Panarea og Stromboli om natten fra Lipari

Stop too long at Stromboli. Time could have been better spent with either another swim stop or another city for 1 hour. Would have been nice to have some English spoken by tour guides.

This tour company deserves far more recognition. We had a fantastic experience from beginning to end. The boat left on time, and the stops at Panarea and Stromboli were perfectly timed - long enough to explore without feeling rushed or overstaying. The swim stop before Panarea was a great addition and much appreciated on such a hot afternoon. The crew were professional throughout and although the tour was mainly in Italian, all the essential information was also given in English. There were only 29 passengers on board, which made a huge difference. Most of the other boats we saw that day looked incredibly overcrowded, whereas ours felt spacious, clean and relaxed. There was plenty of room to enjoy the views, take photos and appreciate the experience without feeling squeezed in. Having a toilet on board was also a bonus. I was initially unsure about the 2pm departure (some tours start earlier in the day), but it worked out brilliantly and we didn't get back to Lipari until 10.30pm. The itinerary was well planned and we felt we got excellent value from the day. Seeing Stromboli erupt felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'd happily recommend this tour to anyone visiting the Aeolian Islands.

+2

My wife had a desire to see a 'real volcano'. When you arrive in Lipari there are many companies all selling the same trip 'Stromboli by night' with marvellous close up photos of the volcano erupting at night. We decided to go on the trip which left at circa 2:00pm and went to the island of Panarea which took around an hour. We landed at the small jetty and had a pleasant stroll around the small village and had a drink. We then left for Stromboli which took another hour and arrived around 5:00pm. Although you couldn't see the volcano erupting from the port you could hear it periodically make a large bang (like thunder) . There wasn't much to see or do in the Port but it was possible to go on a treck upto a viewing area to get a distant view - in daylight it is very difficult to see anything except some smoke. Here lies the rub - you are never going to see 'Stromboli by night' on a boat trip from Lipari because it doesn't get dark until you are on the way back to Lipari. The boat left Stromboli at 7:00pm and went round the west side of the island where you 'can see the eruptions'. At this time there was a lovely sunset but it doesn't get dark until an hour after sunset. We were back in Lipari at 9:30pm. In retrospect I wish we had stayed a night on Stromboli - you can then go on an organised walk at night to see the eruptions in much better detail and/or on a boat trip at night. As we went at the beginning of May sunset was at 8:00pm (if you go in the summer it will be daylight for the whole trip so a bit false to describe it as Sromboli by night?)