Mt Etna: Winter Trekking Tour with Optional Catania Transfer – Catania, Italy

EXPERIENCE:

Embark on an Etna trek, with optional transfers from Catania, exploring a captivating landscape with endemic vegetation, and a panoramic view from the Gulf of Catania to the Ionian Sea. Witness eruptive events at active summit craters, hike the Valle del Bove, and reach upper Silvestri craters.

Begin at 1850m (Rifugio Sapienza), walking along a slope and sandy ground through a beautiful area featuring a black larch pine forest and rich endemic vegetation like soapwort, low shrubs, and Etna violets. Enjoy a stunning panorama from the Gulf of Catania to the Ionian Sea.

Continue to active summit craters with the southeast crater in the foreground which, on several occasions throughout 2021 and in the first months of 2022, gave rise to a series of intense eruptive events, with Strombolian activity and lava flow that changed the morphology of the crater.

Next, walk on the south wall of the magnificent Valle del Bove, a huge basin that contains the lava of the most important and recent eruptions. Stretching 10 km in length and 5 km in width, this valley serves as a barrier during eruptions, channeling lava away from populated areas.

After a stop, head west to the 2001 eruptive fracture at 2100 meters, then proceed toward the upper Silvestri craters before returning to the starting point.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

Experience panoramic views from the Gulf of Catania to the Ionian Sea
Ascend through a black larch pine forest with vibrant endemic vegetation
Witness the events of the southeast crater, featuring Strombolian eruptions
Walk along Mount Etna’s eastern flank to the vast lava valley of Valle del Bove
Journey to the 2001 eruption fractures and return through the Silvestri craters

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