Duration

8 hours

Group Size

Private

Languages

English

Italian

Dedicate one of your vacation days to a private excursion on one of the most striking places of Sicily, and, broadly speaking, of the world: Mount Etna!

Included Description Meeting Point Important Info Reviews

Included

Private tour: personalized attention

Professional English speaking trained guide

Round-trip transportation from Taormina/Giardini Naxos by luxury A/C Mercedes Minivan or Minibus

Free rental of equipment if needed (wind jacket/kway, walking sticks, helmet for cave visit)

Guided easy hike on the volcano

Guided visit of a volcanic cave

Typical Sicilian Lunch on the Etna

Bottle of water

Highlights

Travel in a luxury minivan to get to Mount Etna from Taormina/Giardini di Naxos
Be guided by our private volcanological guide
Walk the trails of Europe's highest volcano
Discover Etna’s outstanding ecosystem
Taste the authentic Sicilian flavors during a high-altitude lunch

Description

How to combine your sense of adventure together with the desire to discover the gastronomical delights of Sicily? Easy! With this private tour you will hike Mount Etna together with a private guide, and at the end of the excursion you will sample a lunch full of typical Sicilian delicacies.

Take an adventurous walk on the most active European volcano

Depending on the choice you make during booking time, you will be picked up in Taormina or Giardini di Naxos, and from there you will begin this private tour. Enjoy a comfortable drive from your starting point to Mount Etna, and see how the landscape changes as you move from one place to your destination, marvel at the beautiful Sicily’s countryside. But the best has yet to come of course, so start the hike together with your private guide. Before starting walking the guide will assess the weather conditions, and in case it is needed you will be equipped with a windbreaker, and if you want you can also have the walking sticks.

Climb the seven lateral craters of the Etna’s northeast slope

Although Mount Etna hides rugged terrain and steep expanses, the route provided by this private tour is suitable for everyone, which is why it is perfect for a fun family activity to discover the geology of a one of a kind place. The hike traverses the Sartorius Mountains, a complex of seven craters that were formed by the 1865 eruption. This set of volcanic cones is named the “Bottoniera”,which means “buttonhole” because the eruption caused them to be positioned one behind the other, just like a row of buttons. Before walking on the edge of the seven craters, however, you will pass through a forest of special trees, the Etna birches. These extraordinary specimens have developed since the last glaciation that occurred on earth's soil 10,000 years ago. Following the stabilization of temperatures, the slopes of the volcano have been one of the few environments in which birch trees have managed to survive. With this private tour to Mount Etna you will have the opportunity to observe Betula Aetnensis immersed in a totally contrasting setting, with the black and reddish of the volcanic surface and the white of the trunks. Are you ready to marvel at this moonscape?

Enjoy a typical Sicilian lunch

The time to immerse yourself in one of the greatest pleasures that you can experience during a vacation has come, and that is to learn about the local culinary specialties. After crossing the seven craters of the Bottoniera, it will be time to enjoy a three-course lunch enriched by the best typical Sicilian products. It will surely be the best way to regain your energy after the trek, and once you finish you can enjoy some more of the wonders of the volcano. If you go for this hike during a sunny day you will be able to admire one of the best views of Sicily from the top of Mount Etna! However, besides the chance to sample a delicious lunch in a surreal location that is the volcano, you will have the opportunity to stroll around the area autonomously before heading back to Taormina.

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Meeting Point

Meet our tour leader in Taormina, inside the parking of the the Bus Terminal, via Pirandello 75, near the Rico Caffè

Please meet our tour guide at Giardini Naxos, inside the Recanati Terminal Bus, at the corner with Roulotte House.

Important Information

Required: hiking shoes or good walking/sport shoes (no flip-flops!).

Strongly suggested hat and sunscreen.

We regret to inform you that this tour is not suitable for guests with wheelchairs or with impaired mobility.

Please note that Italy's law doesn't permit selling alcoholic beverages to teens under 18 y.o. so clients under this age will be served non-alcoholic beverages.

Please inform us of any food intolerance or allergy in advance.

Rain policy

Provided that we will do our best to proceed with the tours, avoiding the rain and thus possibly carrying out the tour with our vehicle until and if the rain should stop and road conditions will guarantee a safe tour. If it does not stop raining, the entire tour will be conducted in the safety and comfort of the vehicle.

Since we are aware that the experience running today, might not be the one you had wished for, we are hereby giving you the following choices, to be communicated to our Staff DURING THE CHECK-IN PROCEDURE:

1) Proceed with the tour hoping for clearing weather – PARTIAL activities or NO activities due to heavy RAIN Customers can decide to proceed with the tour hoping for clearing weather with the understanding that It will NOT be granted any refund or discount. We will do our best to accommodate you, weather permitting.

2) Reschedule the tour for another day, subject to availability. Please contact our Booking office in order to ask for availability and rescheduling the experience. If no suitable date / time is available for the reschedule, you will be able to choose any other experience available, upon availability, with an equal or less value, or eventually an experience with a higher value, paying only the difference.

3) A credit, called Rain Check, (of the same amount clients paid) to be used the following days or at any other time, subject to availability. The Rain check is a voucher given to the client. The voucher is transferable and may be sold or given to others to use at a future date and lasts up to 1 year from date. It has a value that can be possibly used in any other tour provided by our company. Please note that clients' safety and comfort are of utmost priority, and proper rain gear is mandatory for guests choosing to "ride in the rain". We ask clients to be at the meeting point 15 minutes before the tour departure, to check the weather conditions and choose accordingly. No-shows will not be refunded.