Are you spending time in Sicily and are tired of laying on the beach? Or you simply are looking for something more adventurous? How about an excursion on the Mount Etna volcano?
Mount Etna is one of the major landmarks of the wonderful Sicily, a region that continually reminds us it not only is the place where to have lovely sea vacation, but also is the fulcrum of centuries of history and emotions. The volcano is still active and since ever causes deep changes in the territory in around.
Such a peculiar place couldn’t be other than UNESCO world heritage, since 2013. Years after years of eruptions transformed the terrain to an almost lunar landscape part of the protected natural park in existence since 1987.
At nighttime, during a volcano eruption, the sight is striking. You will witness lava flows running along the mountain sides and jets of lava. The scenery you will face will be a wonderful illuminated sky.
Etna is a must-see when visiting this incredible land; in winter time the landscape is even more spectacular, with a snow cap covering the entire volcano. Indeed Etna has also a great ski resort!
So many ways to visit this marvel… today I’ll tell you about the most interesting ones.
Other articles you might like:
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- Cosa vedere a Taormina in un giorno
- Cosa vedere a Catania in un giorno
Etna DIY hiking excursions
We’ll start from the classic do-it-yourself excursion on foot. Do you want to visit the volcano, without a guide but your spirit of adventure? I’m going to tell you the best way to do it.
Keep in mind that without an authorized guide you won’t be able to visit the top of the volcano.
Several tracks do exist, it will be up to you, your level of fitness and desire to hike, choosing the one you prefer.
Track 1
Let’s start from the simplest track.
If you have a car and you don’t really want to walk, here is the best track for you, it takes half a day with no uphill climbs.
The first stop is the Sapienza hut, you can also reach it by bus.
A few steps from the car park, at a distance of few meters/yards you will find the craters Silvestri, where you will be able to walk around this wonderful lunar landscape. At the end of your small tour, take a ride down to Zafferana passing through the SP92 road where you will find the Cassone cave.
Don’t worry, there are plenty of car spaces here!
Lastly, I suggest you a nice promenade along the Zoccolaro path. You don’t really have to follow it all, yet my advice is take the extra mile and enjoy such an incredible view.
There are many variations starting from the Sapienza hut, easy to follow just looking at the road signs. Thus, the second path I’ll suggest you starts from a different place.
Track 2
From Fornazzo going along the provincial road toward the Citelli hut you will reach the Mount Fontane path.
It takes about 45 minutes with vertical drop of 128 m (140 yd). Up to a certain point you might get there also by car, there are unfortunately not many road signs to show the way to follow, so keep alert!
At the start of the path you’ll be immersed in chestnut trees; taking care of the direction you should find a nice apple orchard, photography lovers will adore it. Continue to walk, and you’ll reach a junction, I suggest you taking the way at the right passing an open traffic barrier.
After about 1.4 km (0.87 mi), turn left, and enter a wood leading you to Mount Fontane. Please pay attention and at your right you should find a narrow road, a little steep, to take you to the Mount. Once at the cliff the sights is stunning: the Bove Valley.
Take your car back toward the Citelli hut, at some point on the right, not well marked, you will find the Ladroni (Big Thieves’) Cave.
In ancient times it was used as an “ice house”, i.e. inside it was stored the snow fell in winter in order to preserve it resell it in summer time. You can walk through the cave for about ten meters until the exit point. Be warned: in some places you’ll have to crawl. Take attention to the rock spikes, wear a protective helmet and carefully watch your steps.
Then you could reach by car the Sartorius Mountains where you could enjoy a lovely 2 km (1.2 mi) stroll and at the end take a rest in the peace of the Citelli hut.
Track 3
The last proposed path is a variant touching some of the places of the previous path.
After getting at the Citelli hut by car you could hike the path taking you to the Serracozzo caves, about 1.5 km afar (0.9 mi). The first part of the path runs through a forest.
After about 1.5 km (0.9 mi) you will reach a valley holding the Serracozzo Cave, a tunnel formed during an eruption back in 1971. By following the entire path you will be able to admire the Bove Valley. The distance is about 4 km (2.5 mi).
Back from the hut we could reach the last suggested stop, the Sartorius Mountains with an gentle 2 km walk (1.2 mi).
Other than the many roads and paths you can decide to explore, the region offers a great variety of tracks and expert guides to make you admire Mount Etna in its full splendor. I’ll thus limit to point out what I repute the most evocative and interesting and the nicest place to book.
Etna 3000 meters, hiking for families
One of the excursions I want to suggest you is Etna at 3000 meters (3280 yd), which you can easily book online from the Go-Etna website.
This excursion in particular has a user rating of 5 over 5 so if you don’t trust my opinion you can anyway check by yourself! Costs are a little pricey, but the offer is surely worth it.
I suggest this tour specifically because it is perfect for families, you can even choose to be picked up by their pick-up van. You will go from villages at the base of Mount Etna up until the Sapienza hut on the south side. Then you will watch the Bove valley and the still work craters formed during the 2002-2003 eruption, all with an expert guide.
Once back to the Sapienza Hut you will enjoy a lunch break and then – equipped with torchlight and helmets – visit a cave formed by the lava flow.
The websites also offers other kind of tours comprising also a taste of local wines, but they are quite expensive; if you prefer saving some money check on the GetYourGuide website where you will find a lot of interesting offers at lower prices.
Excursions at Dawn and Sunset
I’ll tell you a secret: albeit spending the whole day on Mount Etna could be a wonderful experience, if I were you I would also consider taking a guided tour at dawn or sunset.
The excursion I’m going to describe you, to make you understand what we are talking about, starts from Zafferana Etna at 4pm and ends at about 9pm; the main points of interest will be the Calanna valley, which today has the appearence of a desertic lava plain, from where at North raises Mount Calanna. You will then visit the Bove Valley. It formed 64.000 years ago! The valley today is a desert, covered with layers of recent lava.
Next you will see the Cassone Cave and at the end the craters Silvestri.
If getting up early for you is not an issue, I could also suggest you Etna at down tour; it starts a about 4.30am. Yes, I know it’s so early, but you will be able to say you visited one of Italy marvels in its whole splendor! On the same site you will be able to visit the Santorius mountains and the Bove Valley I already told you about, and the wonderful cave of the Snow.
The latter is simple to visit, I suggest you anyway to dress properly. Did you know the cave has been the subject of a famous artist J. Houel? During a tour 1784 he painted it in its “la Grotte a la neige”, exposed at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.
Keep in mind there are many other tours, among them the perfect one for who wants to visit Etna during the morning, but at the same time does not have the will to get up at dawn. They generally start at 8.30am/9.00am and last about 5 hours. In these places you will be able to enjoy ski resorts and wonderful excursions on the snow.
There also are tours solely for caves, you will find them on Excursions Etna, I suggest these visits only to the bravest and not to those suffering of claustrophobia since the caves can be long up to 300 m (328 yd) and get so narrow you’ll have to crawl. But if you are the adventurous kind, trust me, these tours will satisfy you!
One last guided tour I repute one of the most interesting: the excursion during an eruption. Obviously such a peculiar excursion must be prepared and strictly checked by the guides.
Hiking is not for you? Are you anyway an adventurer, or maybe you do simply love speed?
Well, Etna has the perfect tour for you!
Excursions to Mount Etna with Jeep or quad
And what about a nice trip on a Quad or on a Jeep?
Finding sites organizing this kind of excursions is a little more complex, but to the rescue comes the usual GetYourGuide where you can find a really interesting one. There surely are others, but this one offers a really extensive range of varied tour types.
Prices are affordable, starting from 50€ up to 200/250 euros for the most complete excursions. Believe me, they are really worth the cost!
This is not the usual tour where you’d reach by quad just the places to visit, nearly 90% of the track will be on board of the vehicles. Spectacular, isn’t it?
The experience will make you live emotions, like driving on a rough terrain fully immersed in nature. The maximum altitude you can reach by quad is about 1800 meters (1968 yards), you will be furnished of all you need, mechanic included!
Don’t forget your driving license at home!
Choices are many, here all tours depart from Ragabo pinewood; according to my personal experience I suggest you the 4 hour tour because you can visit the Gole Alcantara on your own on a dedicated excursion, may be doing some hiking.
Regarding the trips by jeep, many tour operators offer a short trip aboard their jeeps, but some do offer a private tour.
If you prefer having a jeep all for yourself with at most 6 people on board, I suggest you the website Sicilying; my choice is due to the fact they let you choose your own track and destinations, you can even bundle other activities like trekking or nordic walking. They are bound to Etna Nord.
If you prefer instead something simpler, many of the above mentioned tours include anyway a short part on pick-up van or jeep.
This volcano hides so many secrets and facets and way to discover them. It all depends on you! Are you the hiker type, or more oriented toward a quad ride? It doesn’t matter! Mount Etna will astonish you!
Clothing
To conclude let me mention what to wear during this kind of excursions.
Trekking shoes are strongly suggested, of course comfortable and preferably closed.
You are going to high altitudes and it is always better to dress in “layers” since temperatures at the top of the mountain can drop dramatically, and weather can change suddenly. Don’t forget an anorak and a K-WAY!
Better dressing a thermal jersey in autumn, but also in summer if you plan to reach the top. Take with you also a spare sweater, to replace the sweaty shirt at the end of the excursion. Take also with you a second pair of socks.
Long trekking trousers can avoid you being annoyed by insects in the grass.
Temperature range between the volcano and the town is around 15°C in summer time (59°F).
Other things to take with you:
- Sun hat
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- Water bottle
- Trekking sticks (you can also rent them)
Guides and maps of the paths
Whether you decide to make a DIY excursion on Mount Etna or to take a guided tour, I recommend you these guides and maps: