Erta Ale volcano, Ethiopia

Watch my insane drone footage from an active volcano in Ethiopia! This was the best part of my two-week vacation in Ethiopia. The trip to Erta Ale was unforgettable. It was part of a 4-day jeep tour organized by a company called ETT, departing from Mekele in Ethiopia into the Danakil desert. Although there were many gems on this trip, the highlight was a rough jeep ride through extinct lava fields, followed by a midnight 10 KM hiking ascent to the volcano in a single file. We were asked to pack light and my drone was graciously carried up the volcano for me by means of a camel! Once at the top, we had some time to admire the amazing lava lake in the crater of the volcano, and tried to avoid the toxic gases spewing all over. We were precariously located at the rim of the volcano with nothing preventing us from falling down to our doom. But even the rim was made of freshly cooled off lava that broke off at every step and was dangerous to walk around. At this point I launched the drone and flew it into the crater of the volcano. If there is a door to hell somewhere on earth, this has got to be it. Even from above you can see that the hotspots of this volcano form a crooked smiley as if hell itself is giving us earhlings a wink. Adrenaline levels were high as I risked the life of the drone, which constantly reported error messages as it was struggling with the intense heat, gases and winds. Could I have flown the drone closer to the lava and still brought it back alive? I guess we'll never know. After a brief sleep of 2 hours under the stars we hiked back to base camp and back from a thrilling adventure. I made great friends along the way - Rotem, Shira, Gal, Tal, Amit, Maya and Tom. The Erta Ale volcano is active since 1906 and looks different every day. I can't wait to return and see it in a different light.