Etna Summit Craters | Expert Hikers | Walk Down (Guide Only)

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• 1
  Piano Provenzana

  Piano Provenzana is the tourist area on Etna’s northern slope, quieter and less crowded than the south, with an authentic atmosphere surrounded by volcanic landscapes. Here you meet your volcanological guides. Before departure, you can use the restrooms or stop at the café for breakfast, coffee, tea or a pastry. Your guides will then explain the itinerary, give a safety briefing and provide the equipment needed for the hike. Piano Provenzana stands amid the lava fields of the 2002 eruption, which destroyed the tourist area on October 27, 2002. You can reach the meeting point by car along a paved road. In winter, snow chains or winter tires may be necessary. You will then board authorized 4×4 vehicles with your guides for a panoramic ascent along Etna’s northern flank. Crossing lava fields and passing lateral craters, you climb to approximately 2,960 m, where the guided trek towards the summit craters begins.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 2
  Itinerario Crateri Sommitali

  Meet your guides at Piano Provenzana at 7:45 a.m., departing between 8:00 and 8:15 a.m. Afternoon departures at 1:00 p.m. run from May to October. Board authorized 4×4 vehicles for a scenic 9.5 km drive up Etna’s wild, less crowded northern slope, with smaller groups for a personal experience. Climbing from 1,800 m to 2,960 m, the route passes forests, recent lava flows, lava channels, eruptive fractures and lateral craters over 40 m deep. Your guides accompany you throughout the drive and hike. The unpaved track offers views of northern Sicily, the Aeolian Islands, Strait of Messina, Calabria, and the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas. On clear days, you may also see the Madonie Mountains, Gulf of Catania, Syracuse, Augusta and the vast Valle del Bove. Discover Etna’s changing scenery, from green woodlands and dramatic craters to a high-altitude volcanic desert. The drive ends near 3,000 m, where your summit trek begins.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket included
• 3
  Mount Etna

  From 2,960 m, reached by authorized 4×4 vehicles, the guided trek leads towards Mount Etna’s summit craters: North-East, Voragine and Bocca Nuova. The ascent covers about 5 km, with 550 m of cumulative elevation gain. As volcanic activity changes, guides select the safest permitted route, adapting it to gas emissions, heat, fractures and weather conditions. At altitudes of 2,960–3,323 m, good fitness and hiking experience are essential; mild altitude effects are possible. The return is entirely on foot, descending from around 3,300 m to Piano Provenzana at 1,800 m: approximately 7 km with 1,500 m of elevation loss. This descent requires strong knees and may feel harder than the climb. The route crosses soft volcanic scoria, sandy gullies, recent lava fields and Piano delle Concazze, before following 2.5 km of rocky ski slopes. Total hiking distance: about 12 km. Duration: approximately 6 hours. The itinerary may change for safety reasons.

  4 hours • Admission ticket included
• 4
  Piano Provenzana

  Piano Provenzana, on Mount Etna’s northern slope, is easily accessible by private or rental car via fully paved public roads. Surrounded by pine forests and spectacular lava fields, this tourist area was transformed by the October 2002 eruption, which destroyed its original facilities and created a fascinating volcanic landscape rich in geological history. Visitors will find souvenir shops, cafés, restaurants and bars for breakfast, lunch or a coffee, as well as places to refill water bottles. In winter, Piano Provenzana becomes a ski resort, while in summer it serves as a starting point for guided hikes and volcanic excursions. Designated blue-lined parking areas are available for cars and camper vans. If you have booked an excursion, you will meet your volcanological guide directly at the designated meeting point. Quieter and less crowded than Etna’s southern tourist areas, Piano Provenzana offers an authentic experience on Europe’s highest active volcano.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket included

Additional info

• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
• This type of itinerary, in relation to the type, is suited to people in good physical health, not suffering from particular diseases (breathing ones, or hypertension).
• The excursion could be subjected to variations at the discretion of the Guides, or it could be interrupted in case of changes of the environmental, climatic or volcanic conditions, so as to undermine the safety of the entire group.

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