ETNA SUMMIT TOURS

Departure h.8:30 • Duration: 6 hours
Difficulty grade: Advanced

Reach Etna’s summit craters, on tours that will make you touch the sky, dominating the island landscape at the summit of Europe’s highest active volcano.

Definitely challenging excursions, but also highly valuable in terms of landscape and emotion.

You will reach the peak of the highest active volcano in Europe, the roof of Sicily: a truly intense experience in which you will face the force of nature and come close to the power of the volcano.

These excursions are not for everyone, but you only need to be moderately trained to enjoy our tours to Mount Etna’s summit and take an unforgettable experience back home from your trip to Sicily.

Our volcanological guides, experts in the area and the history of the volcano, will be at your side during the cable car or 4WD bus ascent and summit trek, so you won’t have to worry about safety.

Surely these are the most thrilling excursions offered by Etna Est and are waiting for you to lead you to the summit for a unique and powerful experience!

Discover all our available tours to get to Etna’s summit craters:

ETNA SUMMIT – NORTH SIDE

The trekking up to the Summit Craters is a once in a lifetime experience that has the north side and its scenery as main character.

Piano Provenzana is the perfect meeting point for this side of the volcano, and specifically, you’ll be meeting the volcanological guide at 8:30am in front of the Etna Travel ticket stand.

The guide will take a moment to do a briefing and then the ascending will begin with the help of special 4×4 vehicles (ticket not included) that will lead you to 2950 m.

After taking some pictures of the landscape, we’ll start trekking on old and recent lava fields to reach the edge of the Summit Craters at 3330 m of altitude.

The trekking on the summit area will start and it will give you the opportunity of admiring the North-East crater, the South-East crater, the Bocca Nuova (New Mouth) and the Voragine (Abyss). The degassing activity with its copious fumaroles will make the scenery more suggestive and unique. Our trekking on the summit area might vary based on the volcanic activity of the moment.

We’ll start descending through volcanic sands to reach Piano delle Concazze: the breath-taking landscape will show us the Valle del Leone (Lion Valley) and the most famous Valle del Bove (Ox Valley), giving us an unforgettable and spectacular view.

The special 4×4 vehicles will lead us at the starting point.

Departure h. 8,30 – Etna Nord Piano Provenzana (Map)

50€ p.p.
PRICE FOR THE 4X4 TICKET: €60 p.p (to be paid in loco the day of the tour in cash to the guide so that you can skip the queue)
MAX 10 PAX GROUPS


ETNA SUMMIT – SOUTH SIDE

If you choose to experience with us the extraordinary tour to Etna Summit Craters from the south slope, our meeting place is at “La Terrazza dell’Etna” bar at 8.30 am.

After a short orientation briefing we will head for the Etna Cableway Company (ticket not included at a cost of € 78 to buy on the spot) to reach 2500m above sea level  from where we start our trek up to the highest altitude reachable.

During the approximately two-hour ascent, with a few breaks to catch our breath and enjoy the view, we will walk through an incredible moonscape of more or less recent lava fields until we reach the summit craters.

The close-up view of Etna Summit Craters is really amazing, a scenery that one rarely gets a chance to experience and that you will carry in your heart forever.

Beginning the descent towards the cable car, we will also see the crater originated in 2001, still smoking, at an altitude of 2700 m above sea level.

The tour, lasting about six hours, will rightfully become one of the most beautiful and unrepeatable memories of your trip to the mythical Sicilian island.

Departure h. 8,30 – Bar “Terrazza dell’Etna” (Map)

50€(+ 50€ cablecar) – MAX 20 PAX GROUPS


ETNA SUMMIT AT SUNSET

The excursion to the Crateri Sommitali at sunset starts at 14:30 at the bar “La Terrazza dell’Etna”, our meeting point with the volcanological guide who will lead you in this magical experience!

After a short opening briefing, we will catch the Etna cable way (ticket not included, €60, to be purchased on site) to head up in altitude. Once we reach 2500 metres above sea level, we will start our trek to the summit craters, at an altitude of 3000 metres.

The two-hour climb includes 2 or 3 stops to enjoy the glorious landscape in front of our eyes while we recover our breath.

We will then walk among an incredible moonscape made of lava fields and craters, a scenery looking out of this world.

We will leave this incredible place to experience the colours of sunset: a 360° view that will leave you speechless!

With our torches switched on, we will start our descent by foot back to our starting point.

The city lights will provide the perfect background to end this tour you will carry among your most intense travel memories!

Departure h. 8,30 – Bar “Terrazza dell’Etna” (Map)

60€(+ 50€ cable car) – MAX 20 PAX GROUPS


Additional Information

In particular for this type of excursions, Etna Est guides have the authority to make changes to the excursions or stop the tour at any time if safety conditions are not good enough due to weather or possible volcanic hazards.

In order to avoid any risk, it is good to be fully aware of your health conditions and inform your guide about them. Here are some important notes regarding safety:

  • Pregnant women who have passed the third month of pregnancy are not allowed any kind of hiking activity.
  • For anyone with heart problems, asthma and dizziness, any type of hiking activity is not recommended, whether at lower or higher altitudes
  • For all hikes but especially those leading to the summit area, due to the continuous presence of windblown volcanic ash, the use of contact lenses is forbidden
  • The excursions may, at the guide’s discretion, be changed or interrupted if weather conditions, environmental causes, or possible volcanic risk pose any source of danger.
  • It is also at the guide’s discretion to stop the excursion for any reason that may compromise the safety and thus the physical integrity of an individual or the entire group.

The fee to participate to Etna Summit tours includes:

  • Insurance
  • Guide for the duration of the excursion
  • Trekking pole
  • Anything expressly provided for in the program

Here is the recommended equipment to take part in the Crateri Sommitali Etna hike:

  • High-necked hiking shoes
  • Trekking poles (rental available on site)
  • Rock helmet (free rental available)
  • Spare T-shirt
  • Long pants (recommended)
  • Pullover and windbreaker (k-way)
  • Backpack (10-20L)
  • Gloves and cap (recommended)
  • Sunglasses (recommended)
  • Sunscreen (recommended)
  • Water, at least 1.5L
  • Snacks and packed lunch