The impressive images inside the hottest “door to hell” in the world will make many people amazed. In Afar, Ethiopa, there is a huge lava lake where the temperature always exceeds 1100 degrees Celsius. The lava lake has been operating continuously since 1906 and has shown no sign of stopping even though it has been 110 years. Every time the lava rises, the lake’s mouth shines, causing many people to call Erta Ale a “smoking” mountain. The last time the lava lake erupted strongly was in September 2005, killing 250 people, and the entire surrounding population had to be evacuated. In 2007, another lava eruption left two people missing. In November 2008, the lava lake continued to erupt.

“Erta Ale crater is always active, lava is always flowing up and down and can overflow at any time. That is the most dangerous thing. You think the ground you are standing on is very solid. No, the lava is extremely hot and it can melt the whole earth at any time,” said photographer Santos. To capture the crater, Santos had to use a drone. “I had to sit close to the controls of the plane. The heat is so high, it can melt everything. I have to be very careful and be patient. Every 2 or 3 minutes you will hear a hissing sound underneath the volcano, suddenly a fissure appears, leaving you breathless. And when the lava explodes, it’s like fireworks.”

The lava lake has been continuously active for more than 100 years.

The temperature in the lake can be up to 1100 degrees Celsius, the heat wave is extremely hot.

Around the lava lake there can always appear dangerous cracks.

Lava erupts from the mouth of the mountain.

In the past, there have been many times when volcanic eruptions caused disasters.

To capture these images, photographer Santos had to use a drone.

The desert surrounding the mountain is considered one of the hottest places in the world.

Photo of the crater from above.