Etna Excursions from Catania

Great experience. Ernesto was very prepared for all eventualities, with jackets, bags and lots of pairs of boots!

Ernesto was very punctual picking me up. Pick up was 0900 and he was already at the hotel at 0830. He was very accommodating on the drive to the volcano. He asked multiple times if we needed to stop for espresso or the bathroom. He gave us a tour to see the destruction by the volcano from an eruption 20 years ago. Next we toured the lava caves. Ernesto keeps extra hiking boots, jackets, hats, helmets, and torches foe the excursion. He took us underground into the lava tubes and talked to their history. Next we drove to the starting point of the hike. He kept it at a reasonable pace. The hike is an easy- moderate hike. 30 minutes into the hike we were already above the clouds. The views were magnificent. Next we hiked another 45 minutes to the base of the volcano with even more stunning views of a blanket of clouds and Catania, Syracuse, Taormina, and the Ionian Sea. We were close enough to the volcano that you can clearly see the smoke coming out of it. Ernesto brought a pair of binoculars to get an even closer View. After that we scrambled down the side of the mountain back to the car. Finally, we got to stop at the visitor’s center where there is a cafe and souvenir shop. Fantastic experience and would recommend again!

The tour guide was extremely dedicated. From calling my hotel to make sure I knew where the pickup point was, to retracing our steps and finding the mobile phone that one of the tour participants had lost, and generally engaging with questions about Sicilian culture and history. He also provided shoes and coats in case we weren’t dressed properly. The trip up the mountain was sandwitched between a stop at Nicolosi for food and a beer on the way back to Catania. The volcanic craters themselves were fascinating, especially sliding down the black soil, with its islands of golden thorns and snow. Highly recommended!

Ernesto was fabulous. Knowledgable with a sense of the science and the poetry of the mountain. We were fetched form our hotel and driven along with one other couple up the mountain road, stopping to see a lava cave, to climb a lower crater from which Ernesto skilfully navigated our way down when the wind whipped up a frenzy. The views were fabulous, the drive exhilarating. High recommended. Ernesto, I hope to return one day.

What a fabulous day with Etna Excursions. After great communication wth Ernesto, I was picked up from my hostel in Catania to join 5 others in a modern 4WD vehicle and driven to for about an hour to the lower level of Etna. We stopped on the way to buy a Sicilian sandwich for lunch, and when we got to our destination, we were offered poles, jackets, beanies and boots if we wanted to use them. Then we started trekking up the side SE (?) side of Etna, till we reached a spot to sit and eat our sandwich, and Ernesto kindly supplied a glass or two of red wine. We then continued on, finally descending via an ash river - an experience in itself! I was with Marco's group, and he was constantly giving us information about the geology and fauna of Etna, and stopped at some great spots for photo ops. There is a cable car option running up the mountain for those who can't, or don't want to, trek but if you can, it's the only way to go. Fabulous, and I'd thoroughly recommend Etna Excursions. I'm just sorry I can't put up some of the fabulous pics.

Ernesto was an awesome guide. He was very patient. He took his time with us. We really appreciated that he picked us up from our hotel and dropped us off there at end of day. He took us to where we would have a good view of Mount Etna. he also showed us the caves that formed and took us on a hike. We also got to see the landscape of the area. He made sure that we had lunch for the day. I really enjoyed the day with Ernesto on our Mt. Etna tour.

Let me start by saying that we did like the part of the trip that we got. The walk across the lava fields of Mount Etna was interesting and the guide provided good information and context of what we saw. What we didn't like however is that at the start of the trip we had to wait close to one hour for a party of 5 or 6 people who were in the same group as us. They showed up late, quite to the dismay of the other participants. As a result, we never got to explore the lava tunnel that was mentioned as one of the highlights of the trip, for there apparently was no time to do so after the hike over the lava fields and the (late) lunch stop. Furthermore, my wife and I had to translate the information from the guide(s) from English to French, for the benefit of two French ladies in our group. They did not speak English, so if it hadn't been for my wife and I all information about the tour and the sights would have been lost on them. When they made their booking they had been reassured there would be a French speaking guide on the tour, which clearly turned out not to be the case.

A really fabulous experience! Our guide Ernesto was extremely knowledgeable & informative with regard to Etna. We were a mixed group of ages & physical ability. Ernesto lead the hike at a steady pace, taking it in stages to stop & catch our breath. He encouraged the slower members of our group to persist, which sometimes was difficult & tiring in the midday sun. But the climb was worth it! Bring plenty of water, lash on the sun cream & most importantly a hat, there's no shade on Etna.

Absolutelly amazing!!! The tour is really great, after driving from Catania, we stoped at the first place 1993 lava flow, where Ernesto gave us some information about the Etna’s historical eruptions, it was really detailed and very helpful to understand which geological area are we going to visit. Afterwards we ve stopped in the alltitude of 1830 m and continued by walking in the heighh of around 2070 m. First 100 m were really steep, but manageable if you re used to walk, no need to be super fit, but if you have issues to walk in stairs, i would not recommend it. After reaching our destination we had an amazing view od Mount Etna, really spectacular!! On the way back we walked to the parking spot from where the cable car is running to refresh ourselves. Ernesto went down for the car and picked us up. Highly recomment, forget all other tours on Viator. This is the one you should book. PS: proper hiking shoes are highly recommended.

A fantastic, challenging, hike with our guide Ernesto. He was extremely knowledgeable about volcanology and the hike was therefore interesting as well as active. Definitely need sturdy footwear and plenty of water for this!