Erta Ale: The Gateway to Hell

Erta Ale is not just a volcano; it is a portal to the primal forces of the Earth. Located in the desolate Danakil Depression of northeastern Ethiopia, it is widely considered one of the most inhospitable yet mesmerizing places on our planet.

Rising only 613 meters (2,011 feet) above the below-sea-level desert floor, it is a broad, gently sloping shield volcano, vastly different from the steep cones of Stratovolcanoes like Fuji or Kilimanjaro. Its fame comes not from its height, but from what lies within its summit caldera: a persistent lava lake that has been bubbling and churning for over a century. Known by the local Afar people as “The Smoking Mountain” and by adventurous travelers as “The Gateway to Hell,” Erta Ale offers a rare glimpse into the molten heart of our world.

Geological Setting: The Cruelest Place on Earth

Erta Ale sits in the center of the Afar Triangle, a geological triple junction where three tectonic plates—the Nubian, Somali, and Arabian plates—are tearing away from each other.

• The Danakil Depression: This tearing has thinned the Earth’s crust so much that the land has sunk. The volcano’s base lies in the Danakil Depression, which is up to 120 meters (400 feet) below sea level.
• Extreme Heat: It is officially the hottest inhabited place on Earth regarding average year-round temperature. Daytime highs regularly exceed 45°C (113°F), and there is almost no rain. The landscape is a blindingly white expanse of salt pans, black twisted lava flows, and acid-green hydrothermal pools.
• Magma Highway: Because the crust is so thin (sometimes less than 20km thick), magma can rise to the surface with incredible ease. This creates not just Erta Ale, but a whole chain of volcanoes (the Erta Ale Range) and hydrothermal features like the psychedelic yellow and green sulfur springs of nearby Dallol.

The Lava Lake: Heart of the Volcano

Persistent lava lakes are incredibly rare geological phenomena. While many volcanoes have lava lakes during an eruption (like Kilauea in 2018), only a handful maintain them for decades. Erta Ale joined this exclusive club (along with Mount Erebus and Mount Nyiragongo) in the early 20th century.

Mechanics of a Lava Lake

The lake is not static; it is a living system driven by convection.

• The Cycle: Magma rises from the mantle through a conduit. As it reaches the surface lake, it degasses, releasing sulfur dioxide and water vapor. This gas release creates the bubbling fountains often seen by visitors.
• Plate Tectonics in Miniature: As the lava contacts the air, it cools and forms a black, silvery skin (crust). This crust is denser than the hot liquid below. Eventually, the crust becomes too heavy and sinks, or “founders.”
• Low vs. High Convection: The lake cycles between phases.
  • Low Convection: The lake is calm, with a thick crust moving slowly (cm per second).
  • High Convection: Suddenly, the crust fractures violently. Red jagged cracks appear, and the entire surface might slide into the pit, replaced by vigorous fountains of fresh orange lava. This is the spectacle photographers travel thousands of miles to capture.

The 2017 Fissure Eruption

For decades, the lava lake was relatively stable within the summit pit craters. That changed in January 2017.

• The Rift: A major rift opened on the volcano’s southeast flank, about 7 kilometers from the summit.
• Drainage: This new vent acted like a drain. A massive amount of lava poured out of the flank to create a new lava field. Consequently, the level of the summit lava lake dropped dramatically—at times disappearing from view entirely into its deep conduit.
• Recovery: Since then, the lake has been in a period of fluctuation, slowly rising and refilling the pit, then draining again. It serves as a reminder that the “Gateway to Hell” is not a static monument, but a dynamic and unpredictable system.

The Afar People and the Salt Trade

The Danakil is not empty. It is the ancestral homeland of the Afar people, a nomadic ethnic group renowned for their incredible resilience and adaptability.

• Salt Mining: For centuries, the Afar have mined the vast salt deposits of the depression (left over from when the Red Sea flooded the area thousands of years ago).
• The White Gold: Using simple hand tools, they cut the salt into rectangular blocks called amole. Until the 20th century, these blocks were used as currency across Ethiopia.
• Camel Caravans: The most iconic sight in the region is the endless camel caravans transporting these salt blocks out of the depression and up into the Ethiopian highlands. These “ships of the desert” trek for days in blistering heat, a trade route that has remained virtually unchanged since biblical times.
• Guardians of the Fire: The Afar have a complex relationship with the volcano. In their folklore, Erta Ale is the abode of spirits. The erratic behavior of the lava lake is often interpreted through a spiritual lens.

The Journey: Into the Badlands

Reaching Erta Ale is widely considered one of the toughest adventure trips in the world. It is an expedition, not a vacation.

• The Drive: Currently, the journey usually starts from the city of Mek’ele. It requires a long convoy of 4x4 Land Cruisers driving first on paved roads, then on gravel, and finally “off-road” across hardened lava fields and shifting sand dunes. The drive takes you past the alien landscapes of Lake Afrera (a hypersaline lake) and the salt flats.
• The Night Hike: Because the daytime temperatures are lethal (often >45°C), the hike to the summit is done at night.
  • Starting after sunset (around 7-8 PM), trekkers hike for 3-4 hours (approx. 10km) up the gentle slopes.
  • The path is made of sharp, crunchy basalt (“aa” lava).
  • Headlamps act as a stream of fireflies moving up the dark mountain.
  • Camels carry the sleeping mats, water, and food.
• Camping on the Rim: There are no hotels. Visitors sleep in the open air on the caldera rim, often on simple mattresses. The lullaby is the distant, rhythmic “whoosh” and “crash” of the lava lake 500 meters away.
• The Morning: Waking up at sunrise on the rim is surreal. The vast, grey expanse of the caldera reveals itself, with other pit craters and steam vents dotting the landscape, while the sun rises over the haze of the Eritrean border.

Safety and Geopolitics

Visiting Erta Ale requires careful planning and situational awareness.

• Geopolitical Risks: The Afar region borders Eritrea. The border has historically been a zone of tension. In 2012, a group of tourists was attacked at the volcano. Since then, the Ethiopian government mandates that all tourist convoys be accompanied by armed Afar police scouts and military escorts. This security presence is mandatory and non-negotiable.
• Extreme Environment: the heat is a killer. Heatstroke and dehydration are significant risks. There is no shade on the volcano. Visitors must carry liters of water and consume rehydration salts.
• Volcanic Gas: Standing on the rim edge puts you in the path of sulfur dioxide (SO2) plumes. Gas masks are highly recommended, as shifting winds can engulf the viewing area in choking, acidic gas (“vog”).

Dallol: The Alien Neighbor

No trip to Erta Ale is complete without visiting Dallol, located just north of the volcano.

• A Geothermal Wonderland: Dallol is a cinder cone volcano buried under kilometers of salt. It is famous for its hydrothermal field, arguably the most colorful place on Earth.
• Acid Pools: Super-heated groundwater rises through the salt and potash deposits, reacting to create vibrant neon yellow, green, and orange pools. These pools are highly acidic (pH < 1) and salty.
• The Ghost Town: Nearby are the ruins of an Italian potash mining settlement from the early 20th century. The buildings were made of salt blocks, which are slowly dissolving back into the desert, leaving a haunting skeleton of industry in the middle of nowhere.
• Extremophiles: Scientists study Dallol to find the limits of life. While some microbes survive in the less acidic outer pools, the center of the geothermal system is one of the few places on Earth with liquid water that is completely sterile—too hot, salty, and acidic for even the hardiest bacteria.

Why Go?

Why endure the heat, the dust, and the risk? Because Erta Ale offers an encounter with the sublime. Watching the rock melt and reform, hearing the earth groan, and feeling the radiant heat on your face connects you to the planet’s origins. It is a view of the Earth as it was 4 billion years ago—violent, molten, and creating new land.

Technical Facts

• Location: Danakil Depression, Afar Region, Ethiopia
• Coordinates: 13.60° N, 40.67° E
• Summit Elevation: 613 m (2,011 ft)
• Basal Elevation: ~ -70 m (below sea level)
• Volcano Type: Basaltic Shield Volcano
• Activity: Continuous lava lake activity (since 1906, possibly longer)
• Lava Type: Tholeiitic Basalt