Mount Etna Adventurous Hiking Tour With Equipment

A wonderful, well-organized Mt. Etna hike with guides Ernesto and Luciano! Everything was smoothly coordinated, including the stops before and after the hike. Special kudos to Luciano for his patience and encouragement when I ran out of steam. His kindness and encouragement kept me going! Breathtaking views and a memorable experience. Highly recommend!

If you’re visiting Sicily, an Etna trekking tour is an absolute must! An unforgettable adventure through breathtaking volcanic landscapes, incredible panoramic views, and the fascinating natural beauty of Mount Etna. Everything was perfectly organised, starting with an easy and convenient pick-up and a comfortable ride to the volcano. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. A unique experience that lets you discover a different side of Sicily. Highly recommended to anyone who loves nature, adventure, and discovering extraordinary places.

Ernesto was a wonderful guide and took us off the touristic tracks to see fantastic views and interesting geological formations. An unforgettable experience!

If you love hiking or trekking, this is a must-do! We enjoyed breathtaking views while climbing up to approximately 2500 meters. The clouds briefly disappeared, revealing the summit. Luciano, our guide, hoped it would be less cloudy, but for us, walking through the clouds was truly magical. Luciano is an amazing tour guide; he shared many interesting facts about Etna, its history, nature, and Sicily throughout the tour. Small note: If you're staying outside of Catania, make sure to allocate enough time for travel to the meeting point. With morning traffic and hunting for parking, it was quite a challenge to stay on schedule.

We had an unforgettable experience. Etna was breathtaking but I believe the experience wouldn’t have been the same without our guide, Luciano. He is very knowledgeable and shared a lot of facts about the volcano, science, nature and history of Catania. At the end he also shared a list of places to go to enjoy traditional food and drinks of Catania.

Cant blame weather but a lot of fog took away a lot of the magic. Duke nice views. Good hiking though and the silence was fantastic.

The guided tour on Etna was an amazing experience! The pick up was very uncomplicated. Our guide knew exactly whom to expect and waited for all of us to arrive. We made one stop on our way to get sandwiches, fill up our water or buy drinks. Next stop was at the mountain. We were provided with shoes, helmets, jackets (optional) and sticks (also optional). Our guide Luciano was very friendly and considerate throughout the whole tour. Before we started he gave us a quick introduction on how to walk on the sand. We had a very easy pace and made breaks every now and then. Luciano reminded us to drink and asked if everyone was alright. He gave us a lot of insights on the history of Mount Etna and the eruptions that created the craters. I felt very safe in hiking with him and after the tour he also recommended some places in Cartania. I had a great time!

Wonderful experience with Ernesto and his partner! Moderate pace and great views from safe locations from Mt. Etna! They were very good with explaining the history of Mt. Etna. Would recommend them to others!

Absolutely fabulous tour. Luciano, our guide, was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. He explained so much about the volcano, Catania and the history. He was very friendly and personable and made the tour so good. We got to see so much that you wouldn't normally see without a guide. The walk was difficult in some parts, but not too hard. Hiking boots and all other equipment are provided which really made the whole experience worthwhile. Luciano also provided us with his recommendations for cafes and restaurants to try in Catania. Highly recommended.

It was an amazing experience. The group was small and the guide was absolutely great. I recommend this trip for adventure seekers and people who prefer active vacations. Not recommended for people with poor health.

Really enjoyed the hike and Ernesto was a great guide. Was grateful to be lent a pair of hiking boots and overall a wonderful experience.

Our guide was super informative and looked after us so well!!! Readily available equipments and pick-up from Catania also made my life much easier. Would highly recommend this tour to anyone who would like to visit Etna :)))

What a fabulous day. Hiked to 2340 metres. Fabulous views that were worth the effort. Ernesto was a great guide making sure we were capable of the trek and giving us breaks to ensure we were coping with the altitude. Would recommend to anyone with moderate fitness

What a great experience hiking Mt Etna with our guide, Ernesto! Tour operator provided hiking boots (definitely required!). Nice cool morning was welcome for our challenging hike. Took some breaks along the way, and made it up to 2,300 meters (started at 900). Ernesto was an awesome guide. This is a strenuous hike (thought I was going to need to sit down a few times, but trekked on). You need to be in somewhat of good shape for this climb.

If you want a relaxed styled 3 hour trek to Mt Etna this is the one. Fantastic small group experience with an amazing guide with knowledge and passion. On a very busy mountain climb he was able to see all the sights but avoid the crowds.

Great trip, trekked up the side of Etna round to the edge of valle del bove, with a great view of the peak. The trek up took a couple hours and was steep in several places, we also tracked over the snow, coming back down was very fun and quick, make sure to empty your shoes of rocks by the bottom! Ernesto and Zella were very friendly and great guides. We made use of the provided hiking shoes - very much needed - and borrowed some windbreaker jackets, which luckily we didn't need at was a very still day, but if it had been windy at all you would definitely need them.

What was supposed to be an “adventurous” hike turned into a poorly managed and genuinely unsafe experience. In extreme wind and deep snow, our group was left to fend for itself while the guide walked far ahead, never checking if everyone was okay. There was zero safety briefing, no instructions, and almost no communication — we didn’t know where we were going, how long we would walk, or when we could rest. The equipment was unacceptable: everyone’s boots were completely soaked, with water inside. In these conditions, that’s not just . it’s dangerous. Worst of all, the guide seemed completely disengaged, as if the group was a burden. By the end, he argued with participants, which ruined the experience entirely. This was not just disappointing, it felt careless and inhumane. Definitely not what was promised.

The best part of my trip was my guide Dario who seemed to have like a masters degree worth of knowledge. Learned a lot about Etna and vulcanology as well as Sicily in general! Conditions: they customize the exact route based on the day’s weather. They provide jackets, backpacks, gloves and hiking boots if you need, so I was dry and warm despite hiking in falling snow. Our hike involved ~20 min moderate climb and then some scrambling on scoria. So not too difficult, but also not for the faint of heart. Overall: recommend if you want to avoid the huge tour buses on the south side but still get some Etna experience!

This was a great experience. The trip was in mid-March, mostly in the snow, with good weather and quite clear skies. Ernesto and Zelia did a great job of keeping the group moving, we walked about 3 hours and very much enjoyed this fabulous landscape.

The booking was cancelled 1 minute before starting the trip when I was obviously at the meeting point. When I asked the operator for the reason I was just ignored. If you don't want to risk losing the trip I would suggest using another operator.

Attention! Hustler! After receiving the money, he canceled trip to Etna under the pretext of bad weather. Now there is no telephone contact and of course, I haven't gotten my money back. I'm surprised by the high rating on Trip Advisor.

This was a difficult hike in December. Come prepared. Warm jacket. Warm gloves. Warm hat. The guide - Alessio - was incredibly helpful - he provided us with hiking boots and polls and even an additional jacket for my daughter. But it was hard. The wind on the top is very strong, the incline is steep, the views however - are all worth it!

A trip where you actually trek! We did about 6-7km and got up to 2500ft... it was a gorgeous day and a lot of fun. Very doable with decent fitness.. the group goes at a reasonable pace with lots of check ins to make sure everyones ok. For reference I am 38, exercise regularly and found the difficulty 4/10. With few challenging bits and I could have slowed without issue at any point. The terrain was like another planet.. really cool to see. Ernesto as a guide was fantastic. Very much enjoyed his stories and company.

Tour was punctual and organized. Our tour guide was friendly and social, helping us get set up and ready for the hike. About 6-8 km total hike with around 800m gain it definitely requires at minimum a baseline level of fitness. The weather is extremely unpredictable fortunately for me it was clear skies and sunny so view was beautiful and breathtaking. Tour guide was also very knowledgeable about the volcanic mountain and its most significant valleys and divets you will be exploring. Incredible experience traversing uncharted areas.

Great experience. Wish I had known a little more so here goes. You meet in central Catania. We were split into 2 groups for an hour's drive to the midway point. Here we stopped at a cafe for a drink and a bite to eat. The guides had spare boots, jackets and sticks if needed. The trek up took about 2 hours with a couple of breaks. The guides told us about the flora and fauna, and about wildlife. Also very knowledgeable about the volcano itself. The last half hour was quite steep and hard work as you're walking in deep black ash. We reached a good height and took a decent break. When not cloudy the views are amazing. The summit doesn't look that far but it's another 800 ft or so. Going down was tough in a different way. You sort of slid down the steep, loose ash. And this is where the thick socks come in handy! All in all, strenuous but worth it and the guides were fantastic. We started the ascent around 10:30 and were back down for 2pm. Highly recommended but note that you do need to be fairly fit to do this.

Brilliant tour. We hiked approximately 6km (think we may have gone further if there wasn’t cloud). Need a good head for heights as one section is a little exposed but the views into the crater are so worth it! We are in our 30s and pretty fit and found it 3/10 challenging.

Off the beaten track way to see Etna. Not for the faint of heart in terms of strenuous walking & altitude but ultimately so much more rewarding. Our guide Ernesto was extremely knowledgeable about the localised fauna & landscape & set a pace which included several (much needed!) stops. Would definitely recommend.

Two weeks before our tour, we were asked if we could switch dates due to expected bad weather (really, two weeks before??). We were unable to switch days, but never heard back if the tour was still on. A few days before the tour, I texted the tour guide and he confirmed the tour was on, and to meet at the meeting spot in Catania at 8:30. At 8:32, I texted saying were going to be a few minutes late. At 8:40, we arrived at the meeting spot and no one was there. I continued to text, hoping to catch up with the tour as we had a car, but no response. I called the main phone number and spoke to a gentleman who said the tour time was changed to 9:30. We waited unitl 9:30 and no one showed up. I called the main office again only to get a message that the phone was no longer in service. Best to stay away from this company, trying to get my money back but I'm highly doubtful I will.

The tour may be great......... if you go! We booked a trip to Etna with Etna Guided Tours the day before going, as there were still places AVAILABLE on their website. On arrival at the meet destination for pick up, we only found out that our trip was cancelled when the guide did not have us on his list! The guide had to ring the office to find out why?? Embarrassingly for EGT a cancellation email was sent by them to us when we were at the meet point ready to go! No phone call or anything! The frustrating part of it all was that we were not even fully reimbursed!! A cancellation fee of 30 euros was subtracted from our online payment, when EGT cancelled! We emailed 3 or 4 times which bounced back and emailed Ernesto directly at least twice, however they did not even have the courtesy to respond.

This was a great way to explore Etna. Great hike to see the diversity of the mountain. We took many breaks along the way to learn a bit from our guide and also to catch our breadth from the cardio. Walking through the sandy rocks was so cool

We were picked up in Catania, went to tourist center of Etna (1900-2000m), we had some time to have coffee and buy arancinis for later. The guide had everything you would need - shoes, poles, windstoppers, even sunglasses and spf. Then we started the hike, had some rest stops where Ernesto told us some things about Etna. We reached 2400m. The path was quite challenging for me as it is steep in some places, also you are walking on a soft ground, more like a sand. We had some stops where we could rest and Ernesto told some things about Etna. All roundtrup from and to tourist center took less than 4 hours.

Ernesto was an awesome guide!! He shared so much interesting information about mount etna and Sicily. His cadence on the hike was perfect allowing for breaks at just the right moments. And he got us down safely during a thunderstorm. We had so much fun!

Awesome hike, well beyond a "cappuccino tour" still in view of the parking lot. Running down in the volcanic ash was a blast!

The views were amazing and our guide kept a good slow pace. We were provided with all the necessary gear (hiking shoes, backpacks, windbreakers and trekking poles). We also stopped to buy snacks/water/lunch before starting the hike, but you can also pack your own if you’re more organized! The hike was quite independent, with the guide walking either ahead or behind the group. You’re able to stop when you’d like to take photos/breaks. Expect to get very dirty!!

We went with the guide who picked us up from Catania and we drove to Etna with a little stop just before where a toilet and coffee is available. Hiking gear was provided (just pack long trousers and socks!) We trekked Etna with a very knowledgeable guide (Alessandro) and heard lots of interesting things and were blessed with good weather. Beautiful views were visible, pretty plants, super cool volcanic sand and rocks and best of all - we saw several craters!

We had an excellent time traversing on foot across the fascinating Etna range. This tour is for those who want to avoid the crowds and are eager to experience first a proper physical activity and second amazing views that are only accessible on foot. the tour was very well organised. We were glad that our guides offered us appropriate boots, poles and jackets. As instructed, it is very important to wear a high socks. Our guide was super knowledgeable and with a great sense of humour. The descent was the best fun ever!

The guide was excellent, with clear and very interesting explanations that made the experience both enjoyable and informative.

It was a very cool and great experience! Our guide was a very chill and nice guy that knew a lot about the plants and vegetation on mount etna. We could borrow shoes and a windbreaker. One tip! You need to have a bit of sport experience/condition to follow his pace but the tempo was perfect for us. Enjoyed every minute! Thanks a lot! 😊

Juliana was an excellent guide and Mt Etna has been erupting/smoking for the last few days. Excellent views. You need to be quite fit for this hike. Elevation changes and unstable path on lava ash/sand

Mt Etna is a must see/do. I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and was very safety conscious. I liked this tour (vs the other options) as it allowed us to really experience this active volcano as we hiked up to nearly 2600KM. I highly recommend.

My friends and I had an incredible tour of Mt. Etna with Etna Guided Tours. One of our group had a surgery three months ago and the guides were responsive and flexible in accommodating a less strenuous hike for two of us. We really appreciated that the tour group offered hiking boots and windbreakers to borrow as we hadn't packed them and ended up needing both. Ernesto was great in communicating with us ahead of time and ensuring that we had booked the ideal tour option. We couldn't recommend the company more!

We decided last minute that we would like to take part in this tour, and I am so glad that we did! We met early in the morning in Catania, stopped for coffee and breakfast and then embarked on our journey to conquer Mt. Etna. I was really impressed by our guide, Alessio, his knowledge and his hiking skills and I felt safe all the time during the trip. All in all this was a very fun and unique adventure. It might be considered hard for people who are not usually active, but as someone who exercises quite often, I would say it was medium effort.

Really fun group hike on Mt Etna with Juliano as our guide. Great views, great workout, great chat, and learned a lot about volcanos, Etnas effect on the area.

It was a great day. Had 3 guides who were all fun, professional and helpful. And also met some really interesting people on the tour. We are a couple in our 70's and one of us found it more challenging than the other, but the guides were always there to encourage and support. Highly recommend.

This was a fantastic experience! We were able to hike to 2750m on the Etna in the hands of responsible, knowledgeable, and very able volcano guides who showed us the beautiful Etna. Would 100% recommend this tour, which was the highlight of our Catania travels.

A brilliant hike with a knowledgeable guide. A great way to see Etna! This is a hike and it doesn’t involve the 4x4 or cable car as some trips have and this was most definitely a better way to see the different elements of the landscape. Thanks Alessandro for a great day!

Great guide, many stories/experiences Great view on Etna summit and "cow valley" Provides clothes and stuff if needed

Great guide, a positive experience hiking, however there were areas that appeared dangerous. Remember to bring your good hiking/trekking waterproof boots.

Ernesto is a perfect guide, calm, patient and humorous, and all the participants got well equipped. I would recommend this tour to all who are fond of some not typically touristic experiences:) But be aware that this route is not really easy when the path is covered by snow. We didn’t get the chance to view the crater due to bad weather and it became a little bit scary, which makes the whole thing even more unforgettable in the sense of romantic sublimity. Best regards from China and Austria!