Water Then Fire: the Alcantara Gorges, the 1991-93 Flow and Nerello Mascalese

The guided trekking crosses the River Park

The guided trekking crosses the River Park, a nature reserve of real interest in its own right. The walk goes through thick vegetation, and the viewpoints along the paths look down on the Alcantara from above. The gorges reach 25 metres, split down the middle by the icy river. The cliffs are covered in basaltic prisms, symmetrical rock formations that came from incandescent lava cooling on contact with cold water. The columnar basalt is thousands of years old, and it is what makes this canyon look the way it does rather than like an ordinary river gorge.

Costo extra

Craters Silvestri of Mount Etna

The Etna half includes the Silvestri Craters, near the Rifugio Sapienza, where nothing grows on the ground and the craters date from the 1892 eruption. Then a lava cave. The guides come in with you, and the equipment needed to do it safely, a helmet and torches, is provided.

Valle Del Bove

At one point on Etna the Valle del Bove opens out below, an ancient volcanic caldera formed 10,000 years ago, and the expanse of it is difficult to take in at first.

Colata Lavica 1992

Along the way there are lava flows of different ages, along with volcanic bombs, craters and several lateral craters, all of it evidence of how constantly this volcano has worked. The walk goes between older craters and more recent ones, crosses the area covered by the 1991-93 eruption, and reaches the Rifugio Sapienza at 2,000 metres.