Categories
Sudan

The gates of Hell

Our luggage finally arrives this morning. I have been wearing formal trousers and the same underwear for the last couple of days so the arrival of reinforcements is a relief but not one that is to be savoured. We get our packs at roadside cafe and have to organise some privacy to change before heading off in 43 degree heat for Erta Alta the volcano.

The initial road is good but rapidly deteriorates to a sandy dirt track that our 4WDs seem to take as a raceway a la Paris to Dakar and then finally a 2 hour stint of rough off road driving over succeeding waves of lava fields. We then set off in the dark at 7:30 pm for the 3 hour uphill 8 km hike to the rim of Erte Alta volcano.

The climb is steady 3 hour ascent ameliorated by the darkness which conceals the climb involved. he difficulty is in the heat involved and hydration is the key. We arrive at the crater rim which is 10 minutes walk from the crater edge and a warm yellow glow surmounts the crater.I have previously been to Yasur volcano on Tana Island to see the pyrotechnical show and this looks similar until I get to the crater edge. What a show! Unlike elsewhere we look down into the crater. The lava solidifies into a crust and the zigzag lines of yellow fire break it up before one or 2 foci start off and overwhelm the viewer with awesome and dazzling shows. This is easily the most spectacular thing I have seen on this planet. Two hours and two hundred photos later and I am spent.

_MG_0330 _MG_0432 _MG_0432-001 _MG_0481

The sulphur becomes more intrusive now and when we retreat back to our camp 10 minutes away I happily collapse onto a “”mattress” and sleep 5 short hours until the predawn 5am wake up call. The morning session on the volcano proves to be less active and spectacular than the previous night snd we trudge down to Mekele before boarding our flight to Djibouti.