Trekking on one of the slopes of Mount Etna, among ancient flows, lunar landscapes and lush woods, houses surrounded by lava, breathtaking views, lava caves to be explored in total safety and tasting of typical local products. Lunch at a mountain hut to follow visit to the beautiful Alcantara Gorges, formed thousands of years ago thanks to a lava flow that invaded the bed of the Alcantara river.
Posted By : Jeremy_Y
Our guide Dan was the man! He made for a fun day full of laughs and insights about Etna and the surrounding geology. Other reviews said they felt rushed but we found the timing of everything very reasonable.
We didn’t initially realize Alcantara would be a well developed tourist spot for families, but in the end we didn’t mind at all, in fact it was nice to be among other vacationing people and people watch in a beautiful natural setting. Would definitely recommend this tour.
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Posted On : 2024-06-27 07:00:28 
Posted By : Amy_C
We were disappointed with this tour. We did not get the excursion experiences listed in the online booking and that we paid for. We went to a local honey/wine tasting location and our guide Gabriele received a free item because we made a purchase. This was not on the itinerary. Our time at Etna was rushed and not very informative. We were promised English and Gabriele had very broken English. We did not get to experience the caves or tunnels with helmets as advertised. We did not go to a fine place for lunch, and again Gabriele ate for free while we paid at a local place. Alcantara was nice, but rushed as well. We were with another couple from Germany squished into a very small car that we believe was a rental that he had to return. Our guide was in a hurry to end the tour and get us back to our locations. Frankly I was very disappointed in this tour. Not what was advertised at all!
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Posted On : 2024-05-24 05:10:54
Posted By : Kerrie_W
Climbing a crater at Mount Etna was a highlight we had perfect weather and blue clear sky . Our guide Erika was extremely informative and very friendly young man , he was fantastic. We also enjoyed Alcantara although we took
The elevator option instead of the 200 stairs . Great trip.
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Posted On : 2024-05-06 13:30:17
Posted By : Julie_S
Dan our guide was amazing, friendly, so much knowledge and nothing was too much trouble! Wonderful trip, enjoyed all of it, learnt so much. Thoroughly recommend and so grateful to Dan for making the trip so great. Make sure you take water shoes and have swimwear on to fully experience the gorge! Exhilarating .
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Posted On : 2024-05-04 16:12:13
Posted By : StephenY_T
The guide was doing the best as he could, but the trip was not well planned out. The weather was extremely important. If the weather is not good, the trip should be planned appropriately. e.g. not to go up to 3000 m. First nothing can be seen and it causes accident.
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Posted On : 2024-03-26 15:20:14
Posted By : 194matthiasn
There were 4 of us in total, two couples. A German-speaking guide was not available when we booked at short notice (1 day in advance). That is understandable in March.
We were picked up in Catania on time.
The guide Danilo was very friendly and open-minded.
The first stop was Mount Etna. We drove up to 1600m in a 4x4 and then set off on foot to explore the southern craters. Danilo explained a lot and answered all questions in detail.
The route description said "entrance fee included, but you don't have to pay for one. Very nice view all the way to Syracuse thanks to the good weather.
On the way back to the valley we visited a lava cave. With helmets and flashlights we were explained the characteristics of such caves, not spectacular, but I found it very interesting to learn how they are formed.
After that we had a lunch break in a village in the valley and a detour to a fruit seller Danilo trusts. Since it is harvest time for oranges and tomatoes, we were able to sample some delicious produce here.
A quick, delicious arancino meal at a bistro he trusts. We paid for it ourselves, very tasty! Then on to the Alcantara Gorge. Here Danilo sent us "into the water" alone. Unfortunately without informing us that the gorge is a kilometer long and is best navigated in swimming trunks. So we spent an hour just exploring the gorge entrance and then dried our pants in the sun. In March the water was more waist-deep than knee-deep. A very spectacular piece of nature, but unfortunately we only got to see part of it. We also only noticed the orange park above when we left. Contrary to what was advertised in the travel description, we had to pay the entrance ourselves. At €105 per person, that's not entirely fair. I would have liked a guide to give us information about how it was created. Then we went back to the pick-up points at a rapid pace. You have to stay cool when you're driving at 80 km/h through narrow streets or 160 km/h on the motorway (100 km/h). The best thing to do is close your eyes and pray, as our fellow travelers showed us.
In the end, it was a full day that we enjoyed. Very nice, with some room for improvement.
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Posted On : 2024-03-16 04:46:01 
Posted By : Niklas_G
Danilo was one of the best guides I had so far. He adapted the tour to the capabilities of the single group members which meant for me of my friend unluckily no top of Etna but for that he showed us many other great places instead and it was totally worth it. He explained a lot and was happy to answer any kind of questions also regarding food in the area. Definitely recommend the tour.
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Posted On : 2024-02-11 18:56:36
Posted By : rsvp1
Loved the Mount Etna and Georges tour from Messina port with Viator - however full disclosure the cable car/bus tour on Mount Etna is 78 Euros extra - not disclosed till we got there. Rest of tour was good, good seafood restaurant before the Georges - only 30 minutes at Georges before we had to get back to ship on time
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Posted On : 2023-11-02 08:20:40
Posted By : Barbara_M
The tour guides were incredibly accommodating to all guests’ needs. Alex and Andrea were full of amazing information. It was a fun day. The gorges are not to be missed!
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Posted On : 2023-10-25 12:36:53
Posted By : Angel_S
Denny was an amazing guide, shared a lot of interesting stuff with us, showed us the best views. The trip was fantastic, best tour we had during our vacation here!
Tip: bring slippers with you, as walking in the Alcantara river barefoot can be quite unpleasant 😁
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Posted On : 2023-10-04 14:22:15
