We had an eight-day trip around Ethiopia, but I'll start with the most important thing - climbing the Erta Ale volcano.
We chose a wonderful time for our trip. May is the hottest month of the year in the hottest place on the planet. The Danakil Desert, where the Erta Ale volcano is located, is 100 meters below sea level. In May, temperatures rise to 50 degrees Celsius. Even locals leave some areas for this period. But the main advantage is that we didn't encounter a single tourist on the volcano.
As soon as the sun sank below the horizon and the heat subsided, we began our ascent. Two camels helped us carry food and water, for which we are extremely grateful.
There was a full moon that night, so we hardly even used flashlights during the climb.
The moon lit our way the whole way.
The climb usually takes about four hours. But we had a lot of gear, and several of the guys weren't feeling well. We made frequent stops, especially toward the end, and the hike took us five hours.
Although the climb wasn't particularly difficult (we've climbed more challenging volcanoes), it was challenging. By the time we reached the rim of the large crater, where the glow of the lava lake was already visible, no one had any energy left. Perhaps the heat of the day had taken its toll. We simply collapsed to the ground and admired this incredible view for about 40 minutes. With my last bit of strength, I snapped a few photos.
Many of us didn't quite muster the strength to go to the lake, fortunately we had another night planned here. But four of the most resilient ones pulled themselves together, descended into the crater, and walked toward the glow, across the crunching lava, straight to the bubbling lava lake.
Source: travel.ru
