Pure Adrenaline from the Volcano

When you arrive in Catania you can either hire a car or use the airport transfer service. We’ll head from the airport to a hotel or agritourism establishment in the Alcantara Valley, where we’ll have time to settle into our rooms. We’ll have some free time to look around Castiglione di Sicilia – which is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy – before heading back to our accommodation, where we’ll have dinner and stay overnight.

We’ll have breakfast in the hotel, then set off for the Ragabo mountain hut above Linguaglossa. There, we’ll meet our guide, pick up our Giant e-bikes and set off for a guided tour of the craters on Mount Etna, which is the tallest active volcano in Europe. The route is approximately 45 km in total, with 1,400 m of elevation gain. Be prepared for a tough ride up the volcano on a trail full of black sand and volcanic rocks. It goes through thick chestnut woods and past broom that adds a splash of yellow to the landscape for a number of months every year. The descent is great fun and there are breathtaking views stretching from the mountain to the sea, in a landscape dotted with little villages and countless vineyards. When we get back, we’ll have a refreshing granita: a traditional Sicilian iced dessert that comes in a wide range of flavours, such as lemon, almond and pistachio. Everyone will be free to do whatever they like at lunchtime and then relax in the afternoon. We’ll have dinner and stay overnight in the hotel.

We’ll have breakfast in the hotel and then set off for Letojanni, where we’ll meet the staff who’ll take us in a shuttle bus to Gallodoro: a spot in the Peloritani Mountains that’s about 8 km away. There, we’ll meet our pilot, who’ll give us a short explanation of what to do in the tandem paraglider during the flight. It’s all very simple and even people who aren’t particularly sporty can enjoy the experience of flying freely through the air and looking down at the stunning scenery that stretches from Taormina and the Ionian Riviera to the spectacular Mount Etna. We’ll land on the beach, near the check point. During the flight, our pilot will take some souvenir photos that will be given to us subsequently. Everyone will be free to do whatever they like at lunchtime and there’ll be time to visit the famous town of Taormina and the charming nearby village of Castelmola. The latter is another of the most beautiful villages in Italy and it’s famous for the traditional local almond wine, which you can taste in a number of bars and shops. In the evening we’ll head back to the hotel, where we’ll have dinner and stay overnight once more.

We’ll have breakfast in the hotel, meet up with our guide and set off for Northern Etna in an off-road vehicle. Our driver will take us as close as possible to the area that’s open to vehicles, then we’ll start the hike up Etna to the entrancing Grotta del Gelo (“Ice Cave”) at 2,000 m above sea level. It’s the southernmost glacier in Europe and ice stalactites and stalagmites are found here all year round. The volcanic sand and rocks mean that the route can be treacherous, so we’ll follow it with the utmost care past the spectacular, fascinating Sciara del Follone volcanic rocks formed by classic pahoehoe flows during an eruption in 1614. We’ll have a packed lunch during the hike. In the afternoon we’ll head back to the hotel, where we’ll have dinner and stay overnight once more.

We’ll have breakfast in the hotel and then set off for the sensational Alcantara Gorges. When we get there, we’ll meet the staff who’ll take us in a minibus to the starting point for our activities in the river. We’ll put on appropriate apparel and equipment (including wetsuits, 5.5 mm shoes, helmets, life jackets and safety harnesses), then walk to the rocks and climb down to start canyoning in the fast-flowing water of the Alcantara River. We’ll spend the next two hours having a great time as we admire the rock formations on the prismatic walls of the canyon, which were sculpted by wind and water erosion. They’ve been compared to organ pipes, fans and wood piles due to their distinctive forms. Magnificent maquis shrubs complement the scenery in the bewitchingly beautiful surroundings. We’ll cover around 2 km on the trip, which takes approximately 3 hours. There are a number of trattorias near the gorges and everyone will be free to eat wherever they like at lunchtime. The afternoon is also free. We’ll have dinner and stay overnight in the hotel.

After breakfast, we’ll vacate our rooms and all make our own way to Catania Airport.Anybody who hired a car will drop it off. End of tour.