Visit to the volcano Deta ale: The hike to hell and back

Visit to the volcano Deta ale: The hike to hell and back

Erta ale in Ethiopia is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and rises above a fatal desert. We ask if it is worth the risk

The 4 × 4 steams through the desert, bumps over rocks and cracks. Sand lashes against the window, almost smooth in its movement. Our military escort sits immediately behind me: two men with automatic rifles that they hung over their lap.

I am reluctant to say, but there is a clear feeling of lawlessness in the air. I hate it because this is Africa and Westler has been on the continent for centuries to collect stories about risks and adventures to tell them at dinner parties at cheese and wine.

I don't want to be like that, but it is true: here, in the Danakil-Senke in the Afar region in Ethiopia, it really feels like everything could happen.

The risk of risk is not just an exaggeration. In 2012, five tourists and four people died in an attack by Afar rebels, and fatal incidents continue to date. As a result, tourists are forbidden to enter the area without a military escort.

alt = “Our military escort to Erta ale in the Danakil-Senke”> Atlas & Boots Our military escort to Erta in the Danakil-Senke

Our escort consists of two men, both stoically and without smile. As we drive, our guide gives us gas masks for later. I look at Peter and know that he wonders the same thing as I do: what about everything in the world are we doing here?

We have to rewind the explanation at the beginning of this year when we fully put together our list of countries that we would like to see the most. In my top 5, Ethiopia was the main reason why I wanted to visit. A few months later we are here and tore on one of the most active volcanoes in the world to go to the hike to hell and back.

alt = “Erta ale was described as the hike to hell and back”> Atlas & Boots arrest was described as a hike to hell and back

The Danakil-Senke is one of the hottest, deepest and driest places on earth. It is so extreme that life was found here in pure acid. The temperatures regularly reach 45 ° C (113 ° F) and seas made of melted magma seeping directly below the crust surface. The hike to the Erta ale begins after darkness to escape the suffocating heat of the day.

We set off at 6 p.m., just when the edges of the sky begin to darken. Our guide is feast and agile and jumps over huge rocks in the fast, darkness. My flashlight is weak and I have to concentrate intensively on every step so as not to stumble.

The pace is faster than pleasant, but after years of practice as Peters weaker hiking partner, I am used to leaving my comfort zone. We continue to trudge, from liability on the front and our husband with a weapon in the back. At some point I hear his tedious breathing and I am reassured that not only I have to go.

The hike to the crater camp takes an average of three hours; We make it in two and a half. When we approach the vulkan's devil glow, I feel a sharp touch of excitement. This. This is adventure.

alt = “A devilish glow rises above the edge of Erta ale”> Atlas & Boots A devilish lights rise above the edge of Erta Ale

We take a short break in the camp. The heat is not as oppressive as I feared, and the "hike to hell" was less hard than, for example, the hike to the Matavanu crater in Samoa, which in the end had moved me to tears.

We continue to march and carefully navigate the last 15 minutes to the edge of Erta ale. The longest lava lake in the world lies there in all its splendor. It is everything I imagined: angry, scary, white glowing. The lava bubbles and explodes, which gives us astonishment.

Erta ale is not our first hike to a volcano, but exceptional in a different way. Less explosive, but more expansive. The lava is not concentrated in a single chimney; It seeps, flows and breaks out over a huge room.

We spend an eternity of observing it, filming it, remembering it indelibly. This is and must be one of the best experiences of our lives.

After an hour, the Sta- Ale smokes-to match his name: "smoking mountain" in the local Afar language. Satisfied that the risk, the effort and the costs of reaching the edge have paid off, we put our equipment together and make our way back to the camp.

There we drop on our mattresses, which are located next to each other in a stone Afar hut. As I lie in the heat and wind, I think about the "Shafia test". Named after my youngest sister, asks: "Would I recommend Shafia?" and therefore 'I would recommend this to our readers?'

Atlas & Boots

The risk of visiting Erta is real and tangible, but the greatest challenge I found was the lack of infrastructure. There is no chest of drawers in the camp (here or the next night), there is no flowing water, no trash cans. I discovered a rat in our hut and the surroundings are littered with plastic bottles and toilet paper, which cannot be buried in the hardened lava and swim around if tourists do not bring them back down. Would I recommend a visit to the Erta ale against this background?

Honestly? Yes.

Since I know what I know and knowing that a fatal incident occurred just a few days after our visit, I would come back and therefore have to come to the conclusion that it was worth the risk and the effort. A visit to the Era Ale is challenging, but also exciting, enchanting and life -affirming.

I weighed the advantages and disadvantages of risky trips beforehand and came to the conclusion that we should explore as much as our nerves allow. That, ladies and gentlemen, that's adventure.

Visit to the Erta ale: The essentials

what: Visit from Erta ale as part of a 2-day, 3-day tour through the Danakil-Senke in Ethiopia.

Where: Our tour through the Danakil depression was booked with a stay in the Wukro Lodge in the city of Wukro. This cozy eco-lodge uses solar energy and offers a traditional decor and an excellent view of the surrounding hills. There is free WiFi in public areas, a bar and a restaurant on site and a pool under construction.

Atlas & Boots

The accommodation on the tour through the Danakil-Senke itself is extremely easy. At Erta Ale (first night) we tented on thin mattresses in a stone hut. On the second night we slept under the stars on provisional wooden beds.

We recommend that you pack your own sleeping bag. While the area is known for rising temperatures, the nights become windy. Note that there is no chest of drawers, so you have to walk comfortably to follow the call of nature.

When: The best time to visit Erta is between October and February when the rising temperatures are the most bearable.

like: We have visited Smiling Ethiopia, which Lonely Planet Ethiopia recommended. We both were accompanied by an English-speaking guide, two drivers, two chefs and a two-person military, which were transported in two 4 × 4 vehicles.

The tour was well organized and as comfortable as it was possible in the area of ​​the lack of infrastructure in the area. (We recommend packing a bright headlamp, a sleeping bag, handkerchiefs/moisture cloths and an antibacterial gel.) Our off -road vehicles were robust and strong, and thanks to our talented cook Yidnak and his assistant we ate very well.

We paid $ 300 per person for a 3-day tour with 2 nights and Gema ale, Dallol and the salt levels of Lake Asale. It's expensive, but worth the money. An extended tour with 3 nights and 4 days costs $ 400 per person. Book Mulugeta Gebrhiwot: smilingthiopiatravel.com, smilingthiopiaravel@yahoo.com, (251-1) 150694.

Skybus and Selam run comfortable buses between Addis Ababa and Mekele, the starting point for Danakil tours. If you choose the Wukro Lodge, you can take a local bus from the Mekele bus station to Wukro (15 ETB / 0.5 USD per person; 48 km) and then take a tuk tuk to the base. The lodge is a five-minute trott uphill.

domestic flights are the fastest way to travel to Ethiopia (check the latest routes here). It is much cheaper to book flights in an Ethiopian Airlines office in the country. Be sure to state whether you have flown internationally with you because you are entitled to a significant discount.

Addis Ababa is the most important international airport in the country. Book international flights via skyscanner.net.

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LONELY PLANET ETHIOPIA is a comprehensive travel guide for the country, ideal for those who want to explore the most important sights and take less busy roads. If you prefer to travel on a tour, we recommend G Adventures and their Ethiopia tours in small groups.

Mission statement: Atlas & Boots
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