Etna Excursions

Alcune persone si trovano sulla cima di un vulcano, circondate da nuvole di vapore

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Accompanied by expert local guides, you will be able to choose the excursion that is right for you; in fact, we offer various routes and hikes on Etna, listed according to their degree of difficulty and duration, so that everyone can discover Etna.

The highest active volcano in Europe and a Unesco World Heritage Site, Etna is considered “la mamma” by the inhabitants of our part of Sicily. With its many microclimates, habitats and landscapes, it is undoubtedly the most interesting place on the island! 

From its slopes to the summit, a variety of landscapes open up: from citrus fields to groves of oak and chestnut trees, from birch trees to gigantic expanses of lava! At the top, a lunar landscape opens up, offering one of the most beautiful shows in the world and giving the opportunity to admire a fascinating, sometimes almost disturbing, landscape where the devastating power of nature is manifested.

DIFFICULT ITINERARIES, THE TOP

Accompanied by a certified vulcanologist guide, working for an agency of enthusiasts with whom we have collaborated since the beginning, you will spend a unique and unforgettable day.

Difficult Itinerary 1 : the summit craters

This excursion is always subject to volcano activity and there is no set itinerary. Two types of excursion are available: access from the south or from the north. Although the details differ, the general organisation of the excursion is similar:

– Meet with the guides at one of the stations (Rifugio Sapienza or Piano Provenzana), altitude 1,900 m;
– Motorised ascent to 2,900 m (Jeep or cable car + Jeep);
– Ascent on foot to the summit, 3,350 m;
– Descent on foot.

You will ascend to the last craters on a fairly steep slope, with a difference in altitude of about 400 metres, before embarking on a longer, more downhill hike to discover some of the volcano’s most striking spots.

Recommended equipment
Walking shoes, walking sticks, backpack;
Windbreaker;
Water, cap, sunglasses and sun cream (depending on the weather, gloves and hat may also be useful).

PRICE : 115€ – 135€ /person.

Prices are indicative and subject to change during the season, at the sole discretion of the professional guides we work with.

DURATION: full day (9am-4pm)
PERIOD: from May to October
DIFFICULTY: high

INCLUDES: certified vulcanologist guide – loan of hiking equipment – cable car + jeep
*It is necessary to reach the Sapienza Refuge or Piano Provenzana station by car by your own means: it takes about 40 minutes on a beautiful panoramic road.

Difficult Itinerary 2 : Etna 3.000 with the vulcanologists

These excursions are always subject to the volcano’s activity and there is no pre-established itinerary. Every day the guides assess the conditions and possibilities to ensure your safety.

Since the summer of 2024, the summit craters have no longer been accessible due to excessive activity. In this situation, the guides offer alternative excursions as close as possible to the volcano’s activity.

The route is not predetermined, but takes you as close as possible to recent activity: craters, faults, lava flows, etc.
– Meet the guides at the Rifugio Sapienza station, altitude 1,900m;
– Motorised ascent to 2,500m (cable car);
– Climb on foot to about 3,000m;
– Descent on foot.

Recommended equipment
Walking shoes, walking sticks, rucksack;
Windbreaker;
Water, cap, sunglasses and sun cream (depending on the weather, gloves and a hat may also be useful).

PRICE: €102 per person (North or South).

Prices are indicative and subject to change during the season, at the sole discretion of the professional guides we work with.
DURATION: full day (9am-4pm)
PERIOD: April to October
DIFFICULTY: high

INCLUDED: certified vulcanologist guide – loan of hiking equipment – cable car + jeep
*It is necessary to reach the meeting point by car on your own: allow 40 minutes’ drive on a magnificent panoramic road.

MEDIUM ITINERARIES, ANOTHER ETNA ALTITUDE 2.000

Accompanied by tour guides, including us if you wish, you’ll set off on a half-day hike between 1,800 and 2,000 metres to discover some of the volcano’s most mythical sites.

Intermediate Itinerary 1: The Crater Trail, Etna north 2,000 metres

This is a hike that we created exclusively and that we accompany ourselves!

Departing from the b&b, each with his or her own car, along a splendid panoramic road, we will arrive after 45 minutes at the Etna Nord ski resort: Piano Provenzana, located at an altitude of 1,800 metres.

The excursion, one of the most interesting on the northern slope, develops in a loop and will allow you to observe and walk along the famous ‘2002 buttonhole’ fracture opened in 2002 during the fateful eruption that between October 2002 and January 2003 destroyed the entire resort and ski area.

Starting from the dirt road that leads from Piano Provenzana to the summit craters, the path deviates to plunge into the 2002 lava flow. We will then proceed up the 2002 pyroclastic cones until we reach the maximum altitude of 2100 metres on the crater rim with a breathtaking view of the coast and the summit craters.
Afterwards, passing through a ‘field of lava bombs’ it will be possible to visit the many volcanic morphologies related to the eruptions that followed one after the other on Etna’s northern slope, such as a ‘lava channel’, the overlapping of ancient flows and again the ‘bottoniera’ of 1911, the flows of the 1923 eruption and other interesting volcanic morpho-structures such as the ‘Hornitos’. From here, completing the loop, we will return through the beech and larch pine grove and the lava flows of 2002.

We will talk about the endemic flora, the history and evolution of Etna volcano, the formation of volcanoes in general, the extraordinary variety of lava flows and secondary craters, and the lava flow caves.

*For the more sporty, it will be possible to go as far as the suggestive Timparossa refuge located behind Monte Nero and immersed in a birch forest.

*For those who are interested, after the excursion, we will be able to take the car back and let you explore a lava flow cave located a few minutes away on the way back.

Eva is an AIGAE-certified guide – the Italian association of ecological excursion guides – and she offers this hike once a week. Don’t hesitate to ask!

Recommended equipment
Walking shoes, walking sticks, rucksack;
Windbreaker;
Water, cap, sunglasses and sun cream (depending on the temperature, gloves and a hat may also be useful).

PRICE  : 60€ 

Need to add 3€/car for parking

DURATION: ½ day – trekking 3.5h round trip;
PERIOD: March to November, depending on the weather;
DIFFICULTY: medium.

DEVELOPMENT AND DISTANCE: 5 km (8 km if you reach the Timparossa refuge) – 300 m difference in altitude – starting altitude 1800 m asl. – maximum altitude reached 2100 mt asl;

INCLUDED: half-day guide

Intermediate Itinerary 2 : Vallee del Bove from the south

Leaving by car from the b&b, one arrives at an altitude of 1,822 metres via a road on the slopes of the volcano, with astonishing views.

On the edge of the crowded tourist routes, the trek begins in the pine undergrowth, on an old mule track that is quite steep, and then offers, along a gentler path, a succession of breathtaking views towards the coastline and the summit craters… until finally arriving at the always exciting view of the majestic ‘Valle del Bove’!

We will talk about the endemic flora, the history and evolution of Etna’s volcano, the formation of volcanoes in general, the extraordinary variety of lava flows and secondary craters, and the lava flow caves.

We will end our excursion through volcanic sands.

*For those who are interested, after the hike, we can take the car back and let you explore a lava flow cave located a few minutes away on the way back.

Eva herself is a certified AIGAE guide – Italian Association of Ecological Tour Guides – and we sometimes have to carry you on the tour ourselves. Don’t hesitate to ask!

Recommended equipment
Walking shoes, walking sticks, backpack;
Windbreaker;
Water, cap, sunglasses and sun cream (depending on the weather, gloves and a hat can also be used).

PRICE: 70€ /person. 60€ if we guide it ourselves

Prices are indicative and subject to change during the season, at the sole discretion of the professional guides we work with.

DURATION: ½ day – trekking 3h round trip;
PERIOD: March to November, depending on the weather;
DIFFICULTY: medium.

DEVELOPMENT AND DISTANCE: 5,5 km – 200 m difference in altitude – starting altitude 1822 m asl. – maximum altitude reached 2000 mt asl;

INCLUDED: half-day guide

EASY ITINERARIES, FAMILY TREKKING OR 4×4

Easy itinerary 1: Monti Sartorius with family

For those who do not want an overly busy day, we offer this hike, which is also ideal for families with children from 4 years of age. It is an easy path, but one that encompasses so many peculiar aspects of the volcano!

Once a week, we lead the hike ourselves!

This path, one of the most striking on the volcano, is located on the northern slope of Etna.

The trail, which is of great scenic, geological and botanical interest, winds in a loop. Starting from a suggestive forest of endemic Betulle aetnensis, we ascend along the 1865 ‘Bottoniera’ of the Sartorius Mountains. From here we will climb the last cone to an altitude of 1768 metres above sea level.

We will talk about the endemic flora, the history and evolution of Etna volcano, the formation of volcanoes in general, the extraordinary variety of lava flows and secondary craters, and the lava flow caves.

*For those interested, after the excursion, we can take the car back and let you explore a lava flow cave located a few minutes away on the way back.

Recommended equipment

Walking shoes, rucksack;

Windbreaker;

Water, cap, sunglasses and sun cream (depending on the weather, gloves and a hat may also be useful).

PRICE: 60 € per person

DURATION: Approx. 2-hour hike, 45-minute scenic drive to the starting point.

PERIOD: all year round

DIFFICULTY: easy

DEVELOPMENT AND DISTANCE: 4 km – 100 m difference in altitude – starting point 1668 m asl;

INCLUDED: half-day guide

Easy itinerary 2: Etna Nord 3,000 metres, approach the summit easily in a 4×4

The 3,000-metre tour is accompanied by alpine guides or vulcanologists and starts at an altitude of around 1,800 metres.

Special 4×4 buses will take you to the Pizzi Deneri volcanological observatory at an altitude of 3,000 metres, from where you can enjoy an exceptional panorama of the Valle del Bove, one of Etna’s most spectacular spots.

When the weather is clear, you can even see the Aeolian Islands to the north and Syracuse to the south.

On the way back down, you’ll make two more stops, first at the 1,809 craters, then at the famous ‘buttonhole’, a series of eruptive craters opened by the eruption of 27 October 2002.

If you wish, you can complete the descent on foot (approximately 30 minutes).

Recommended equipment

Walking shoes, rucksack;

Windbreaker;

Water, cap, sunglasses and sun cream (depending on the weather, gloves and a hat may also be useful).

PRICE: €69 per person; €50 for children

Prices are indicative and subject to change during the season, at the sole discretion of the professional guides we work with.

DURATION: approx. 2 hours excursion, 45-minute scenic drive to the starting point.

PERIOD: all year round

DIFFICULTY: easy

Easy itinerary 3: Etna Nord 2,000 metres, Jeep tour

The tour starts 10 minutes from the B&B at the San Michele agriturismo, where you will meet. You will then be accompanied for 3 hours by tour guides.

Using 4×4 vehicles, you will successively reach a volcanic fault that is still moving, a lava cave that you can cross, craters and finally the ‘buttonhole’, a series of 7 craters opened in 2002 during the eruption that destroyed the Etna Nord station.

At each stop, you’ll enjoy a short, easy walk that’s accessible to everyone.

The vehicle trip will give you the chance to explore paths you wouldn’t be able to follow on your own, and to hear the guides’ explanations of the spectacular scenery before your eyes.

Recommended equipment

Walking shoes, rucksack;

Windbreaker;

Water, cap, sunglasses and sun cream (depending on the weather, gloves and a hat may also be useful).

PRICE: €65/person; Discounts for children (€30 or €50 depending on age).

Prices are indicative and subject to change during the season, at the sole discretion of the professional guides we work with.

DURATION: approx. 2 hours excursion, 45-minute scenic drive to the starting point.

PERIOD: all year round

DIFFICULTY: easy

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