In a nutshell

An adventurous, sporty trek to discover the chronological history of Etna’s eruptions . Together with your guide, you’ll press on to the edge of the Valle del Bove, the enormous black lava caldera that preserves the stratified history of the volcano. Then there are smoking craters, caves, ash deserts and thriving vegetation that’s thousands of years old. Like being on the moon… almost.

Main stops

Trekking on the Schiena dell’Asino trail
Panorama on the Valle del Bove, where you can go back over all of the volcano’s major eruptions
Grotta di Pitagora, to see the effects of climbing magma
Energizing snack

The programme

A local guidewill head up your small group of explorers on a trek to explore the history of Etna from its beginnings to the present day.
What grows on the volcano? Your exceptional expert has chosen the Schiena dell’Asino to show you, pointing out its plants, typical of crumbly, volcanic soils: larches and Astragalus. Essential in preventing landslides.
When you come to the top, you’ll find the Valle del Bove in front of you, an enormous black caldera, where you’ll learn to “read” the panorama through the eyes of the volcanologist: you’ll see the overlapping eruptions, the volcanic dikes, the “hornitos”, and the rope-like pahoehoe.
With him, you’ll retrace the evolution of Etna from the first eruption in Serra Giannicola to the four summit craters that are active to this day, including the 1991–93 eruption, the longest of the last three centuries, at no fewer than 473 days!
Moreover, in the Grotta di Pitagora, with its curious triangular opening, you’ll learn the difference between the walls formed from magma and the ones smoothed by water.
And doesn’t adrenaline work up an appetite? We’ll take care of that, with a real sports snack.

Good to know

The program may vary according to the judgment of our expert based on the weather, the volcano, and the technical level of the participants.
Wear appropriate hiking shoes and clothing for the trail.
This is one of the most popular experiences so book early.
Minimum age: 8 years.