Etna 3000

Do you want to spend a whole day on the Sicilian volcano? You can do it with this tour! Visit with us Etna’s most fascinating places: caves, craters, landscapes, woods. But don’t stop here. Push your self… dare the 3000 m!

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Mount Etna, 95030 Catania, Sicily Italy

Once on-board of our 4×4 jeeps, we will make our way towards Etna’s hill. We will leave the wonderful “Riviera dei limoni” (Lemons’ coast), to approach Etna’s villages. We will then get on the road that leads through the volcano’s slopes, crossing old mulattiere (ancient mule drivers’ roads) and coalmen paths, we are soon at about 1000m altitude where a protected area of 720km² of begins. We also come across cold and dried lava flows that, like black highways, tear the mountainside.

Once we reach the ski station, we leave our jeep and go up the volcano slope by cableway, coming across old extinct craters as well as lava fields from more recent eruptions. At about 2000 and 3000 m we will be able to see very few plant species that manage to survive in very extreme conditions, such as extreme temperatures both in winter and summer, dry soil, strong wind.

All around us, craters and solid lava flows coloured in shades of black, grey and red; here, the incessant activity of the volcano does not allow vegetation to grow. By looking carefully, we can notice round lava rocks that differ in colour and density if compared to the surrounding: we are talking about lava bomb.
We will reach the peak of one of Etna’s highest side craters. From this point, you will be able to admire on of the most extensive areas of the Etna, part of Sicily and the Calabrian coast.

We just reached the most crucial moment of our excursion: the visit of a crater. What is a crater? It is a pyroclastic slagheap that has been thrown out from the volcanic shaft and, once placed around the eruptive vent, creates a cone. Once we get to the edge of the lateral crater, in the exact point where incandescent lava used to come out from volcano slope1, we will explain to you the features of Etna’s eruptions. You will have the opportunity to admire all of the different colours that lava turns into, as a beautiful reflection of a rainbow, and experience first hand all of the different kinds of consistency of pyrclastic rocks.

We will stop for a pic-nic once a comfortable area will be found.
Packed lunch is not included in the tour price.
You can bring your own lunch or grab something at the local vendors at the beginning of the tour.

After a lengthy exploration of Mt. Etna and after having satisfied our senses, we will have reached the end of our adventure together. Once down, we will cross the Etna Park again (Parco dell’Etna), and, going through antique lava flows, we will be going back home, tired but happy. See you on the next adventure!

Duration: 10 hours