Etna and Alcantara Gorges Excursion | La Vacanza Travel

Etna and Alcantara Gorges Excursion

Duration: 6 to 8 hours
Destination: Italy, Sicilia, Catania
from
120.28

Check Availability

  • 6 to 8 hours
  • Catania
  • E-Voucher
  • Lowest Price
  • Not-Cancellable

Overview

Discover Etna and the Alcantara Gorges! The perfect mix of adventure and refreshing relax!

The excursion begins by SUV or minivan (up to 8 people), together with our experienced guides.
Our first stop is an off-road trip to the 2002 eruption lava fron.
Continuing along the Via Mareneve, in the middle of the Ragabo pine forest, we will arrive at the starting point of our trekking to the Monti Sartorius craters. We will continue on foot, starting at 1650 metres and arriving at an altitude of 1750 metres, an easy walk suitable for everyone.
We will then explore a lava flow cave, the Grotta dei Ladroni, equipped with helmets and torches.

We will stop at a local chalet or restaurant for lunch (included in the price: a first course, drink and coffee).

After lunch, we will reach the characteristic Alcantara Gorges, also known as the Larderia Gorges. A refreshing and relaxing visit to a wonderful place. You can cool off in the Alcantara river in the middle of the canyon of the Gorges!

What Can You Expect?

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Mount Etna, 95030 Catania, Sicily Italy

Transportation and off-roading by SUV or Minivan; visit to the lava front of the 2002 eruption; trekking along the 'bottoniera' side craters of the Monti Sartorius; exploration of the Grotta dei Ladroni, a lava flow cave.

Lunch in a local Etnean chalet or restaurant, included in the price: a first course, drink and coffee.

Duration: 6 hours

Stop At: Le Gole dell'Alcantara, Strada Provinciale 7, Castiglione di Sicilia, Sicily Italy

After lunch (included in the price: a first course, drink and coffee), we will drive through Castiglione di Sicilia, one of the 'Borghi più belli d'Italia' (Italy's most beautiful villages), to the Alcantara Gorges, also known as the Larderia Gorges. They are located in the 'Alcantara River Park', where the Peloritani mountain range ends in the municipalities of Castiglione di Sicilia and Motta Camastra (one of the places where some scenes of the famous film The Godfather were filmed).

Duration: 1 hour

Inclusions & Exclusions

Inclusions
  • Trekking equipment: jacket, trekking poles, helmet, torch
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Private transportation
  • Lunch - A first course, drink and coffee
  • Alcantara Gorges ticket (municipal entrance)
  • Bottled water
  • Entry/Admission - Le Gole dell'Alcantara
  • Entry/Admission - Mount Etna

Exclusions

    Additional Info

    • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
    • Near public transportation
    • Most travelers can participate
    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
    • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
    • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
    • Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability

    Departure Point

    Departure Point

    Dream Island, Via Francesco Messina, 45 A, 95015 Linguaglossa CT, Italy
    Traveler pickup is offered
    After submitting your booking you will be contacted to schedule the exact pick up time. We kindly ask you to keep an eye on notifications via app, email, WhatsApp or direct calls.

    Ports

    • Dream Island, Via Francesco Messina, 45 A, 95015 Linguaglossa CT, Italy
    • Recanati Bus Terminal, Viale Dionisio, 12, 98035 Giardini Naxos ME, Italy
    • Taormina-Giardini, via 98039, Via Nazionale, 43, 98039 Villagonia ME, Italy
    • Ufficio Postale di Taormina, Piazza S. Antonio Abate, 1, 98039 Taormina ME, Italy
    • Catania Centrale, Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII, 2, 95129 Catania CT, Italy
    • Giarre-Riposto, Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini, 6, 95014 Giarre CT, Italy


    Departure Time

    09:00 AM


    Return Details

    Returns to original departure point

    Duration & Voucher Info

    Voucher info

    You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

    Duration

    6 to 8 hours

    Cancellation Policy

    User's Reviews

    Santa_B

    18 Apr, 2024

    Fantastic tour; perfect guide Emanuele. We reccomend-enough info; personal attitude; lunch at nice place.

    enricosF6782YF

    15 Apr, 2024

    The best Sicily trip we have booked, many thanks to Salvatore! Salvatore was our tour guide. He is a true Sicilian, so he was able to tell us childhood stories about Mount Etna and the whole of Sicily. The time while driving around by car was used to explain passed and prepare the next stops. the lunch was easy but very delicious meal. we, in a group of 4 (me, my girlfriend and 2 further tourists from england) enjoyed the whole trip, lastly due to our brilliant guide!

    Zac_F

    31 Mar, 2024

    An incredible experience. Our guide Salvatore went above and beyond to make us have the best experience exploring Etna. He was very knowledgeable and made the experience very fun. Also a great photographer. Thank you for an amazing experience.

    Laura M

    13 Mar, 2024

    My husband and I went on this excursion trip today and it was a mixed experience. We were the only ones on the tour, and we met Salvador at the agreed meeting point. He was friendly and attentive throughout this drive. We arrived at Mount Etna and got hiking! It was quite a steep incline and your feet slipped sometimes, but it was worth it! The craters, views and grottos were awesome to see. Salvador was lovely, attentive, reassuring about having time to take it slowly, and great at explaining the different areas we reached. He was very knowledgeable about Mount Etna which made for a lovely experience. He also offered to take photos which was a lovely touch! We then drove down to a small restaurant and had some ragu and pistachio pasta. I thought we got a choice of first course, but didn't mind to find out we got 2 types of pasta as the dish served. This would be a problem however if you (for example) had a nut allergy, as there didn't appear to be another option food-wise included in the price. A bottle of water was included here, which was refreshing. *So far in the trip, Salvador had received mobile notifications, and a couple calls, but he hadn't let it affect his touring presentation. He did answer a couple calls but we didn't mind as we were off wandering, and when we approached him, he would shortly end the call and give his attention back to us.* I was really looking forward to the Alcantara gorges trip, which was advertised as half of the tour experience. Upon pulling up to the entrance, Salvador initially thought it was shut but, upon realising cars were parked in there, he realised it wasn't and we go in. Easy mistake to make (I thought), but quickly rectified. I unfortunately noticed from here on out that this reluctance to tour the Alcantara gorges continued... We looked from a viewpoint, and Salvador talked about it being closed but described the gorges briefly. I noticed there were people down by the water and I prompted him to get tickets to go down there. The ticket cost stated it was included in the tour price, so it felt like we were (intentionally or not) trying to be cut short of an experience. Anyway, we get down to the bottom by lift and it's gorgeous! The rocks surrounding us are REALLY smooth - fake looking even - whilst the cliffs are geometric in formation. It was fascinating to look at and I was expecting our tour guide to give us a good amount of detail about this landscape. Sadly, Salvador only explained a couple things before walking off and talking on his phone. My husband and I wandered around, hoping he'd step back into his role of tour guide, but he didn't from here on out. It felt like his attention was on his phone fully, and anything we were doing was wasting his time. He spoke only when I asked him a question, and otherwise looked like a bored parent waiting for his children to get tired... he was conveying all the signs of wanting to leave, which I could tell made my partner withdraw and want to go early too. When we got back up using the lift, I had to proactively wander toward a garden area which was there to explore as, yet again, our tour guide seemed like he wanted to leave. I tried to enjoy this last part of the tour but I really struggled to as I could feel him judging me to a certain degree by being curious and wanting to explore my surroundings. --- I don't know why the professionalism changed after lunch, but it really ruined what was otherwise a lovely tour experience. I felt like a problem for the second half of the tour, and like we had a taxi driver with us instead of a tour guide. We were very easy going tourists, friendly and polite, and so there's nothing I can think of that we did. Regardless, please don't stop putting in effort after lunch. The first half was lovely, I just wish the second half matched it.

    JohnM19082

    09 Nov, 2023

    I was not actually able to go on the trip due to illness. A serious cold, or possibly Covid, hit me the night before. I waited till the morning to see if I would be able to go and it was impossible. I emailed Dream Island via Tripadvisor at 7 AM about the situation. I simply wanted them to know that they did not need to pick me up. They surprised me by letting me know that they would give me a full refund in spite of the late notice. I will certainly book with them when I have the opportunity in the future.

    User's Picture Gallery

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    5-star-trip: good value for money, lots of information, top guide

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    1st half fantastic, 2nd not so much

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    A no frills essential Etna and Alcantara experience

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    Super fantastic Salvatore and Dream Island tours a dream day!

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    An Excellent, Well Organised Tour

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    Really enjoyable day. Would recommend this tour.

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    Great day out

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    Great Activity

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    Family Fun (teens)

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    Great

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    A Really well detailed and thought out experience!

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    A lot of Walking, Not A lot of Talking

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    If I could give more than 5 stars I would!

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    Vibrant and memorable experience of Etna and Alcantara Gorges

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    This is an excellent trip for the whole family!

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    Very nice

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    Unforgettable, amazing experience!!

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    A great way to spend a day in Sicily

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    Best Etna Experience

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    Great experience

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    A 5 STAR DAY! :-)

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    Super expérience !

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    La combo perfetta!

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    Incantevole

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