Private Etna from Taormina: Sea Level to 2,200 m, Summit Optional in the Morning

A private car from sea level to the extinct craters at 2,000 metres, with a guide who stops where there is something to look at rather than where the coaches park. The route takes in the great lava casting, the most interesting volcanic activity of the twentieth century on this mountain, and the Etna forest, where the vegetation is thicker than anyone expects on a volcano. It reaches the Valle del Bove, the ancient caldera that both recent and old flows have poured into, and goes underground into a lava tube, a long natural tunnel left by a flow that kept running inside its own crust. The extinct craters sit at 2,000 to 2,200 metres, and the light trek around them happens at whatever pace suits you, with the guide following rather than setting off ahead. The explanation covers the nature, the geology, and the way people live on these slopes, which is a subject of its own on a mountain that keeps erupting. One option comes with a condition attached: the summit area up to 3,000 metres can be added, but only on morning departures. The cable car and 4x4 tickets are not included, and are paid on the spot. There are three meeting points to choose from: the Lido di Naxos bar in Giardini Naxos, the church of San Pancrazio in Taormina, and the Taormina-Giardini train station.