Etna and Alcantara Full-Day Tour from Catania
Catania, Italy
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Trip Type: Full-day Tours
Duration: 9 hours
This full-day tour allows you to go from a morning visit to Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, to the beautiful and surprising valley of Alcantara river in the afternoon. In the first part of the excursion, you will submerge in nature and visit old craters and lava flow caves, enjoy breathtaking views, and taste typical local products. In the afternoon, before seeing the famous basaltic canyon named Gorges, you will walk next the river Alcantara through a lush vegetation until to visit the Gurne, little lakes created by the same river.
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This full-day tour allows you to go from a morning visit to Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, to the beautiful and surprising valley of Alcantara river in the afternoon. In the first part of the excursion, you will submerge in nature and visit old craters and lava flow caves, enjoy breathtaking views, and taste typical local products. In the afternoon, before seeing the famous basaltic canyon named Gorges, you will walk next the river Alcantara through a lush vegetation until to visit the Gurne, little lakes created by the same river.
The guide will pick you up from your hotel and, on the way up to Rifugio Sapienza, you will stop in some view points. You will receive all the information you need about the history and the territory of the volcano and visit the sites of the last eruptions and the old Silvestri Craters.
From Rifugio Sapienza, you will be able to choose if you wish to continue with a trek in one of the nature paths of Parco dell’Etna, up to 2000 meters. If you wish to buy the Etna high altitude option, you will reach 2504 meters by cable car and then continue with special 4x4 minibuses to arrive at Torre del Filosofo (2900 meters). From here, it will be possible to admire the great central crater, the South-East crater and the historical lava flows that characterize the landscape of Etna, in a scenery stretching right down to the sea. With the Alpinist guides (who speak Italian and English), you will visit the places where the life of the volcano flourishes, in full safety. You will return to Rifugio Sapienza by minibus and cable car. You will then explore a lava cave with helmets and torches.
Before heading towards Alcantara, you will stop at a famous organic farm, in Zafferana, for a delicious sampling of honey, wine, oil and other typical products. In Alcantara you will reach the river by walking down the small paths along the cultivated fields, the so-called “delizi”. Here it will be possible to admire the Gurne, natural pools created by the running water, small lakes and waterfalls surrounded by a beautiful riparian vegetation. During this walk through nature, history and tradition, you will also admire the ruins of the Francavilla Castle.
You will continue by visiting the gorges, which are canyons formed over the millenniums by the water of the river on the lava basalts of Etna. Here it will be possible to admire the columnar basalts, lava formations resulting from the erosion process and the slow cooling, whose extraordinary shapes have various thickness and orientations. The tour concludes by returning back to your accommodations.
From Rifugio Sapienza, you will be able to choose if you wish to continue with a trek in one of the nature paths of Parco dell’Etna, up to 2000 meters. If you wish to buy the Etna high altitude option, you will reach 2504 meters by cable car and then continue with special 4x4 minibuses to arrive at Torre del Filosofo (2900 meters). From here, it will be possible to admire the great central crater, the South-East crater and the historical lava flows that characterize the landscape of Etna, in a scenery stretching right down to the sea. With the Alpinist guides (who speak Italian and English), you will visit the places where the life of the volcano flourishes, in full safety. You will return to Rifugio Sapienza by minibus and cable car. You will then explore a lava cave with helmets and torches.
Before heading towards Alcantara, you will stop at a famous organic farm, in Zafferana, for a delicious sampling of honey, wine, oil and other typical products. In Alcantara you will reach the river by walking down the small paths along the cultivated fields, the so-called “delizi”. Here it will be possible to admire the Gurne, natural pools created by the running water, small lakes and waterfalls surrounded by a beautiful riparian vegetation. During this walk through nature, history and tradition, you will also admire the ruins of the Francavilla Castle.
You will continue by visiting the gorges, which are canyons formed over the millenniums by the water of the river on the lava basalts of Etna. Here it will be possible to admire the columnar basalts, lava formations resulting from the erosion process and the slow cooling, whose extraordinary shapes have various thickness and orientations. The tour concludes by returning back to your accommodations.
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