Volcano Travel · Tour
Etna Off the Tourist Trails: 5.5 km, 350 m of Ascent, Valle del Bove
The operator's promise is to keep you off the routes everyone else walks, and the numbers back it up: 5.5 km, about 350 metres of ascent, three to three and a half hours, up to around 2,100 metres. The grade is medium to easy. What the route crosses: deserts of black sand, woodland, lava flows both ancient and recent, old craters and lava tubes, ending at the Valle del Bove. One section descends into black sand deep enough to fill your shoes, which is why trekking shoes matter, or at least shoes you do not mind ruining. The lava tubes are entered with a helmet and torches. Two warnings from the operator, both worth taking seriously. Bad weather or a real safety risk can change the route. And the stated duration is indicative: do not book this on the day you fly, if the times are anywhere near each other.
What's included
- Private transportation
- Helmet and flashlights - Sticks - Jackets - Sweaters
Itinerary
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Via Alcalà, 13/15, Catania
Meet in front of the McDonald's on Piazza Borsellino in Catania.
Mount Etna
This route deliberately avoids the tracks everyone else uses. Wear trekking shoes, or shoes you would not mind ruining: at one point the route drops into desert-like black sand. The ground is lunar for long stretches. Etna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and walking its paths puts the structure of the volcano in front of you, along with the plants and animals particular to it. The route crosses deserts of black sand, woods, lava flows ancient and recent, and old craters, ending at the Valle del Bove. Lava tubes formed during eruptions are entered with helmet and torches. How they came to exist is interesting; what they keep hidden in the dark is more so. Difficulty: medium to easy. Length: about 5.5 km. Maximum altitude: about 2,100 m. Duration: 3 to 3.5 hours. Height gain: about 350 m. The guide can change the route if the weather turns or a real safety risk appears. The walk is led by the operator or by their co-hosts, all of them people who know this mountain.
Valle Del Bove
On the eastern flank of the volcanic edifice, this large basin sits inside the protected Etna Park, in the territory of the municipality of Zafferana Etnea (CT).
Craters Silvestri of Mount Etna
The Silvestri Mountains, also called the Silvestri Craters, are two pyroclastic cones on the flank of Etna, north of Nicolosi, at about 1,900 m.
Via Alcalà, 13/15, Catania
Not included
- Lunch
- Bottled water
Good to know
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Show 3 moreShow less
- Up to 10 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en, it.
Reviews
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