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South to north traverse of Mount Etna and the summit craters in Sicily

Traverse breathtaking Mount Etna from the south to north side and discover the summit craters with fully-certified mountain guide Alfio.

Group

1 Day

Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct

Fit

Intermediate


Highlights

  • Traverse south to north along Mount Etna and discover its volcanic craters.
  • Discover the breathtaking beauty of the rugged Sicilian wilderness.
  • Benefit from having a fully-qualified guide accompanying you on the hike.

Description

Mount Etna rises 3,326 meters like a menacing monster from the east coast of the island of Sicily.

The active stratovolcano towers on top of the meeting point between the Eurasian Plate and African Plate. Outside of the Caucasus, Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe.

It is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, so hiking to the summit presents a unique experience by witnessing one of the most powerful forces of nature.

Its size and strength has cultivated many myths that surround the imposing peak. In Greek mythology, Zeus trapped the deadly monster, Typhon, beneath the mountain.

First we’ll take the cable car to reach 2,500 meters above sea level, and then hitch a ride on a 4×4 to reach 2,900 meters.

Then we’ll discover a path that leads from the Philosopher’s Tower, an iconic tower that is in memory of Empedocles, an ancient Greek philosopher who ascended the volcano to study. It is said that he met his death by falling into the bubbling crater of Mount Etna.

The path reaches the summit after approximately 2 kilometers, through beautiful lava fields originating from the south side of the carter.

Reaching the peak, which is also the roof of Sicily, stop to take in our unique surroundings then we’ll continue along the crater.

We’ll pass through volcanic ash and get to the Volcanological Observatory before finding slopes blanketed in endemic plants. Then travel through beech forest before arriving back at Piano Provenzana.

Get in touch now to reserve your place on a thrilling hike to the summit of Mount Etna via the south side.

Price includes

- Guiding fee


Details

More info

It is compulsory to bring: layered clothing, trekking shoes, windbreaker and a packed lunch.

Meeting point

Rifugio Sapienza at 9:30am.

About the guide

Languages

Italian | French | English


What people are saying about Explore-Share

Kumari Selvakumar

5.00

Sept 14, 2022

I’m extremely happy with the ease with which I could book via your site reliable and experienced guide. Thank you so very much, and I’ve started to recommend your site to my friends. Dimitris is not only an awesome guide, but a wonderful person who was always looking out to give me the best experience I can have when he found out how much I love climbing! He is the Best!

Niklas Warren

5.00

Sept 6, 2022

I am very pleased with Explore-Share! This was my first international climb, and the communication and response time were great. Herbie is a very skilled guide and very efficient. The entire booking process & payment was smooth. I will definitely use Explore-Share again. Thank you.

Greg

5.00

Aug 23, 2022

I was looking for a local guide for a hike I was planning and came across Explore-Share. They seemed to have good reviews and so decided to give them a try. The experience was very positive and completely happy with their service. I will be using them again for next trip.

Colin Finnegan

5.00

Aug 17, 2022

Easy to set up and find the perfect trip. Informative site that is easy to use. Guides are all great to work with and communicate all arrangements needed. As simple as can be!

Lesley Weber

4.00

July 16th, 2022

Thank you explore-share for a wonderful via feratta experience. We have been wanting to learn for a long time but don't have the facilities in Scotland. The guide Mitja was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, answering all my many questions and providing advice. On the day head to take another group but he quickly arranged another guide Borut, who was brilliant. We had a fantastic morning learning via ferrata at Hvadnik in the gorge. It gave us the confidence to later hire our own equipment and go out in Mojstrana. Altogether a five star + experience. Thank you.

Richard Scrivener

5.00

July 20, 2022

Hello! I have been thoroughly impressed by the service and assistance that explore-share have provided the past couple years in helping to plan my trip to the High Tatras in Poland. I really appreciated the flexibility that they provided in allowing me to rearrange my trip twice owing to covid. They were responsive and communicative throughout. This trip was part of my Stag weekend celebrations and explore-share connected me with an outstanding guide in the form of Marcel - he was an excellent recommendation and we really enjoyed our guided hike in the High Tatras with him. Marcel was an outstanding professional, placed a high focus on preparing well and staying safe, and was also a great guy! Highly recommend. Many thanks and best wishes - Richard

Yvonne Morrison

4.00

May 8, 2022

Our first time with Explore-Share. An absolutely fantastic experience from start to finish. Extremely good value, very well organised with attention to detail. We travel widely and this has by far been the best of experiences. Well done to all concerned. We are already looking at booking another trip!

Mark Stone

5.00

April 14, 2022

Great service by explore share. Our guide, Fred, gave us a fantastic day. Totally wild adventure that would be impossible on our own. I’m really impressed. Thank you very much.

James Dempster

5.00

March 9, 2022

I can’t recommend this enough. Great service, great price and the on the ground team was top notch. Top marks all round.

Leonardo Rodriguez

5.00

March 4, 2022

Everything went very well! Above our expectations! Thanks Explore-Share and Thanks Kiliholidays! Great support from all you! Thanks for the hard work and excellent level of commitment.

Daniel Martinez

5.00

Feb 2, 2022

Excellent job making your platform available to all mountain lovers. Our guide Gabrielle was an excellent companion

 

 

 

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