Etna, Summit Craters
Description
A trek that allows us to climb to the top of the The highest active volcano in Europe and to listen to the breath of a living mountain. The ascent is carried out by cable car and 4 × 4 minibuses up to an altitude of 2900m in the area of Torre del Filosofo, from here after about 1.5h of uphill walking you will arrive on the edge of the central crater from which you can observe the Bocca Nuova (3250m ), which opened in 1968, probably the most impressive crater. The itinerary could change due to the activity of the volcano or weather conditions
Tour Options
Itinerary
The ascent is made by cable car and 4 × 4 minibus up to 2900m in the Torre del Filosofo area, from here after about 1.5h uphill walk you reach the edge of the central Crater from which you can see the Bocca Nuova (3250m ), opened in 1968, probably the most impressive crater. Going around the Bocca Nuova you find yourself on the edge of the Voragine, the heart of the Central Crater and from here going up a steep but short climb to the North East Crater, formed in 1911 and a veritable summit of Etna (3329m). From the top we can wander 360 ° with the eye, and if the day allows it, we can see the Aeolian Islands to the north. From the top we begin the long descent, steep but easy slope of ashes and scoria passing through the volcanic amphitheater of the Valle del Bove, a spectacular caldera of 8km of length and 4km of width, up to return to the station of arrival of the cable car at an altitude of 2500mt .
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
- Not recommended for those with asthma problems
Reviews(298)
It was incredible! An experience of a lifetime
Due to the situation of Mount Etna, we could not do the full tour, but the experience was impressive. The guide Simone did a splendid job and explained everything wonderfully to us. Highly recommended.
A brilliant guide, Giuseppe, a volcanology enthusiast who helped us discover the volcano in an incredible way through his experience.
The whole trip was amazing, our guide Vincenzo made this experience very interesting and took us to better places then the rest of the groups, definitely recommend
Wonderful and unique experience, very well-prepared guide and very attentive to the group's safety
If they change the itinerary due to the activity level on the volcano maybe rethink this tour. We were given the option to take the cable car up and walk down but it was not explained that we would be walking in moving volcanic gravel at a steep decline. If give the more details about the decent or given the option to take the cable car down since we were made to pay for a round trip ticket but only use it one way, we may have made a different choice. They did offer to let us cancel and maybe we should have done that.
Magnificent excursion! Everything was perfectly organized from start to finish. Our guide Simone delighted us with her explanations, professionalism, and kindness... we highly recommend her!!!!!
I had a great experience on the Mount Etna tour, thanks to our guide, Vincenzo. He was attentive, supportive, and clearly passionate about what he does. Since we weren’t very experienced with hiking, he regularly checked in on us to make sure we were doing okay, which we really appreciated. He also encouraged us to push a bit further to reach the crater, and I’m glad we did. Even though we were able to see just one crater, it was absolutely worth it. Overall, it was a memorable experience, and I would highly recommend this tour, especially with such a thoughtful guide.
Incredible experience with Vicenzo, who provided very interesting volcanological information throughout the hike in excellent French. The chosen itinerary allowed us to arrive directly at the edge of the crater and to be surprised by overlooking it. This will remain an unforgettable moment.
I went to the Etna summit craters tour with the guide Vincenzo. He was very passionate about Etna’s uniqueness and gave it over to us. All the atmosphere was really great and he cared that no one gets left out.
