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Full day tour of Etna and Alcantara

Catania, Italy

8 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

See two of Sicily’s natural wonders in one day with this combined tour of Mount Etna and the Alcantara Gorges. Spend the morning exploring the volcanic slopes of Etna, with its lava flows and caves, dramatic lunar landscape, and sweeping views over the surrounding countryside. After a high-altitude lunch, head to the valley floor to hike along the spectacular Alcantara Gorges, formed by an ancient lava flow into the river.

Visit the Mount Etna volcano and Alcantara Gorges safely with a guide
Off-road vehicle transportation for the mountain and valley terrain
Helmets and flashlights to venture into the lava tubes and caves
Sicilian lunch at a mountainside lodge (own expense)

What's Included

Air-conditioned vehicle
Private transportation
Helmets and torches supplied by us.

Lunch

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

Opening hours

5/27/2020 - 6/2/2025
Monday - Sunday : 06:30 AM - 09:00 AM

Pickup details

We will pick up travelers from their accommodation, hotel, airport or port of arrival between 8:30 and 9:00.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Infant seats available
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate

You will receive a confirmation when booking.
Guests must wear hiking shoes and bring a jacket.
In the winter, due to adverse weather conditions or in the event of ice and / or snow on the roads, the excursion could take place at lower altitudes.
Activities carried out with machines, 4 × 4 off-road vehicles and / or minivans.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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

Featured review

Devon_M

We had a fantastic time with our guide Alex. He was information and friendly. It was great to learn more about Etna, the environment, and the history. We enjoyed our hike and Alcantara is not to be missed! We wouldn’t have known to visit Alcantara had it not been including in our tour, but it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. Bring lots of water and water shoes are a must for Alcantara, unless you want a rocky workout.

Reviews

4.5

49 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 49 reviews

Great Day Outing

Kerrie_W, May 2024

Climbing a crater at Mount Etna was a highlight we had perfect weather and blue clear sky . Our guide Erika was extremely informative and very friendly young man , he was fantastic. We also enjoyed Alcantara although we took The elevator option instead of the 200 stairs . Great trip.

Well worth the money and a great experience.

Julie_S, May 2024

Dan our guide was amazing, friendly, so much knowledge and nothing was too much trouble! Wonderful trip, enjoyed all of it, learnt so much. Thoroughly recommend and so grateful to Dan for making the trip so great. Make sure you take water shoes and have swimwear on to fully experience the gorge! Exhilarating .

Good intent but poor execution plan.

StephenY_T, Mar 2024

The guide was doing the best as he could, but the trip was not well planned out. The weather was extremely important. If the weather is not good, the trip should be planned appropriately. e.g. not to go up to 3000 m. First nothing can be seen and it causes accident.

Definitely worth it

Niklas_G, Feb 2024

Danilo was one of the best guides I had so far. He adapted the tour to the capabilities of the single group members which meant for me of my friend unluckily no top of Etna but for that he showed us many other great places instead and it was totally worth it. He explained a lot and was happy to answer any kind of questions also regarding food in the area. Definitely recommend the tour.

Excellent day!

Barbara_M, Oct 2023

The tour guides were incredibly accommodating to all guests’ needs. Alex and Andrea were full of amazing information. It was a fun day. The gorges are not to be missed!

Fantastic tour!

Angel_S, Oct 2023

Denny was an amazing guide, shared a lot of interesting stuff with us, showed us the best views. The trip was fantastic, best tour we had during our vacation here! Tip: bring slippers with you, as walking in the Alcantara river barefoot can be quite unpleasant 😁

The volcano was...

Phyllis_S, Oct 2023

The volcano was incredible, and it was cool to see both the top, and the river down below. Had a couple of issues but roberto took care of them for us

Excellent

Maria_D, Sep 2023

What an exceptional experience. I would recommend this to anyone that wants to learn about Etna and see first hand the amazing power of nature and the beauty of Sicily. Dan was an exceptional guide and really knows about the history of Etna. His driving skills are only matched by the best in Italian formula one racing. When you didn't think that the day could get better we got to experience Alcantara and the beauty of the rock formations and the cold ice melt water.

Highly recommended

Robert_S, Aug 2023

Highly recommended! Dan our guide was very knowledgable, patient with all of us especially as I came down during the trip with stomach upset and he was more than happy to look after me throughout and stop, and even paid once for me to use a bathroom. Warning to those that want to do this trip make sure to wear water shoes at Alcantara and bring a warm jumper for Mount Etna.

Excellent Tour

Silvana_M, Aug 2023

Roberto was an excellent guide. Very informative, friendly. The car was very comfortable we would highly recommend Roberto and this tour

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you very much Silvana, it was a great day with your husband and your son, you organized them a very beautiful day-trip

Fun way to explore Etna and Alcantara!

Devon_M, Jul 2023

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you very much Devon, we are happy you enjoyed your experience with us.

Will not use Viator in the future

Tom_T, Jul 2023

Our guide, Roberto, was excellent. My rating is a reflection of the company, Viator. Due to road closures, we were unable to do the second half of our tour, the Alcantara gorge. When I requested a partial refund, it was quickly denied. We’ll be sure to avoid any future bookings with Viator.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Tom, I'm so sorry Viator don't partial refund you, but this bad compliance reflect to my work and not to the Company. Even if I tried to find an alternative solution to remedy a problem not dependent on my will. Kindly regards

Awesome experience!!!

Rhonda_S, Jul 2023

Roberto, who was our guide was amazing and very friendly 🤗 would recommend this day trip to everyone!!!

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thank you Rhonda, we lived a great day togheter!!!

Awesome, must do Mt. Etna and Alcantara tour

Rosalin_D, Jul 2023

Danilo what an amazing day. I read the previous reviews left by others and can say we couldn’t of asked for a better tour guide. Danilo spoke English and Italian, such a friendly guy. I also want to thank Roberto who answered all my questions prior to the tour, confirming pick up time and location, he responded promptly taking the stress off our shoulders as tourists. The night before our tour he advised who our guide would be and time of pick up. The Mt. Etna hike was a bit exhausting but Danilo took it slowly and before you now it , we made it to the top. Those doing this tour, wear runners with treads for traction, not flip flops, you can leave your bags in the van , its all safe. Weather July 1 was windy , hot but comfortable, T-shirt and shorts are fine, sweaters not needed. Alcantara excursion, bring your water-shoes and swim suit and towel to dry off, suggest bringing a tote bag as you get to river you will need to remove your shorts and top , wear your swim suit under your clothes. Its a must for you to go into this water, its the natural water that streams down from Mt. Etna. After the Etna tour we stopped off for a light snack Arancini OMG , they were good. Once again thank you Danilo for a fantastic day.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thank you to you Rosalin for the enthusiastic review. Waiting for you for the next trip.

Great guide, great day!

Angeline_F, Jun 2023

The tour guide Dan was fantastic. Great enthusiasm, stories and information. Looked out for my mum and everyone encouraging us all to take it slow for the Etna climb. Unfortunately due to afternoon weather forecast we didn’t get to Alcantara but were offered a winery lunch option for a very reasonable add on price. Fantastic local tips on where to eat Sicilian delicacies. Dan really made the trip that extra bit special.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

I'm glad you had a nice day and enjoyed a good experience in the cellar with us.

Sicily highlights

Megan_B, Jun 2023

Great day seeing two wonderful Sicily sites with a guide who showed us the real Sicily including lunch at a local village. Our guide, Daniel, made our trip truly memorable.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Thank you very much for your feedback.

Mount Etna tour exceeds expectations

Jerome_F, Mar 2023

Just an amazing experience. Roberto was full of insights and explanations about the science of the craters. He took us on a demanding but rewarding hike of Mount Etna - the opportunity to see and photograph this was just amazing. Although we were disappointed about not seeing the caves in the afternoon ( due to conditions this time of year) the unusual water falls were picturesque. Overall we could not have asked for a better tour or tour guide.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you very much, it was a great tour thanks to the beautiful group. Glad to had you with me. We had beautiful pictures togheter. Waiting for you again to see the cave.....

Beautiful Reward

Davina_T, Mar 2023

This was the first excursion on our trip and it was fantastic! Roberto was a great tour guide. He is very engaging and involved. He told us so much about the area. Be prepared for this excursion because it is definitely a hike! You'll need some good boots because you're going to be walking in snow for a majority of the trip! It is well worth it for the view. We would do it again!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thanks for your enthusiastic review! We are very pleased that you were satisfied with our service, it was a fantastic day, we hope you continue to enjoy your time with us in the future.

Great tour of Etna

andrew_l, Nov 2022

Fantastic tour of Etna with a great guide Luca. He was great from beginning to end with lots of local knowledge.

Etna & Alcantara day tour

Llinos_W, Oct 2022

Fantastically informative and friendly guide (Massimo)who was passionate about his home country of Sicily and explained so much. The whole day was a joy. Take your sea shoes to make the most of Alcantara