Erta Ale

Erta Ale is a continuously active shield volcano in the Danakil Depression whose summit caldera contains one of the world's most durable persistent lava lakes, active without interruption for at least a century. The overnight trek from the base camp traverses black pahoehoe lava fields before reaching the crater rim at elevation, where convecting magma glows visibly in darkness. The surrounding Afar landscape of salt flats, camel caravans, and remote Afar settlements adds cultural context to the geological spectacle.