A Lake Of Fire In Ethiopia’s Erta Ale Volcano
The Erta Ale volcano, without a doubt, allows you to discover one of the most breathtaking visual and sensory experiences that Mother Nature offers us. It is a spectacle of lava, fire and energy coming out of the bowels of the Earth that will leave us speechless and amazed.
To experience it in the first person there are two fundamental requirements: the first is to prepare a trip to Ethiopia and the second is to have a little courage.
Where is the Erta Ale volcano
To discover this spectacle of volcanism, you have to go to the Danakil desert, northeast of Ethiopia, a country with many surprising places. And, without a doubt, the Erta Ale volcano is one of them. It is not a great mountain, since it is just over 600 meters high, but its picture is unforgettable on the Afar depression.
Erta Ale: an active volcano
In many places on the planet you can have tourist experiences linked to volcanoes. Without going any further, in Spain it is always fascinating to visit the Timanfaya National Park, on the Canary Island of Lanzarote. And on the other side of the world there are many hikers and mountaineers who yearn to take a tour of the Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii.
In these two cases and in many others we speak of active volcanoes. And it is not uncommon to see fumaroles or samples of the geothermal energy that these mountains radiate.
But if we refer to the Erta Ale volcano, these natural phenomena reach a brutal category. Since in this Ethiopian corner it is possible to see how the lava emanates from the interior of the earth and how it forms an authentic and shocking lake of fire.
A lake of lava in the moonlight
In only four places on the planet it is possible to enjoy such a panorama, and one of those enclaves is the Erta Ale volcano. Ascending to its top and contemplating its two craters, one of them inactive, is impressive at any time of the day.
But if those views are enjoyed at night, then the place becomes pure magic : light, fire, heat… the metaphors it inspires are incredible.
Periodic and dangerous eruptions
The truth is that the Erta Ale volcano has been in permanent activity since 1967. And although the constant expulsion of gases and lava has been more or less weak during all this time, the truth is that from time to time its activity multiplies. It then draws much more lava from its entrails and on more than one occasion has caused considerable damage to nearby towns at its base.
A visit with courage and caution
When there have been eruptions, lava fountains many meters high and very virulent have been seen. And it is something not excessively predictable, since the Erta Ale volcano area is also a territory with seismic activity that can cause eruptions. So it is a place that always requires caution.
And even more caution must be taken if you go up to its top. There are no restrictions on approaching the lake of fire. The only limits have to be set by our common sense.
You have to be brave to visit it, but in this case, fear and respect have to favor us. It is a dangerous place, the risk is evident by the falls, but also by the high environmental temperatures that are generated in the area and by the toxic gases emitted by the volcano.
In short, viewing this lava lake inside the Erta Ale volcano is quite an adventure. It is one of the many unforgettable experiences that a continent like Africa can offer us, in which there is much more to discover than its usual and exclusive photographic safaris.
