Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
At dusk, crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
The camp on the edge of the crater consists of a few simple huts made from piled up stones. We crawled into the most remote hut to be away from the Afar guides talking the night away while chain-smoking. At sunrise the view of the crater itself was much less impressive than during the night: a bit of smoke coming from a hole in the crater floor. Continue Reading →
Crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
In November 2010, the lava lake rose so high that it flooded large parts of the outer crater floor. It was actually still unusually high when we peeked into the noisily bubbling lava lake in January 2011. It might sound hard to believe, but we were quite exhausted from climbing the 650 meters to the rim of the caldron. And we had now to do so more climbing! An Afar guide took us down to the floor of the large outer crater. Continue Reading →
At night, crater of the most active volcano in Africa with a permanent lava lake, Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
Getting out of the sun was all we wanted when we arrived at the little base camp at the foot of Erta Ale. So we hid in small shelters made from piled up stones. Only around 06:00 pm did the temperature allow the start of our slow ascent. This time, we were accompanied by four additional armed Afar scouts, their Kalashnikov casually slung around their shoulders. But their mood was foul, we figured it must have had something to do with the argument we watched in the village. All we carried was a bottle of water, the camel hauled the little we needed, lots of water and our camping beds. Continue Reading →
Afar village with the Erta Ale volcano in the background, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
At the end of this lung-blowing journey waits Erta Ale. In Afar language this means “Smoking Mountain”, not a bad name for one of the most active volcanoes worldwide and one of five that has a permanent lava lake. Continue Reading →
Arid soil, near Erta Ale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
If you draw a straight line on the map, the distance between Hamed Ale and Erta Ale is peanuts, only 60 kilometers. But what a trip! There is no road in this part of the Danakil Depression, period. That is why we had brought a scout all the way from Berdahile, a skinny guy who got motion-sick all the time and who did not know the area at all. He kept asking our armed Afar police escort, so the latter eventually took over guiding us through the dusty, rough terrain. Continue Reading →
Sulphure rock formations of various colors, Dallol, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
The last afternoon, the usual dead silence in Hamed Ale was disrupted by yelling and shouting. A truck full of soldiers stopped, picked up villagers and off they drove towards the sulphur fields of Dallol. Eventually we understood what caused this disruption: an Italian tourist was somehow responsible for starting a smouldering fire in Dallol. It spread below the surface and could not be stopped. Speculation went wild until we met other tourists who were there at the same time: it was not a burning cigarette thrown into one of the millions of cracks, as first speculated, but this idiot had tried to light sulphure to see if it would burn. Continue Reading →
Salt Lake, Lake Asale, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
Actually we were on our way to the salt mines, but we got there so early in the morning that the workers and especially the caravans had not arrived yet. So we headed for Lake Asale, just in time for the sunrise. This amazing sight immediately brought back memories of the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Lake Asal, 116 meters below sea level, lacks its vastness and enormity, but nevertheless it is extraordinary. Continue Reading →
Afar worker in the salt mines of Dallol, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
Young men slave away in these salt fields from dusk to dawn, an hour’s walk from the village. None of us would have dreamed doing this hike, but for the Afar and Tigrians, this is only the warm up for a long day of lifting, breaking and chiseling chunks of salt from the ground. Continue Reading →
Camel caravan carrying salt from the mines in Dallol, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
With nowhere to hide from the sun we had to spend a lot of time dozing inside our stuffy hut. In the afternoon we never had less than 42 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) in this oven-like shelter. Once in a while the wind picked up and the whirling dust engulfed the entire village. But at least this gave a bit of relief from the heat. Continue Reading →
Potassium Lake or Black Water, Dallol, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
The order of our Afar guide and the soldiers who escorted us was very clear when we approached this area, called Black Water. “Move only in single file and don’t walk anywhere but on this path”. With wobbly knees we followed suit. The surface made crunching noises and we wondered how deep we would fall if it broke. All the way down to the center of this planet? Continue Reading →