If you're short on time but still want to enjoy an excursion to Europe's highest still active volcano, this private tour of Mount Etna departing from Taormina (or Giardini Naxos) is for you.
About this tour:
Limited availability
- Enjoy the drive from Taormina to Mount Etna in a luxury minivan
- Meet our volcanos expert guide
- Walk the trails of the only still active volcano in Europe
- Admire the surreal landscapes on the top of the volcano
- Get to know the peculiar plant species
Sicily is known for its wonderful coastline, which is why tourists from all over the world flock to Sicilian shores to spend their summer vacations. The hinterland, however, reserves spectacles not to be outdone, and with this private tour of Mount Etna you can discover the most fascinating!
Climb the highest active volcano in Europe
From Taormina (or Giardini di Naxos) you will go directly to Mount Etna, transported by a private minivan in comfort and meet our guide at the foot of the path you will take in the climb. The tour includes crossing the seven lateral craters that were formed following the 1865 eruption. Etna's special feature is the fact that it is the highest of the still active volcanoes in Europe, and among the most significant eruptions is certainly the one that gave rise to the expanse of the Bottoniera. This is the name reserved for the seven cones created by the 1865 eruption, which are named the Sartorius Mountains (in honor of the scholar Sartorius von Waltershausen), which are arranged in a row one after the other, as if to form a succession of buttons.
Discover the peculiar plant species of Mount Etna
If there is one thing that makes Mount Etna's ecosystem special, it is the presence of certain plant species that are unique and findable only on the volcano. The perfect example is the rare species of birch that grows on the slopes of the Sartorius Mountains mentioned earlier. Basically, it is already surreal to see birch, a species that usually grows only at high latitudes, such as in Scandinavia. It is even more extraordinary to see this plant species immersed in an environment characterized by the blackness of solidified lava from the volcano's surface.
Walking in the color contrasts created by these trees with their ice-white trunks and very thin branches with their surroundings will surely leave you breathless!
Enjoy the lunar views from Europe’s most active volcano
During this private half-day excursion to Mount Etna you will feel immersed in a surreal environment, reminiscent of a lunar setting, and everywhere you turn your gaze will seem to be in a place light years away from planet earth.
On the other hand, if you look further afield you will be able to catch a glimpse of the city of Catania, and if you are lucky enough, during a full sunny day you may even get to see the island of Stromboli. Steal as many details as you can with your eyes, take photos to create memories that will last forever, and enjoy to the fullest the hike to one of the most picturesque places of Italy before heading back to Taormina!
Important Information
Required: hiking shoes or good walking/sport shoes (no flip-flops!).
Strongly suggested hat and sunscreen.
We regret to inform that this tour is not suitable for guests with wheelchairs or with impaired mobility.
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.
Included
Meeting Point
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Meet our tour leader in Taormina, inside the parking of the the Bus Terminal, via Pirandello 75, near the Rico Caffè
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Please meet our tour guide at Giardini Naxos, inside the Recanati Terminal Bus, at the corner with Roulotte House.
Starting from
price per person
based on a group of 4
