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 - Oct

High

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

Alfio

Mountain Guide

Languages

Italian | French | English

Request more information

What people are saying about Explore-Share

Man

Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!

Maxine

Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.

Valeriya

You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.

Joshua

We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.

Cami

Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.

4.8