All Around the World with the Most Travelled Indian
By NITIN GAIROLA
Erta Ale is an active shield volcano i.e. a flat one and not one with a classic cone and is part of the Danakil Depression. The volcano itself sits on the Ethiopian side but is a stone’s throw from Eretria and many things make it one of the deadliest volcanoes in the world.
It is continuously in local news whenever it starts exploding and the latest major episode took place in January this year when the fresh orange magma covered the entire lava lake. Just to clarify that when the Earth’s hot orange mantle is below the lithosphere (i.e. surface) it is in its liquid moving state and at that time it is referred to as magma. However when it comes to the surface and solidifies into its grey state due to lack of intense pressures below, it is then called lava.
To give a quick ‘around the world volcano tour’, the world’s most active volcano is actually on the Big Island in Hawaii whereas some of the biggest scientifically recorded explosions in the past have happened in Indonesia (Mt. Tambora in 1815). In fact the planet’s entire eastern belt from Japan in the north to Indonesia & Papua New Guinea in the middle and New Zealand towards the south meets the volcanic belt in the west which goes from Alaska-Kamchatka in the north to Hawaii islands in the middle and Chile in the south. This entre circle around the Pacific Ocean (which sits on the massive Pacific tectonic plate) is ominously called ‘The Ring of Fire’. If you are a volcano enthusiast, these are the places to visit. But there are locations outside the Ring of Fire too and some of these are the USA (Yellowstone), Guatemala, Iceland (which sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge), Italy, Congo and then there is Ethiopia.
Now the reason why Erta Ale of Ethiopia is the most dangerous volcano in the world is not because it’s the most active. It is because there is no one to stop you from stepping onto its lava lake and go deep into it to take a peek into its magma chamber in what appears to be a vision of hell. So basically no guards, no guard rails, no sign boards and no ice cream parlours. Just you and your friends in what really is the middle of nowhere – a place with no signal, no medical facilities and no easy way out of it.
In fact these volcano enthusiasts have become such a cult that now a sub-branch of this booming ‘adventure tourism’ has formed and it is called ‘volcano tourism’. A fun fact is that India too has a volcano but it is only in the Andaman Islands. So for us to see any volcanic activity, we really need to go outside the borders. A not-so-fun fact is the sobering statistic of tourist deaths related to volcanoes. As of last year, a total of 561 tourists had died in such incidents and just a few days ago you may have heard of the Brazilian tourist who died on 21st June while hiking on the Indonesian volcano called Mt. Rinjani in Lombok Island. These deaths have been caused due to pyroclastic flows, which is what the magma spewing out of Earth’s belly is called. These can result in ballistic projectiles i.e. rocks & debris being hurled out at great velocity and finally there are the toxic gases at play such as sulphur dioxide. As you can see, there are many ways to die if you have the volcano rush inside you. The strange part is that compared to the 561 tourists, only 67 scientists, 57 emergency staff, 30 media people and 108 miners have died due to these gateways to hell. Naturally I am not counting the unintended victims who unfortunately lived near a volcano before it came alive. So these stats really make you wonder what the pull of volcano tourism is. This kind of adventure tourism in fact borders on what is called ‘dark tourism’ and it is undeniably enticing.
So after a long and eventful ride from Semera or the Middle Awash to the northern most point of Ethiopia, we reached deep into the Afar Triangle or the Danakil Depression. The volcanic area started to appear more and more alien, without vegetation of any sort. Our trusty Toyota Land Cruisers started ripping into the debris and whipping up some mini dust storms and we knew this was a proper off-roading adventure. During the ride we kept taking some breaks to soak in the breath-taking scenery. This included getting soaked in sweat as well as it was over 45 degrees centigrade outside. This kind of sweat was due to pure heat as there was no moisture in the desert air and there was nothing better than getting back into the air conditioned SUVs.
Since we had a convoy of 3 SUVs, these breaks were also good to familiarize with our fellow adventures from Poland (Zibi, Nick & Robert) and Ethiopia (Haile & Lidya) and with the guides too. Our driver was Birhan from Mekele and we also had the company of a wonderful and fun tour owner – Demis. He takes tours to the very strange and fascinating Omo Valley in the south of Ethiopia and he himself was on a holiday in the Danakil. Finally I have to mention the ‘Volcano Man’ of Ethiopia – Yunus. He has to be one of the bravest men I have ever met. The man had no fear when walking right next to a fresh magma flow and peering into a volcanic vent spewing out gases and glowing debris.
We knew we were about to dive into a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience and hopefully not dive into the volcano. Next week I will take you deeper into the magma lake of Erta Ale and the strangest orange glow that I have ever witnessed at night. You really don’t get to see what’s inside the Earth every day and it was a privilege to be standing next to such a powerful force of nature that moves right under our feet.
Nitin Gairola is from Dehradun and has travelled the natural world more than almost any Indian ever. He has set world travel records certified by India Book of Records, has written for Lonely Planet, and holds National Geographic conservation certifications. He is also a senior corporate executive in an MNC and in his early days, used to be a published poet as well. More than anything else, he loves his Himalayan home. Reach him at: www.facebook.com/MostTravelledIndian/
