desert.
Why it’s epic
- The name Erta Ale means smoking mountain in the local Afar language.
- One of the very few volcanoes in the world that has held a long-lasting lava lake.
- Camels carry water and bedding to a simple camp on the crater rim.
- Usually combined with the coloured acid pools and salt flats of Dallol.
What it is
Erta Ale is a shield volcano that has had one of the world's few long-lasting lava lakes.
How to do it
Visits are part of a Danakil tour from Mekele, with a night hike to the crater rim.
Top tip
Lava lake activity varies, so check recent reports. Follow UK Foreign Office advice for the area.
Need to know
- Lava lake activity changes from year to year, and at times there is no lake visible, so check recent trip reports.
- Visits are only possible on organised tours with escorts, and the UK Foreign Office advises against travel to parts of the Afar region.
- The night hike is on uneven, sharp lava, so you need sturdy boots and a head torch.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £2,000 to £5,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 2 days
- Best time to go
- November to March
- Fly into
- ADD airport
Multi-day Danakil tours with 4x4s, escorts and camping, plus flights to Ethiopia, make up most of the cost.
Do it yourself
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My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
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