Etna Summit Craters: Trek to the Top of the Highest Active Volcano in Europe
4.9
199 Ratings
Città metropolitana di Catania
Embark on a thrilling trek to the summit of Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe. Experience the awe-inspiring power of nature as you listen to the mountain's breath and witness the impressive Bocca Nuova crater.
Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Mount Etna - The journey to the summit begins with a ride on a cable car and a 4 imes 4 minibus to the Torre del Filosofo area at 2900m. From there, a trek of approximately 1.5 hours uphill brings you to the brink of the central Crater, where you can gaze upon the Bocca Nuova (3250m), which emerged in 1968 and is likely the most magnificent of the craters.

Circling the Bocca Nuova, you arrive at the rim of the Voragine, the pulsating core of the Central Crater. Ascending a steep yet brief incline leads to the North East Crater, established in 1911, which stands as the true peak of Etna at 3329m. At this pinnacle, a panoramic view unfolds in every direction, and on clear days, the Aeolian Islands are visible to the north.

The descent commences from the summit, down a sharp yet manageable slope of volcanic ash and cinders, cutting through the grand volcanic basin known as the Valle del Bove. This impressive caldera stretches 8km in length and 4km in width, leading back to the cable car’s arrival station at an elevation of 2500m.

What's Included
  • Price includes guide and equipment (trekking boots, jacket, felt hat, helmet).
  • Round-trip cable car and jeep up to 2900 meters not included in price.
What's Not Included
  • Private transportation
Additional Information

A journey that leads us to conquer the summit of Europe’s tallest active volcano and experience the stir of a vibrant mountain. The climb is facilitated by the use of cable car and 4 × 4 minibuses, taking us up to an elevation of 2900m, in the vicinity of Torre del Filosofo. Subsequently, an approximately 1.5h uphill hike will lead you to the brink of the central crater, allowing you to witness the awe-inspiring Bocca Nuova (3250m), formed in 1968 which is likely the most striking crater. The route may be altered due to volcanic activity or weather circumstances.

  • Not recommended for those with asthma problems
Location
La Terrazza Dell'Etna
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(199 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Rkwok68
May 27, 2024
Excellent! Informative and safe! - Highly recommend! AITNE tour, and SIMONE did a fantastic job! We saw all the major craters on top of Etna, and most importantly, they kept our safety the first priority. It was a great deal, about $65pp, which included the full guided tour. The gondola (up/down) and the 4x4 (saves quite a bit of time) for up only was €60 extra, payable in cash. Simone was very knowledgeable and certified volcanologist, giving us both Etna historical information and generic volcano knowledge. Spoke great English. Definitely do this tour, you won’t regret it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eric
May 24, 2024
If you are in good shape… GO - We trekked Etna with our guide Massimo. Excellent guide who adapts to his group, gives good explanations and above all is very friendly. The hike will last 5h30 in total. Definitely not for everyone. We were in average shape and we pushed our limit. If you have the fitness to do it, don't hesitate. Breathtaking landscape, it’s impressive.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pietroz558
May 13, 2024
Marvelous - Spectacular walk, accompanied by Massimo who explained many things to us about the volcano and made our walk and that of the children even more pleasant! Thank you! One of the most beautiful trips ever taken
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zmaja1
May 13, 2024
Breathtaking views and wonderful guides - We took the summit trek with 8-9 year old kids. At the meeting point we were warned several times that the trek might be too hard for them due to the high altitude. We all had to sign that we are aware of the difficulty of the trip and that we are all healthy and ok. They were extremely cautious and also very kind. They told us we could turn back at a certain point with the third guide, if we found the trek too difficult. Thankfully, the kids had no problems. The guides took care that we all went steadily and with the pace of the slowest ones in the group. They made sure everyone was ok and provided us with all the information we needed. In the end we had a great time and finished the trek with a smile. The views of all the activity on the top and druring the trip were breathtaking! The guides explained everything on the way and made the trek even more interesting. I would like to add that the trek is appropriate for fit people and those who do not have issues with high altitude. Nevertheless, we really did feel safe with our guides.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aphector
Mar 25, 2024
Amazing adventure - We had an amazing time. The company is very well organised, answering all our multiple questions, arranging a pick up, providing information and equipment. We had a brilliant guide, Simone, who was knowledgable, passionate and patient. We saw a resplendent Etna and the route up, though tricky at times in the snow and wind, was fabulous. It was spectacular, highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Irena_p
Nov 17, 2023
Etna tour - The guide was very knowledgeable, the tour was well paced and very interesting. I really liked the entire experience. If you want just to hike around the mountain it is free to a certain point, and you can do it on your own. But in order to go to the crater this can only be done via a tour. And I would say that you shouldn't underestimate that this an active volcano. So there are no regular "mountain paths" and marks to follow. When there is an eruption only the guides would know where to pass, etc., and everything changes so I would definitely take a guide if you want to go to the top.
Review provided by Viator
Jo_lp327
Nov 2, 2023
Experience to live once - The excursion was well organized. Marco is a good guide, very good explanations and information about Etna. Correct hiking pace, accessible for families. Lunar landscapes on the way up and impressive crater. I recommend doing it once for the change of scenery and the new experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hubertus_m
May 27, 2024
Great trip, but information is lacking - My wife and I enjoyed the trip a lot! Our guide, Simone, was very engaged and took care of all member members of our group. So the pace was quite slow, but ideal for a family with small kids who also joined. Also you get all relevant equipment like shoes, jacket and a backpack, if needed. BUT as most other companies the information for this trip is really lacking: 1) in addition you have to pay for the cable car and 4x4, which are obligatory 60-78 Euro per person! This should be mentioned before 2) They should mention that a typical ffp2 mask is recommended due to the gas on top of the mountain 3) you get informed half a day before to bring cash for the cable car, but you don’t get any receipt At the end the trip was worth the money, but it felt kind of a ripoff to get informed about the additional cost right after the free cancellation period
Review provided by Viator
Neil_b
Apr 1, 2024
Fantastic Adventure - It was a fantastic adventure, great guide who was brilliant with our 7 year old. Downside, this is proper hiking, and while the boots and jackets were ok, there needed to be more information on the likely conditions and terrain as we would have come better prepared.
Review provided by Viator
723miriamb
Apr 25, 2024
STAY AWAY from AITENE: IRRESPONSIBLE with ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY! - Hey there. just got an AWFUL experience with AITENE and thought it would be advisable to WARN other fellow travellers before they book a tour to Mt. Etna with this sham of a company... I Booked a trip with AITENE via GetYourGuide based on a clearly MISLEADING description of the tour, designed to attract any client they could lay their hand on, regardless of whether this type of tour and its difficulty level actually suits such potential customers. in GetYourGuide the activity was described as suitable to anyone who is less than 90 years old and does not have any heart and/or respiratory problems. Reading throgh the description here in TripAdvisor , I must say it's not much better and possibly even worse, as they state specifically that a "moderate level of fitness" is required, namely, should be sufficient. Now I am a HEALTHY woman in her late 40s, attending regularly her local gym 4-5 days a week and doing a very brisk walk (on average 7 kph, when according to UK NHS a brisk walk would be considered to be already at 4.9 kph/3 mph ) for 45-50 minutes each session or a total of at least 180 minutes per week. Therefore, I am well within the range of "moderate fitness" exercise level according to UK NHS (150 minutes per week of activities including brisk walking). Also, in case you were wondering, i've never experienced any heart failure or respiratory problems like asthmatic episodes, while engaged in this physical activity... Therefore, it was REASONABLE to assume that the tour would be suitable for my level of fitness and general health condition... Oh boy, was I wrong and MISLEAD by this MISINFORMED tour description provided by AITENE in their ZEALNESS for customers' money...Ultimately, I had to get off the tour in the middle, after much physical pain, numbness in both of my upper thighs, not to mention the frustration and discomfort in the midst of a vacation trip... To top it all, when asking for the bare minimum, like a sheer acknowledgement of their responsibility in posting misleading information and appropriately refunding merely the ticket price for an activity that i was not able to complete and would have never chosen to do had their been a genuine description of the dfifficulty level, my request was DENIED, and quite RUDELY, if i may say so... Marco Tomasselo, who presended himself as the DIRECTOR of the company, NOT only REFUSED TO TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY AND DEMONSTRATE A MINIMAL ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT IN FACT EVENTUALLY BLAMED ME FOR NOT BEING FIT ENOUGH FOR THE TOUR ... why sure, blame the victim who also happens to be a customer. And this comes from a company that allegedly prides itself for its commitment to customers satisfaction... In CONCLUSION: do yorself a favor and DO NOT rely on the DISINFORMATION provided by AITENE tour company 🤨🤕. Better yet, opt for ANOTHER more trustworthy tour operators that genuinly describe the level of difficulty - chances are that if anything goes wrong (for whatever reason) - they will also take responsibility and demonstrate a decent accountability. It is really quite simple, when a company CHEATS IN ONE DOMAIN, REST ASSURED THAT THEY WILL ULTIMATELY END-UP DISRESPECTING AND CHEATING YOU AS A CUSTOMER IN OTHER RESPECTS as well.. .. Stay safe and have a wonderful trip to Sicily or elsewhere 😊 😇 P.S. I will not be surprised if Marco or one of his agents will write a response essentially trying to smear me, while BSing about my choice, lack of fitness or anything else they come up with. Unlike their obvious financial insentives, my only interst is that fellow travellers will not find themselves in any situation that requires responsibility and accountability of AITENE. I'm afraid my case demonstrate their clear incapability in both respects...
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today