High-purity NiAl single crystals with a stoichiometric composition have been prepared by crucible-free inductive zone melting under an Ar atmosphere. The internal friction was investigated in the temperature range from 300 to 1400 K utilizing a low-frequency subresonance torsion apparatus operating in forced vibrations. In undeformed NiAl single crystals the internal friction exhibits above 1000 K a strongly increasing and frequency-dependent damping up to Q-1 = 0.3 at 1400 K. After plastic deformation a maximum at around 1250 K (0.1 Hz) is superimposed on this high-temperature damping. The activation enthalpy for the high-temperature increase was determined to be 2.65 ± 0.2 eV and for the superimposed maximum to be 2.9 ± 0.2 eV. The results are discussed in terms of the diffusion-controlled climb of dislocations by vacancies.