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Distance

6.31 mi

Elevation gain

1,434 ft

Technical difficulty

Easy

Elevation loss

59 ft

Max elevation

1,894 ft

Trailrank

30

Min elevation

480 ft

Trail type

One Way
  • Photo of VOLCAN ERTA ALE (DANAKIL, ETIOPIA) desde Campamento Bahari
  • Photo of VOLCAN ERTA ALE (DANAKIL, ETIOPIA) desde Campamento Bahari

Time

5 hours 9 minutes

Coordinates

1664

Uploaded

January 8, 2012

Recorded

December 2011

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1,894 ft
480 ft
6.31 mi

Viewed 5078 times, downloaded 57 times

near Durubu, Āfar (Etioopia)

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The ERTA ALE Volcano in the desert of Danakil (Afar Depression, Ethiopia) is one of the very few places in the world where you can easily reach the edge of a lake of lava in permanent boiling, with constant bursts of an extraordinary and wild beauty. One of the most beastly spectacles of nature. It is reached from Camp Bahari in a gentle climb of about three hours through pahoehoe rounded fields of pleasant traffic and with magnificent examples of cordate structures. 10.0 km one way to go in the late afternoon to watch the night show and avoid the maximum sunning hours (we are in one of the hottest places on the planet), spend the night in bivouac or in the cabins afar from the same edge of the crater, return to enjoy the show with daylight the next day and undertake the return. Obligatory hiring guide that deals with the authorizations and recommended a camel among several to load a lot of water. Often the wind changes direction and surprises the tourist with toxic clouds that seem to burn the lungs, so it is advisable to wear a mask with a filter, although it does not work miracles. From the edge, an easy slope of about 15 meters descends to the crater and is advanced by the lava of the crater to a point in its interior where a sub-crater opens, a well of about 20 to 30 meters deep and a couple of hundreds of diameter with the bottom occupied by a sea of ​​lava in constant movement with frequent spasms and sporadic shoots towards the top of incandescent matter. Be careful with possible "splashes" and be alert to toxic clouds.

2 comments

  • Photo of escandio

    escandio Jan 17, 2012

    Si, si, muy atento a las nubes tóxicas. Y muy peligroso el borde del lago de magma, sin otra protección que la prudencia de cada uno. Acercarse es un riesgo... emocionante

  • berta np Jul 19, 2017

    Hola jordi, q tal? Moltes gracies x compartir la ruta.
    Volia saber tambe, amb quina agencia vau fer l'excursio al volca.
    Moltes gracies

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