Two days of Adventure to discover the wild side of the Gentle Giant!
Two days (2 days+1 night)
Difficulty: Medium-high
Adatto alle famiglie con bambini.
Punto di incontro: Milo or Zafferana
Price from: da 169,00 € per person (*)
The tour includes: Insurance, supervision / company of a Geologist and Environmental Guide; drinks & food: Two Lunches, One Dinner, One Breakfast. Common technical material (helmets and flashlights).
The tour does NOT include: any transport cost to reach Milo. Private transfers, souvenirs. If you are not going to rent a car, only upon your request, we can arrange a private transfert from Catania (airport, port or city center) to the North East side of Etna, in the area of Piano Provenzana. The transfert is not included in the quotation, and the price will also depend on the number of passengers. Ask for more details.
Need for a break? Do you wanna discover your wild side? This is the tour for you! Two days of pure adventure to discover the most beautiful caves of Etna and the majestic Valle del Bove, celebrate our return to nature with a barbecue under the stars (even for vegans!) and one night in a rustic camp the peaceful Etna woods. Test your spirit and your muscles, follow us to the conquer the top of the volcano!
DETAILE SCHEDULE
Meet the guide/s at the village of Milo at 9 am. There you will be provided with packed lunch, water and the necessary equipment for the exploration of lava caves in full safety. Then you reach the area of Piano Provenzana by car and start hiking at around 10.00 am.
Route day ONE: Piano Provenzana – Cave of raspberries (Grotta dei lamponi) – Ice Cave (Grotta del Gelo) – Timpa Rossa Refuge
We start the walking path from Piano Provenzana in the direction of Montenero, at an altitude of approximately 1800m. At first we cross the end of the buttonhole of 1928, along the path that leads to the forest of Monte Nero, passing spectacular lava fields and familiarizing with volcanic materials: from the smallest parts like lapilli and scoriaceous materials to massive lavas and lavas rope. Along the way the guide will propose an introduction of volcanology in accordance with his personal research, carried out on behalf of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. We proceed to the Cave of Raspberries, after approximately 6.5 kilometers and 250 meters in altitude. It is a lava tunnel of about 700m and is one of the longest tunnels among the one discovered. The opening of the cave was created by a split in the roof; this entry divides the gallery into two parts, the downstream portion and the upstream one. With helmets and proper equipment you will visit the entire cavity. Then we will continue to the Cave of ice, which is located after 3,5km uphill. We will climb the Dammusi’s laves and Mount of the Dead, a huge and impressive lavic rock, so called because of its unique shape. We will reach 2100m, where the Cave of Ice stands. Lunch break. After refreshments we will proceed to explore the most beautiful cave of Etna, characterized by ice stalactites and incredible views. It is the only cave on Mount Etna where you can find ice during the whole year; for this reason it is thought that it is some sort of “glacier”, the southernmost of Europe and it is one of the most beautiful wonders of Sicily. After enjoying the sight we will descend to the valley, and reach the refuge were another guide is still there to prepare a nice barbecue dinner in to the Nature. The Romantics can admire the spectacle of the starry sky Etna.
Route day TWO: Timpa Rossa – Craters of the lateral eruption of 2002-2003 – Bove Valley (valle del Bove) – ETNA 3000
The day starts early in the morning, a good breakfast and you are off for an entire day of pure wild trekking! Walking the path of Monte Nero you will visit the majestic “bottoniera” of 2002/2003, which is called the perfect eruption, a landscape of wonder and destruction. After walking in the scenographic eruptive fracture we’ll go back to the cars, load up in water and supplies and move to the area of Rifugio Citelli. We will then enter the Serracozzo Nord slope and the fracture of ’79. This side of the volcano is very typical and untouched. In a little more than an hour you will reach the Bove’s Valley terrace, just below the impervious slope that leads to Pizzi Deneri. The birches become small and the only plants that can be seen are the ones typical of Etna, that have adapted in this hostile environment. After a short break to admire the unique view of the Bove Valley we will go ahead untill we reach the front of Mount Simone, where the pure volcanic desert starts at 2300m. We will then have lunch enjoying the wonderful Bove Valley.
The next climb is about 600 meters on a sandy terrain. After this difficult afternoon challenge you finally reach the top edge of the valley, Deneri’s peak. You will take the narrow road to the volcanological observatory and once crossed the pass you will arrive in the long black stretch beneath the crater of NE that brings you on a desertic black moon, so magnificent and terrible. You now about 3000 meters of altitude and based on the conditions and risks evaluated by the guide, you will stop near the plateau below the summit craters, the vertical limit allowed for the hike. From this height you can admire the great New Southeast Crater, the most active of Etna. From the same point, by just turning your head, you can see the crater of north east, the highest of Etna and the highest point of the whole southern Italy. From this height you can admire all of eastern Sicily and, with a bit of luck, even the Eolie islands and Calabria.
The achievement of the 3000 meters depends on the availability of volcanologist guide, the weather and especially the ability of the participants.
Departed from the Black Desert the descend will begin: specifically you will reach the valley’s border, going forward until the intersection with a sandy ridge. The scenic impact of the descend is great but the soft and sandy nature of the ground ensures a quick and secure descent, just like going down a snowy mountain. Walking through the ridge you will arrive at the base of Monte Frumento, the largest side crater of Etna. From there the fracture caused by an eruption in 1928 will bring everyone to the refuge. The travel back to the city is scheduled around 7:00 pm.
