Etna Volcano: South Side Guided Summit Hike
Description
Each excursion is carried out in compliance with the levels of volcanic risk. After the meeting and departure from Piazzale Rifugio Sapienza (Etna Sud), with the cable car and 4x4 jeep you reach an altitude of 2,800 meters and from here in about 2 hours of walking through lava flows and environments looking lunar, you reach the Etna Summit Craters at 3340mt. Here we will walk on the spectacular rim of the Central Crater, we will face the dizzying Northeast Crater and we will see at our side the famous Southeast Crater, author of the most recent and impressive eruptions. In addition to the vastness of the summit craters, you will admire a unique volcanic environment, with gas emissions, volcanic bombs and the sparkling colors of the ground thanks to the sublimation of various elements, including sulfur in particular. During the descent we will visit the craters of Barbagallo and cross a lava channel. Once again at 2500 m with the Etna cable car we will return to the starting point.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- People have to be in a perfect physical conditions. The level is medium-high
Reviews(322)
An annoying start that ended very well. Booked with Viator in January to do a south summit hike on 21 June and booked accommodation nearby. The day before the hike we received an message from the tour operator to say the south summit tour was not possible and we should get to meeting point at 8am on the North side for 8 am which was an hour and 15 mins away. We got up very early to be there on time. However on speaking to the guide on arrival and although we were the first to arrive the group already had 10 people so we had to join another group with a different company which wasn’t leaving until later! However this turned out to be a blessing in disguise! Not only was the North side less touristy and pristine, but we also got to ride in a very cool 4x4 bus accompanied by a great guide Vincenzo from AITNE who took us on the hike up to two craters. He was very knowledgeable and we felt very safe. We are used to hiking in mountains so this was not hugely challenging for us but it’s soft underfoot, like walking up a sand dune in places and some parts were quite steep and the air is thinner. It was great they provided good quality comfortable hiking boots and poles. Be warned, you need a reasonable level of fitness to do the hike. An inexperienced couple half our age were struggling and were encouraged thankfully to turn back, which they eventually did, with another guide. so the rest of us could do the full tour at a comfortable pace.
Everything was taken care of in the smallest details🤩 Giovanni was an excellent guide who conveyed his passion for Etna and trekking, ranging from technical information to local curiosities. The second excursion at dawn over the Valley of Bove was something magical!
A wonderful experience! I recommend it to anyone who wants to get to know Mother Etna!
Our guide Giacomo did a fantastic job to get us to the summit craters and back.
Amazing experience, really well organised and the guides were really knowledgeable and passionate about the volcano and the underlying geology, highly recommended
We arrived at the top of the central crater with the guide Massimo Floccavento, who in addition to being a professional in his work is a true mountain enthusiast and is an advantage for those like us, makes experiences with him. Very courteous and helpful also the other guys, including Mary who by phone explained everything we would do and what it would take to go to altitude, even warning us about the risks. Ashàra you are top!
Very nice hike not too physical also done over 3 hours, you must absolutely see Etna during your stay in Sicily! We were super well accompanied by Simone, Italian guide with impeccable French, who explained all the subtleties of the volcano, a big thank you to him. It is definitely worth taking a guide, for safety first but also for a little context on the place, thank you for this great experience 🌞
An incredible, extraordinary experience with Tour Guide Antonio
Unique and fantastic experience, Etna speaks for itself, then mix snow and lava rock is another thing, but the gem was the organization of the trekking and the guide Giacomo, nice thoughtful and prepared. Congratulations and see you next (North side and... late summer).
The guide, Simone, was very well informed and in fact passionate about volcanoes. It was very interesting to listen to him and he handled questions well. He was also very attentive to the needs of the group. It was a very positive experience. The group size and logistics were all well-organized. We were pleasantly surprised that hiking boots were provided; that was super helpful. Knowing that in advance would be great. The tiny complaint I have is that the trip is advertised and sold as a summit trip, but they did not at any point consider taking us to the summit, due to snow bridge conditions. If this was communicated from the outset, it would eliminate any feeling that we did not get what we signed up and paid for. We understood that the weather conditions made summit hikes unsafe, but this was not a situation that was changing day to day. It should just be sold as is. All that said. I would do it again and recommend it, especially if you want the really interesting information from a professional. Simone was an expert, and we were fortunate to get to experience Etna with his guidance.
