A seasoned adventurer gained attention after revealing what it’s like inside the Door to Hell, calling it like stepping onto an alien planet.
The Darvaza gas crater, famously known as the “Door to Hell,” has captivated adventurers and scientists alike.
Burning since the 1970s, this fiery pit in Turkmenistan’s desert offers a surreal and otherworldly experience.
George Kourounis, a seasoned adventurer and storm chaser, is the first person to venture inside this blazing phenomenon.
The mysterious origins of the Door to Hell
The origins of the Darvaza gas crater remain uncertain. It is believed to have formed during a Soviet drilling accident in the 1970s. Engineers ignited the crater to prevent the spread of poisonous gases, and it has been burning ever since.
In 2022, Turkmenistan’s president announced plans to extinguish the crater due to its environmental impact. However, the blazing pit remains active, continuing to draw curiosity and awe from visitors worldwide.
Preparing for an extreme expedition into the fiery abyss
In 2013, George Kourounis descended into the Darvaza gas crater. National Geographic funded the expedition, describing the crater as a “surreal feature in an otherwise barren landscape.”
To prepare for the extreme conditions, Kourounis underwent rigorous training. He wore a heat-reflective Kevlar suit and used a self-contained breathing apparatus. A custom climbing harness, designed to withstand intense heat, was also essential.
Kourounis even hired a Hollywood stunt coordinator to simulate fire scenarios. “I needed to prepare for staying calm around intense flames,” he explained.
Kourounis described the experience as stepping onto another planet. The vast desert surrounds a gaping, burning pit, creating a scene straight out of science fiction.
“The heat is scorching, and the air warps from the flames,” he said. Standing at the crater’s edge, he felt blasts of intense heat that required shielding his face.
“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.
Descending into the pit was a test of trust and teamwork. “When you take your first step off the edge, you’re relying on every link in your gear,” he said.
Kourounis revealed the surreal spectacle of fire and sound inside the Door to Hell
Inside the crater, Kourounis encountered a “coliseum of fire,” with thousands of flames burning cleanly. The roar of high-pressure gas sounded like a jet engine.
He paused several times to absorb the surreal beauty of the scene. “There’s no smoke, so you can see every lick of flame clearly,” he said.
Kourounis added: “It was—’surreal’ isn’t a strong enough word.
“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.
The Darvaza gas crater continues to inspire awe and curiosity. Kourounis’s journey into the fiery pit showcases human resilience and the drive to explore the unknown.