Volcano Travel

Volcano Travel · Tour

Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot

4.7 700 reviews 4.7 stars out of 5, 700 reviews

Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor

Sicily
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (1/12)
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (2/12)
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (3/12)
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (4/12)
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (5/12)
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (6/12)
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (7/12)
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (8/12)
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (9/12)
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (10/12)
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (11/12)
Etna 3,000 m with Alpine Guides: Barbagallo, Torre del Filosofo, 3 Hours on Foot (12/12)

One thing to settle before anything else: the cable car and 4x4 ticket is not included. It costs 45 € per person, payable at the meeting point, and the operator asks for cash to speed up check-in. The cable car and then an off-road vehicle carry you to 2,850 metres. Everything above that is walked, about three hours in total. The route works extinct craters, eruptive vents and lava fractures, then climbs the sand to the Barbagallo craters at 3,000 metres, where the summit craters come into full view. From there it reaches the effusive mouth of the 2002 eruption, and continues towards the Torre del Filosofo at 2,920 metres. The descent goes down channels of volcanic sand to the Montagnola and the viewpoint over the Valle del Bove, the horseshoe-shaped depression on the eastern flank, before the walk back to the cable car. One condition worth reading before booking: the guide judges the weather and the state of the volcano on the day, and can decide to cut the time up there short and bring the group back down. On Etna that call belongs to the guide alone.

What's included

  • Alpine and/or Volcanological Guide service
  • socks, shoes, jackets and helmets

Itinerary

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  1. Piazzale Rifugio Sapienza, Nicolosi

    The meeting point is the operator's Baita, next to the Rifugio Sapienza, 30 minutes before the tour starts. 45 € per person is payable there in cash, covering the return cable car and the one-way jeep.

  2. Mount Etna

    The start is the hut of the Etna Sud Alpine Guides. The cable car climbs to 2,500 metres, then an off-road vehicle takes the group to 2,850.

    Costo extra

  3. Valle Del Bove

    The first stop is the viewpoint over the Valle del Bove, a large horseshoe-shaped volcano-tectonic depression on the eastern side of Etna. It matters to volcanologists because of what outcrops along its walls. On a clear day the view is the best of the trip.

  4. A very important stop is the Barbagallo crater at an…

    The important stop is the Barbagallo crater, at about 3,000 metres. The route climbs the sandbanks to a lava channel left by the 2002 eruption and follows it up to the effusive mouth that produced it. It then continues towards the Torre del Filosofo at 2,920 metres, along flows from 21 May 2023 that the operator describes as still hot. After the lunch break the walk follows the rim of the Barbagallo crater, with the summit craters above and the eastern coast of Sicily below, from Taormina down to Syracuse.

  5. Mount Etna

    Before the descent there is one more look at the summit craters, the Central and the South-East, each with its plume of gas.

  6. The return by cable car will take place along channels of…

    The way back to the cable car goes down channels of volcanic sand. On a clear day the view runs from the Ionian coast into the interior of Sicily.

  7. Piazzale Rifugio Sapienza, Nicolosi

Not included

  • Lunch
  • Cable car and jeep ticket to be paid in cash at the meeting point

Good to know

  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
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  • except for children under 6 years old
  • Not recommended for travelers with respiratory problems
  • Up to 15 travelers per booking.
  • Mobile or paper ticket accepted
  • Guiding available in: en, it, fr.

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