Erta Ale
Erta Ale means "smoking mountain" in the Afar language. Its crater has long held a churning lava lake, and visitors reach the top on a night hike.
Erta Ale is a shield volcano about 613 metres high. Since the 20th century, its summit crater has held an active lava lake for most of the time, making it one of the few volcanoes in the world with a long-standing lava lake. In recent years the lake has sometimes overflowed, sunk or disappeared, so check its status before setting out. The usual route starts in the evening from a base camp at the foot of the mountain. It takes about three hours to hike up over lava fields at night. You spend the night in a simple camp at the crater rim, then watch the glow of the fire at dawn before descending. Camels carry the luggage. The lava surface is sharp, so wear hiking boots and bring a gas mask.
Opening hours
Tour groups only; night hikes