If we must imagine the fiery depths of hell , the mental image ca n't be far from these incredible images by Karel Tupy of Ethiopia 's Erta Ale , the world 's oldest continuously active lava lake . Photographer Tupy , 35 , says he feared his camera would melt from the overwhelming heat of the lava as he captured the daunting scenes of the 150-ft wide basalt volcano . 'The view is simply staggering , ' said the 35-year-old . 'Lava inside the volcano is constantly moving , bubbling and bursting . ' Scroll down for video . Mental images of the fiery depths of hell ca n't be far from these very real photographs of Ethiopia 's Erta Ale . These incredible images by Czech photographer Karel Tupy capture the world 's oldest continuously active lava lake . Lava sprays from the centre of the lake , a rare phenomenon said to be one of just six in the world . Lava illuminates , peeks through cracks and spits ( left ) and a haze forms above the blazing hot pool in shot by the adventurous 35-year-old . 'The heat was immense , when I got to an edge of the crater , it was unbearable . After couple of seconds , my facial skin was so hot , I had to get away . 'There was even a point where I was afraid my camera was going to melt . ' Found in the badland desert area of the Afar Depression in north-eastern Ethiopia , Erta Ale 's famed lava lake formed around 1906 and is one of six in the world . The volcano 's name translates in the local Afar tribe 's language as 'smoking mountain ' while the pit to its south is known by locals as 'The Gateway to Hell ' , an appropriate moniker given the luminous lava spitting lava and searing heat . Karel Tupy said the view is 'staggering ' , as lava inside the volcano is constantly moving , bubbling and bursting . Erta Ale 's name translates as 'smoking mountain ' in the local Afar language while the pit to its south is called 'The Gateway to Hell ' While locals are n't particularly welcoming to outsiders and the surrounding terrain is far from hospitable , tourists do make the journey to witness the natural phenomenon . In 2009 , BBC TV show The Hottest Place On Earth went there to record a world first 3D laser image of the volcano . Durham University earth scientist Dr Dougal Jerram and a team from the BBC explored the Danakil desert , officially known as the hottest place on Earth . 'Like a true journey to the centre of the Earth , volcanoes provide a unique window into our planet 's interior , ' he later wrote for BBC News . 'Standing at the lip of the lava lake you can see why the locals see this as `` The Gateway to Hell '' , as the incandescent bubbling lava lake hisses like some badly burned porridge cauldron , overturning and occasionally belching molten lava . ' A visitor mounts his camera on a tripod in a bit to capture the volcano in its full glory while a small group of tourists line the other side . The ferocity of the volcano is clear as lava splashes up from a pool that is said to have formed around 1906 . Having gained his own access to the area , in which five people in a group of scientists and tourists were killed while others were taken as hostages in a 2012 attack claimed by the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front ( ARDUF ) , Tupy could n't agree more with Dr Jerram 's impression . 'Even though the lava is about 25 feet below the edge , sometimes during a burst the lake spits the lava outside the crater , so you have to be careful not to get hit by it , ' he said . 'What you get hit by quite often though is fumes . ' The photographer says while it 's vital to avoid contact with lava , obviously , it 's the fumes that can be the worry . Poor road access means the only way to efficiently get to the crater is via four-wheel-drive over rugged terrain . A far less dramatic sight , the lava forms a hard , grey layer when it is given the chance to cool . However , the environment gets far worse that what he experienced . In September 2005 an eruption killed 250 head of livestock and forced locals in the surrounding area to flee . There were further evacuations in August 2007 caused by lava flow , after which two people went missing . The most recent eruption came in November 2008 . 'This place is something you do n't see every day , ' said Karel . 'As a photographer , I get to see amazing places and when you see that people like those photos . This is kind of a reward in itself . '
Czech photographer Karel wolf visited today 's volcano Ale , the world 's oldest continuously active lava lake . He tells of the overwhelming heat of the volcano as he captured daunting scenes of the unusually wide spreading volcano . Erta Ale means ' smoking mountain ' in the local Afar language while the pit to its south is ' The Gateway to Hell ' In 2012 , five people from a group of scientists and tourists were killed in an attack by a local militant group .