The volcanic landscapes around Mt. Etna draw travelers from far and wide, but reaching the highest peaks can be a challenge. This adventurous full-day tour from Catania includes food-tastings in Zafferana Etnea and a visit to the Parco dell’Etna. Delve into a lava cave with a guide, marvel at Italy’s volcanic landscape from the Rifugio Sapienza, and explore the Alcantara Gorges—home to lava formations shaped over millions of years.

Full-day tour of Mt. Etna and the Alcantara Gorges from Catania
Enjoy panoramic views over Italy’s volcanic landscape from the Rifugio Sapienza
Explore lava caves and hiking routes in the Parco dell’Etna with a guide
Sample locally made honey, olive oil, and wine in Zafferana Etnea
Discover ancient lava formations and clear pools in the Alcantara Gorges
Tour includes round-trip travel from your Catania hotel

What's Included

Shuttle bus (return)
Multilingual guide
The kit for visiting the Cave
Tasting
Trekking shoes (on request)
INFANT price - Baby seat and baby carrier included

Cableway to reach 2500 m (to pay on the spot) Optional
Cableway + 4x4 bus + alpinist guide to the maximum altitudes allowed (to pay on the spot) Optional
All that is not specified under “the cost includes"

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:30 AM

Pickup details

Hotels and B&Bs in Catania downtown

What To Expect

Begin your tour with a pickup in Catania. Then, travel out of the city to the Rifugio Sapienza—a vantage point boasting panoramic views over Italy’s volcanic landscape. Stop at sightseeing points along the way, and listen as your guide sheds light on the Silvestri Craters and the region’s past volcanic eruptions.

From the Rifugio Sapienza enjoy an optional trek (payable locally at own expense) into the Parco dell’Etna to an altitude of 6,561 feet (2,000 meters) above sea level. From here, continue onward via cable car and off-road vehicle (payable locally at own expense) to the Torre del Filosofo at 9,514 feet (2,900 meters). Marvel at sweeping views over the craters and ancient lava flows of Mt. Etna, then return to Rifugio Sapienza by minibus and cable car.

Next, strap on your helmet and explore a lava cave in the Parco dell’Etna with your guide. Along the way, admire ancient rock formations in the molten landscape and gain insight into the Parco dell’Etna’s complex geology.

Sample honey, olive oil, wine, and other traditional Italian products at an organic farm in Zafferana Etnea. Then, continue on to the Alcantara Gorges—home to a series of pools and bays hidden among high cliffs.

Follow your guide along the winding trails and admire the ruins of Francavilla Castle. As you explore, discover rich lava formations eroded over millions of years by the gorges’ running waters.

When your time in the Alcantara Gorges comes to an end, return to your starting point in Catania to conclude your tour.

Etna Tribe

9 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Rifugio Sapienza

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Mount Etna

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Craters Silvestri of Mount Etna

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Parco dell'Etna

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Funivia dell'Etna

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Grotta dei Tre Livelli

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Oro d'Etna

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Gola dell'Alcantara

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Gurne dell'Alcantara. Francavilla di Sicilia

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Not wheelchair accessible
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

Also chance to spend a day with knowledgeable local person can’t be appreciated enough, because you get lot of information and hints about Catania.

Reviews

4.5

70 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 70 reviews

Not spectaculair

Kweekel_C, Jun 2023

Etna visit is nice but not spectaculair. Cave visit is nice. Local product tasting is waste of time. Alcantara River is nice but the Elevator use had to be in the tour. No info about what to expect of this River.

Enjoying Etna!

Mario_C, May 2023

First, I would like to say that Salvo was the excellente. He and his company treated us as VIP and made our day the greatest it could be. I will recommend this tour and company for your visit to Etna.

Good experience

Nikith_E, Apr 2023

This trip was amazing. We were a group of 4 and we had Simone as our tour guide. I have traveled around the world and had many tour guides and I have to say that Simone is one of my favorite guides I’ve ever had. He is very knowledgeable and accommodating and keeps the mood light while still teaching.

Breathtaking views

RosaBruno, Jul 2022

Our guide Alessandro was very knowledgeable of area and explained about region. Our group was well engaged and had great time. Love both Mt Etna & Alcantara. Would love to have lunch included due to long day.

Mamma Mia!

Jared_B, Jul 2022

Alessandro provided the best tour with a lot of knowledge and laughter. Maybe we just had a great group? I can’t really compare it to any other tour because it was that great. On the ride back, we each selected music and had some hella carpool karaoke. It was much cooler than in the city, so if you’re looking to beat the heat, book this tour and you won’t be sorry.

Nice experience

Ritianne_M, Aug 2021

The tour guide was helpful and also explained very good, I really enjoyed this tour thumbs up for the great experience.

Awesome

Igors_G, Jun 2019

Our experience with this guided tour was amazing! We were part of group of 6 people together with guide Danilo. We got picked up at our hotel in Catania first, drove to one of caves, then to Etna with enough time to reach 2900 meters mark, enjoyed local delicacies and then had a nice chill at Alcantara valley. All of that throughout the day was accompanied by great stories about Sicily, Catania, Etna and surrounding towns. It was great value for the price we paid, because in exchange we got day full of new impressions and unbelievable natural sightseeings. Also chance to spend a day with knowledgeable local person can’t be appreciated enough, because you get lot of information and hints about Catania. Me and my girlfriend really enjoyed this tour and highly advise it to everyone wishing to hike Etna and explore surrounding areas.

Fabulous tour. Tour guide Julia was...

Leah S, Nov 2017

Fabulous tour. Tour guide Julia was professional, fun and knowledgable. The bus was a few minutes late to arrive, but we made it to all our destinations. The tour went by quickly, as it was designed to jam-pack a lot of destinations into one day. This tour is for a sample of the region and not to meditate on it. If you want a glimpse of Etna and Alcantara just to see it but not embrace it fully, then pick this tour. We had limited time when we visited Sicily and needed a tour like this just to see it.

We loved this tour. Our guide...

Wendy P, Sep 2017

We loved this tour. Our guide Giulia was fantastic! If you book this tour we hope you get her as your guide. She was very knowledgeable about volcanos and the surrounding area. She was also very pleasant and fun.

Verry nice tour with a verry good...

Sylvain O, Jul 2016

Verry nice tour with a verry good guide! The only thing we would have like to know before we go is you will need a swimsuit at the Alcantara river and some water shoes as well since the river is on some rock and it hurts the feet! It was a verry nice tour! Thank you for the experience!

Sortie ETNA & gorges de l’Alcantara

Clment_M, Aug 2023

Journée à 3 amis avec la guide Natascia. Très sympa, explications et discussions en français. Choix de la sortie quad sur l’ETNA. Les gorges de l’Alcantara l’après-midi faisaient du bien pour se rafraîchir.

je recommande !

Solange_L, Aug 2023

Excursion très bien organisée. Le guide vient vous chercher directement à votre hébergement. Beaucoup d'information partagées sur l'Etna et la Sicile de manière générale, durant toute l'excursion. L'activité à l'Etna (3000 metres) s'est très bien passée, nous avons pu également gouter aux différents produits locaux. Les gorges d'Alcantara étaient vraiment magnifiques ! Le prix est assez élevé (il faut rajouter 78€ pour atteindre les 3000 m) mais je trouve que la prestation de service et toutes les informations partagées en valent la peine.

Wirklich spitze!

Kristina_M, Oct 2022

War gestern (18.10.2022) mit dem Bruder durch das Unternehmen auf dem Etna und in der Alcantara Schlucht. Wir hatten den Guide Enzo. Ein wirklich spitze Kerl der die Tour interessant gestaltet hatte und bereit war auf die Wünsche der Teilnehmer einzugehen und er vermittelte Informationen die man leicht aufnehmen konnte.

Intéressant

Flore_G, Jul 2022

La montée de l Etna en téléphérique et jeep. Par contre, comme non prévue dans le prix de l excursion, cela fait un budget conséquent pour la journée

Perfekt

Theresia_K, Jul 2021

Der Trip war perfekt! Unser Guide war Salvo. Er war sehr motiviert und hatte Spaß an seiner Arbeit. Er hat uns alles sehr ausführlich erklärt und viel über die Hintergrundgeschichten erzählt. Es war sehr infomativ auf eine lockere Art und Weise. Ich kann Salvo nur jedem weiter empfehlen! :) Für den Ätna Vulkan ist es am besten feste Schuhe mitzunehmen und eine leichte Jacke. Dort oben windet es sehr und wird etwas kühl. Für die Schlucht sind Badeschuhe/ latschen zu empfehlen da der Boden sehr steinig ist. Wir hatten auch Badesachen dabei das Wasser ist jedoch sehr kalt aber gut für eine Abkühlung.

Super Führung

Andreas_B, Oct 2019

Unsere Familie war die einzige Gruppe des Guides. Sehr zuvorkommend und flexibel. Ohne Guide hätten wir nur einen Bruchteil der Eindrücke gewonnen. Können wir nur empfehlen.