Volcano Travel · Tour
Etna and Alcantara by 4x4: One of 190 Lava Caves, and the Riverbed at 25 m
A 4x4 day that goes from lemon groves to a cave under a lava flow, and ends standing in the Alcantara river. The drive leaves the Riviera dei limoni for the Etna villages, then takes the old mule tracks and the paths the charcoal burners used, and at about 1,000 metres crosses into the protected area, 720 km² of it. Cold lava flows cut down the slope like black motorways. Around them: chestnut, pine, oak, beech, and the plants that grow only here, the Etna birch and the Etna broom. The volcano has been shaping itself for more than 500,000 years, and the cones and flows on either side are the record of it. A nature trail inside the Etna Park leads to the top of a side crater, part of a bottoniera, the row of vents a single eruption opens. A crater is a heap of pyroclastic material thrown out of the volcanic shaft and piled around the vent into a cone, and at the rim you stand exactly where the incandescent lava came out of the flank. The rock there turns out in more colours, and more consistencies, than most people expect of something they think of as black. Etna has around 190 lava flow caves. The day goes into one of them. Lunch is at a mountain chalet that looks as if it belongs in the Alps, with the mountain half of Sicilian cooking, a different repertoire from the seafood on the coast. At Piano Provenzana there is the 2002 eruption, and a tasting of honey, typical products and liqueurs, including the one called Fuoco dell'Etna. Then the descent to the Alcantara. The river gets met at the Castiglione di Sicilia bridge, and at the gorges you leave the jeep and walk down to the riverbed, the deepest point, with 25 metres of basalt cliff standing over you. The water is icy. You can get into it and go a few dozen metres inside the gorge.
What's included
- GST (Goods and Services Tax)
- Authorised tour guide
- Typical products tasting, such as honey, liquors, creams.
- Helmet
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- Air-conditioned vehicle
- trekking sticks
- Torches
- Insurance
Itinerary
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SP4-I, Via Stabilimenti, 282, Santa Venerina
Mount Etna
The 4x4 leaves the Riviera dei limoni, the lemon coast, and climbs towards the Etna villages. The road onto the slopes runs along old mulattiere, the mule drivers' tracks, and the paths the charcoal burners used. At around 1,000 metres the protected area starts, 720 km² of it. Cold, hardened lava flows tear down the mountainside like black motorways. Around them there is chestnut, pine, oak and beech, along with the plants that grow nowhere else: the Etna birch and the Etna broom. Eruptive cones, flows and lava valleys stand out on all sides, the record of activity that has been shaping this mountain for more than 500,000 years. A nature trail inside the Etna Park leads towards the craters, and up to the top of a lateral one, part of a bottoniera, the line of vents a single eruption opens. A crater is a heap of pyroclastic material thrown out of the volcanic shaft, which settles around the vent and builds a cone. Standing on that rim puts you at the exact point where incandescent lava left the flank, and the guide explains how Etna's eruptions work from there. The lava turns out in a range of colours, and the pyroclastic rock in a range of consistencies you can feel by hand. Only a few plant species survive up here, where the conditions are extreme in both winter and summer. Deeper into the wood, a crevice opens in the ground: one of Etna's roughly 190 lava flow caves. The visit goes underground from there. Lunch is at a mountain hut that looks as if it had been moved down from the Alps. The food is the mountain half of Sicilian cooking, which the inland areas keep to themselves while the coast has the seafood.
Piano Provenzana
The 2002 eruption. A tasting of honey, typical products and liqueurs, including Fuoco dell'Etna.
Gola Dell'Alcantara
The descent leaves the protected area of the Etna Park for the Alcantara valley. The river appears first at the Castiglione di Sicilia bridge, and from there the road keeps meeting it until the gorges. The jeep gets left behind and the walk goes down to the riverbed. This is the deepest point of the Alcantara gorges, with basalt cliffs 25 metres high standing all around. The water is icy, and anyone willing can get in and go a few dozen metres into the gorge.
SP4-I, Via Stabilimenti, 282, Santa Venerina
Not included
- Lunch
Good to know
- Service animals allowed
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
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- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Tell us in advance about any special needs or health issues, such as allergies, heart disease, pressure problems, walking difficulties, handicaps. We will do our best to let you enjoy the tour to its full extent. Thank you!
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: de, en, it, fr.
Reviews
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