page_title: Erta Ale
section_title: Travel to Erta Ale
hierarchical_section_title: Erta Ale / Travel to Erta Ale
caption_attribution_description: English: Tourists at the crater of Erta Ale volcano, Afar Region, Ethiopia Русский: Туристы около кратера на вулкане Эрта-Але, регион Афар, Эфиопия
context_page_description: Erta Ale is a continuously active basaltic shield volcano in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia. It is situated in the Afar Depression, a badland desert area. Erta Ale is the most active volcano in Ethiopia.
context_section_description: Not much is known about Erta Ale, and the surrounding terrain is some of the most inhospitable on Earth, making travel difficult and dangerous. The Afar region also experiences intermittent ethnic violence due to unification struggles by the native Afar people. On January 16, 2012, a group of European tourists was attacked at Erta Ale. Five tourists were killed, two taken as hostages and seven others wounded. The Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDUF) claimed responsibility for the attack and released the two kidnapped tourists in March 2012. One travel guide recommends hiring "one or maybe two armed guards or police" as guides to visit Erta Ale. Commercial tour companies offer tours to Erta Ale which are generally accompanied by military escort.
  In December 2017, a German tourist was fatally shot while descending Erta Ale.
caption: Tourists standing at the crater and watching the lava lake's activity
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