Etna and Alcantara: Birch Woods, a Lava Tunnel and the Basalt Columns

Three things in one day, and no meal, which keeps this shorter than the versions with a restaurant stop in the middle. The walk on Etna is about 3 km, easy to moderate, up to around 2,000 metres above sea level on the north side. It goes between side craters and recent lava flows, and through birch woods, which are not what most people expect to find on a volcano. From the top of the Sartorius craters you can see the Mediterranean. The guide is a certified environmental guide, and the explanation covers the geology, the plants, and what the volcano is doing now rather than only what it did. The lava cave comes with a helmet and a torch, both provided. Inside, the guide explains how a tunnel like this forms: the flow crusts over, the lava keeps moving underneath, and when it drains away the tube stays. At the Alcantara Gorges the access is by the municipal stairs. Down at the riverbank you can take your shoes off and walk into the canyon itself, between basalt walls the water has shaped. The columns there formed as the lava cooled and cracked into regular sides. Entry ticket included. Groups are capped at eight, the minivan is air conditioned, and the equipment is in the price.