Help with Mt. Etna tour

[biksgirl]

Hi,  my family of 4 will be stopping in Sicily in July in the port of Siracusa. I have a tour with Rome In Limo to take me to Mt. Etna.

 

How do I book a tour up Mt. Etna before we get there? I haven't been able to find the official site.

 

thanks

[euro cruiser]

Have you asked Rome in Limo?

 

Also, what kind of tour are you looking for?  Are you prepared to rent and wear protective gear or are you looking for a tourist trip?

Edited June 2, 2022 by euro cruiser

[MeHeartCruising]

I think this appears to be the "official" website for the Mt. Etna national park.

https://parcoetna.it

 

However, it doesn't seem to have an English translation.  But even if it did, I don't think there is anything on the site about booking various tours and activities.  As near as I can tell, you need to buy those tours and activities from vendors.  Google seems to show a a lot of them.

 

As euro cruiser says, I would start by asking Rome in Limo.   Then move on to the likes of TripAdvisor.com perhaps.

 

 

[cant wait to retire]

We booked a tour to Mt Etna with ItalyTours.Eu.

[euro cruiser]

That is the official web site for the park.

 

Interestingly, when you drill down into the Italian pages, they bring you to the Unesco site, which does have English pages.

 

Home - Sito UNESCO Monte Etna (unescoparcoetna.it)

[the more ports the better]

Hi, we have been there a few times the last being a few weeks ago in May.  When going up Etna you do not book a tour.  They have park staff that guide you at the top Your taxi/transport company will drop you at the tourist center at Etna where the cable car is.  You can literally drive to within 50ft of the entrance to the cable car and your driver will surely know where it is.

 

You purchase tickets on site as it runs continuously.  There are two options, the first is the cable car, which is actually a ski lift in the winter, to about 2/3 up the mountain.  You will be in a lava field, no vegetation just black sand.  There are a few old craters.  There is a gift shop and snack bar.  You can walk around but there are no guides at this point.

 

The second option is the cable car followed by a 4 wheel drive ATV bus which brings you to the summit.  Same cable car stop but you board the monster bus once you exit the cable car.  It is right outside the door. There you will have a guide tell you about the volcano and can see active craters which smoke plus if it is erupting sometimes lava is visible but you really have to be there in the evening to see it.  There is snow most of the year and there are warm melted spots in the snow from the volcano.  It is pretty cool but will take a good chunk of the day if you are on a schedule.

 

There is also a crater from a few years ago in the tourist village at the bottom right next to the parking lot.  Stop and look at it on the way out if you won’t go up to the top.

 

I hope this helps!

 

 

 

[biksgirl]

Wow, thank you so much for the detailed information!! Exactly what I was looking for! 🙂

 

Appreciate it!

[euro cruiser]

On 6/16/2022 at 10:52 PM, the more ports the better said:

Your taxi/transport company will drop you at the tourist center at Etna where the cable car is.  You can literally drive to within 50ft of the entrance to the cable car and your driver will surely know where it is.

The area you'd be heading to is called Rifugio Sapienza.   There are a couple of old craters right off the parking lot that you can climb, and of course the funivia (cable car).