The first interesting thing we saw after leaving the Hamed Ela camp were the sand dunes. |
We met the sand dunes on our way to the Erta Ale volcano. |
Surface of the sand dune. |
It was the biggest ridge of wind-blown sand on our way from the Hamed Ela village to Erta Ale. |
Cracked surface of the desert. |
Sand ridge. |
Grass that grows in sand dunes. |
Our jeeps on the road to volcano. |
Alone camel in the desert. |
Surrounding landscape on the road to volcano. |
Dust has risen unexpectedly. |
Visibility has fallen sharply because of the dust. |
Our jeeps race through the desert at breakneck speed, raising clouds of dust, visible for miles around. |
Woman from the local tribe. |
Tribal woman is going to take the stone from the ground. |
We do not want to bother this family, we just made the stop for our needs. |
Desert on the way to volcano. |
Our jeeps stopped for some time. |
Vehicle with the German tourists travelling to Erta Ale was exploded by the land mine in this place. |
The remains of the exploded vehicle. |
The remains of the car from the land mine explosion in 2009. |
Afar soldiers in the camp located close to the base of volcano. |
Lovely young girl from the camp smiles to me. |
This camp is located at the base of volcano. |
Camel will bring the mattresses to the camp located close to the crater of volcano. |
This camp is located in 8.5 kilometers (~ 5 miles) from the crater of Erta Ale. |
Camel do not like crackers and cookies, it prefers dried sliced bread. |
I will call this camp as the Base camp because it is located at the base of the volcano. |
Our jeeps in the Base camp. |
We have been waiting the sunset time to go to the volcano crater from the Base camp. |
The supper time just before our departure to the volcano crater. |
Maiko is the name of this lovely girl from Japan. |
Four people from our group will use camels as the vehicles to get to the crater, fortunately it's not me. |
Our group is gathered together and will be prepared soon for the departure from the camp. |
One woman successfully tries to sit on the camel. |
One of the camels on our way to the crater. |
Wow! I am at the edge of the volcano's vent. |
I am few meters from the vent of volcano. |
Level of active lava lake in the crater has risen considerably during recent months. |
When we approached to the volcano vent we saw the huge eruptions. |
Non-explosive eruptions usually begin with fire fountains due to release of dissolved gases. |
Lava lake in the time of high activity, few minutes before the next eruption. |
Volcanic eruptions are caused by magma - a mixture of liquid rock, crystals, and dissolved gas. |
When magma reaches the surface of the earth, it is called lava. |
Erta Ale volcano is a large basaltic shield volcano in the central northern Danakil depression. |
Erta Ale volcano is famed for its persistent lava lake. |
Erta Ale is only 613 m high. |
Erta Ale is one of the main attractions of the Danakil. |
Erta Ale is one of the few volcanoes in the world that have an almost persistent lava lake. |
The volcano contains a 0.7 x 1.6 km elliptical summit crater. |
When we approached to the lava lake we saw large eruptions but later they became smaller. |
Volcano was very active in the evening but not in the night. |
We observed eruptions of the lava lake several hours. |
Eruptions became smaller and we decided to return to the camp located at the edge of crater. |
We have decided to return to the lava lake early in morning. |
Lava of the lake in the morning before the sunrise. |
The very beginning of the sunrise over the volcano. |
Sometimes the volcano became more active. |
A bit later we saw the helicopter flying over the volcano. |
Sunrise reveals the details of the lava lake surface. |
Morning eruption. |
Gateway to hell. |
Lava lake surface details. |
This crack has been created in the volcano's vent few minutes ago. |
Highly viscous lava oozes out of the newly-formed crack. |
Smoke is over the vent of volcano. |
We met the dawn at the vent of volcano. |
Not all people from our group came to the vent of volcano in the dawn, yet I was fortunate. |
The new eruption has just begun, the fire fountain goes right from the throat of volcano. |
But this lava eruption did not last long and collapsed in five minutes. |
New cracks with an orange lava were formed in the vent a bit later. |
Viscous lava flows on the surface of vent inside the pit crater. |
Erta Ale volcano has a huge crater. |
I am standing on the solidified lava of the volcano crater. |
An active volcano pit is pretty small now but as you see the vent could grow to a gigantic size. |
Vent of volcano in February 2015. |
This morning the vent of volcano is almost passive. |
Sometimes the quietness of volcano is interrupted by sudden eruption. |
Erta Ale is a shield volcano in the Afar region of Ethiopia. |
One may notice the camp in the distance placed on the edge of crater. |
Erta Ale has undergone seven eruption events in the past 125 years. |
Volcano is awesome just after the sunrise. |
One should be very cautious because the solidified lava crust could be very thin. |
Crater is fully covered by solidified lava. |
This camp is located at the edge of the volcano crater, I have named it the Crater camp. |
Campfire at the edge of the crater. |
Lava fields on the way back from volcano. |
I walked behind the camel a small part of the way. |
Solidified lava fields are very wide. |
Sometimes you may see the island of vegetation amidst the lava field. |
Look attentively and try to find the hill with the shape of heart. |
To get to the volcano crater you must overcome 8.5 km (approx. 5 miles) by this road. |
We almost came to the camp located at the base of volcano. |
Employees in the camp located at the base of volcano. |
I like to photograph local employees. |
My trip was an unforgettable experience, look, it is me armed with an assault rifle. |
Little Afar girl is running beside our jeep while we drive. |
Guide told us the children appeared around our jeeps and we have stopped. |
Afar children from nearby village surrounded our 4x4 vehicle. |
Afar children have extremely expressive faces. |
Afar children ask to give them candies. |
I had some candies which were successfully handed out to local children. |
Children's faces were covered with dust. |
We must be in the Semera town soon and we should leave this friendly village. |