First Person To Go Inside Earth's 'Door To Hell' Claims It's 'Like Stepping Onto An Alien Planet'

Credit: National Geographic

Only one guy who has been brave enough to enter the doorway to hell, which is located right here on Earth, has compared it to landing on an alien world.

We believe that the burning Darvaza gas crater, which is situated in northern Turkmenistan's desert, has been burning since the 1970s.

Although the exact formation of the crater remains unknown, we do know that engineers set it on fire to stop toxic gases from spreading, and they have remained burning ever since.

President Berdimuhamedow declared intentions to destroy the crater in 2022 because of the effect it will have on the quality of the local air.

Credit: National Geographic

As things are, the crater is still accessible, and explorer and storm chaser George Kourounis visited it to learn more.

The 2013 expedition was supported by National Geographic, which described the crater as a "surreal feature in an otherwise barren landscape."

Kourounis added that it resembled landing on another planet.

"In order to prepare, there was a lot of practice at first. I was wearing: a heat-reflective suit, self-contained breathing apparatus, the climbing harness that I'm wearing," he explained.

Credit: National Geographic

"We had to get it custom-made out of Kevlar because a regular climbing harness would just melt under the extreme heat.”

"I even went as far as to hire a stunt coordinator who does movie stunts for Hollywood films to light me on fire several times, in order to sort of prepare myself for not panicking being up close around flame.”

"When you first set eyes on the crater, it's like something out of a science fiction film.”

"You've got this vast, sprawling desert with almost nothing there, and then there's this gaping, burning pit."

He continued: "The heat coming off of it is scorching. The shimmer from the distortion of it warping the air around it is just amazing to watch, and when you're downwind, you get this blast of heat that is so intense that you can't even look straight into the wind.”

"You have to shield your face with your hand just standing at the crater's edge.”

"Here I am thinking, Oh-kaaaay, maybe I've bitten off a bit more than I can chew."

Kourounis continued, saying, "To put it mildly, it was—'surreal.'"

"When you take your first step off the edge, and you finally put all your weight on that rope, you're trusting every link in that chain of technology and teamwork.”

"When you go out over, looking straight down, it's literally like another planet almost.”

"I described it as a coliseum of fire—just everywhere you look it's thousands of these small fires.”

"The sound was like that of a jet engine, this roaring, high-pressure, gas-burning sound.”

"And there was no smoke.”

"It burns very cleanly, so there's nothing to obscure your view.”

"You can just see every little lick of flame.”

"There were a few moments that I just literally had to stop, look around, and drink in the spectacle of where I was.”

"I could see my teammates up on the crater rim, just these tiny specks lit by this fire.”

"You feel very, very small and very vulnerable in a place like that."