Etna and Alcantara Tour from Catania

Experience a day filled with adventure and natural beauty with this guided tour to Mount Etna and the Alcantara Gorges, departing from Catania.

Your driver will pick you up directly from your accommodation in Catania—or from a designated meeting point of your choice—and take you to Rifugio Sapienza, located on the slopes of Mount Etna. Along the way, you’ll make a few scenic stops at points of geological and cultural interest. Your guide will introduce you to the most recent volcanic activity and share fascinating stories about the Etna region, helping you connect with the land and its history.

Once at Rifugio Sapienza (1,920 meters above sea level), you can choose between two unforgettable experiences:

• Explore the Etna Park trails with your guide at an altitude of around 2,000 meters, walking along volcanic paths and taking in the breathtaking scenery.
• Opt for the High-Altitude Etna experience: take the Etna Cable Car up to 2,504 meters in about 15 minutes, then board specially equipped 4×4 off-road vehicles that will take you even higher—reaching the maximum altitude permitted to visitors. From there, you’ll admire a truly otherworldly landscape, with views of the Southeast Crater, the imposing Central Crater, and both recent and ancient lava flows. Accompanied by professional Alpine guides (in Italian and English), you’ll safely explore the dynamic heart of the volcano, in full compliance with safety regulations. You’ll then return to Rifugio Sapienza by the same route.

The adventure continues with a guided tour inside a lava flow cave, equipped with helmets and torches, where you’ll learn more about the underground world shaped by the volcano.

Next, you’ll stop at a family-run farm to enjoy a tasting of local delicacies such as honey, olive oil, olives, and wine—an authentic taste of Sicily.

The tour then proceeds to the Alcantara River, where you’ll discover the diverse features of this unique watercourse. A walk along narrow trails lined with cultivated fields—locally known as delizi—leads you to the riverbanks. Here, you’ll encounter the Gurne, natural pools formed by the flow of water, as well as small lakes and waterfalls surrounded by lush riparian vegetation. Along the way, you’ll also spot the ruins of the medieval Castle of Francavilla, adding a touch of history to your nature walk.

Finally, the tour concludes with a visit to the Alcantara Gorges, a spectacular canyon carved over millennia by the river’s waters flowing through Etna’s lava stone. You’ll be amazed by the columnar basalts—impressive lava formations shaped by slow cooling and erosion into extraordinary geometric patterns of varying size and orientation.

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