It was Ray’s birthday and we decided to do something different and exciting. So we booked a full day tour to explore Mount Etna which is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and is in an almost constant state of activity. Mount Etna has been designated a Decade Volcano by the United Nations and was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  Our private tour began early in the morning and we meet with our guide Giuseppe who was very informative and an excellent guide.  

We drove up the winding road through the ancient lava flows to the souvenir shop located part way up the south side of Mount Etna.  We parked there and began hiking up from there. 

Hiking up to the ancient crater was so surreal as the landscape felt like we were on another planet. Walking on the ancient lava was similar to walking on beach sand except with soft stones that crush under your feet.  

Along the way we came to a large bolder approximately 1.5 meter high which was ejected from a previous eruption. 

We would stop along the way up to catch our breath and to take in the panoramic views.

It was truly an amazing experience looking at the ancient and recent lava flows.

At one of the stops as we catch our breath our Guide Giuseppe explained some interesting facts about Mount Etna and the plantation.

There is a local plant that grows only on the ancient lava flows.

This particular plant apparently can keep a person alive eating only this for quite a while. It contains many nutrients and water. So Ray of course had to try it.

We eventually reach the Silvestri crater of Mount Etna. The view was spectacular.

After exploring the crater area we headed back down to continue our adventure. Here is a quick overview of our time on Mount Etna.

 

Our next stop was at a lava cave. We put on helmets and entered the ancient lava tube passage which was made by ancient flowing lava. 

The walls inside the lava cave was quite unique with features from the ancient flows of lava.

After exploring the cave we continued on our way to the Valley Del Bove. We arrived at a small parking area and Giuseppe took us along a narrow path that came to an amazing view of the valley.

We had breathtaking panoramic view of this ancient and incredible valley.

After spending most of the day exploring Mount Etna we headed to a small town to try some local honey and wine.  Then we were off to our next adventure. It was a great day and we highly recommend our guide Giuseppe.

If anyone is interested in a tour he can be contacted by email giuseppelapila@gmail.com

“Possano le tue avventure avvicinarti, anche se ti portano lontano da casa.” — Trenton Lee Stewart