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 SIT Package Highlights include:
• Private English speaking tour leader for 8 days
• Accommodation: 2 nights Catania, 2 nights Lipari, 2 nights Stromboli, 1 night Etna in good 3 Star hotels
• Meals: 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 7 dinners (1 pizza dinner & 1 picnic dinner)
• All private & public transfers as indicated throughout the entire itinerary
• Entrance fees of all sites along the itinerary
• Special activities as outlined in the day by day itinerary
• Guest experts for special places;
• Luggage transport; All gratuities for baggage, porters & hotel service
The price does not includeDeparture taxes; Visas; Travel Insurance; Drink & meals not mentioned in the
itinerary; Optional walk on Mount Etna (60 euro); Optional additional tours
or activities; Tips; Items of a personal nature.
Level of difficultyMostly easy to moderate walks, with some walking uphill, especially on days
5 and 7. A high standard of fitness is not necessary but you should be able
to walk for up to 5/6 hours a day in hot sun on dusty or stony tracks. Please
note that people with respiratory problems may have discomfort in sulphurous
areas with fumes.
Dates &prices per person from14 April to 21 April, 9 June to 16 June, 23 June to 30 June, 27 October to 3
November
- Double $1571 Single supplement $222
7 July to 14 July, 21 July to 28 July
- Double $1643 Single supplement $222
25 August to 1 September
- Double $1675 Single supplement $222
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Exploring the dramatic volcanic landscapes of Sicily. Visit the volcanic
archipelago of the Aeolian islands with its wild untamed nature. Climb
Stromboli, a still active volcano, and enjoy its laid back island atmosphere.
Walk along the beautiful coastlines and through the quiet fields of
Lipari. Climb Mount Etna, the highest still active volcano of Europe and
experience the thrill of watching nature shape itself.
Day 1 - CataniaArrival in Catania. Catania International Airport can be easily reached with daily flights from many cities in Europe and other cities in Italy, like Milan, Rome and Naples. You will meet with the rest of the group and your guide at 7 pm at the hotel in Catania, placed in the very heart of the city centre. In case you arrive early you have the possibility to pay a visit to the bustling city of Catania, dominated by the imposing mass of the Etna Volcano. After meeting with the group you will attend a short briefing on the trip’s programme and then have dinner together.
Accommodation: Catania – Meals included: 1 dinner
Day 2 - Vulcano
After breakfast we first transfer to the Milazzo harbour from where we then take the ferry to the island of Vulcano. This island, dominated by the spent crater of Vulcano della Fossa, takes its name from the Roman god ‘Vulcanus’. The Roman name for the island has then contributed the word for volcano in most modern European languages. Famous for its black beaches and thermal springs, the island is an important tourist destination during high season, while retaining its quiet and laid back character during spring and autumn. Our hike on the island will take us to the Vulcano crater where we can admire the ‘fumaroles’, openings in the earth’s crust which emit steam and gases, created when superheated water turns to steam as its pressure drops when it emerges from the ground. After our hike we will have plenty of time to lounge on the beach and visit the thermal springs where we can enjoy bathing in sulphur mud baths. In late afternoon we will then take the hydrofoil to Lipari, the largest of the islands of the Aeolian volcanic archipelago. After dinner you may take another stroll through the Marina, and why not, enjoy a ‘gelato’ before turning in at the hotel.
(3 hours hiking, +390m, -390m)
Accommodation: Lipari – Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner
Day 3 - Lipari
In the morning we make an easy walk to the southern side of the island to the old Roman spa near San Calogero which offers a wonderful view of the crater of the nearby island of Volcano. In the afternoon you are free to visit the isalnds natural and cultural treasures at will. You may want to visit the remains of the Greek tombs and the Greek theatre, as well as have a look at the site of a prehistoric village near the castle. Also the interesting Archaeological museum of the little town merits a visit. After freshening up in our hotel you can then wander through the Marina’s little streets in the evening and stop for a pre-dinner ‘aperitivo’. We will then have dinner all together again.
(3 hours hiking, +250m, -250m)
Accommodation: Lipari – Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner
Day 4 - Stromboli, ‘Sciara del Fuoco’
In the morning we will take the hydrofoil from Lipari to Stromboli, the most northern of the Aeolian Islands and one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It was here that the heroes of Jules Verne’s ‘A Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ find themselves after having been ejected from the earth by volcanic activity. After checking in at our hotel, you are free to take a short hike around the little village where we will be staying, and possibly relax on the islands volcanic black beaches. In the afternoon we will pay a visit to the ‘Sciara del Fuoco’, a big horseshoe shaped depression in the summit area offering a wonderful view on the craters. After turning back to our hotel in the evening you are free to explore the little fishermen’s hamlet of Stromboli some more, after which we will have a nice pizza dinner together.
(4 hours hiking, +400m, -400m)
Accommodation: Stromboli – Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner
Day 5 - StromboliToday we will have the time to visit some more of the island, including the lovely village of San Vincenzo. After lunch we will leave for a walk to the active crater accompanied by certified volcano guides. They will take us up to the very top of the volcano, 924 m high, from where we will have the opportunity to admire – at night-time! – the ordinary, daily volcanic activity of the island, including intermittent explosions of ashes and incandescent rock, reaching up to 120 m high. Larger events including the expulsion of large lava streams are observed regularly, last in 2002-2003 and 2007. Watching an active volcano at work is a dramatic and extremely thrilling experience. You should be aware however, that in case of adverse weather conditions and extra-ordinary volcanic activity due to safety measures the volcano guides may retain it impossible to walk up the volcano. After eating our picnic dinner during the excursion near the Stromboli crater we will return to our hotel.
(5 hours hiking, +924m, -924m)
Accommodation: Stromboli – Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner
Day 6 - Sicilian mainland, Mount Etna
After breakfast at our hotel you can go out for one last stroll in the Stromboli village, after which we will hop on the hydrofoil to Milazzo again. From the harbour of Milazzo a private transfer takes us to the mountain hotel – located at no less than 1900 m a.s.l. – on the southern slopes of Mount Etna. The Etna reaches up to over 3300 m a.s.l. and has a diameter of around 45 km, making it the largest and tallest active volcano in Europe, dominating most of the eastern half of Sicily. After our arrival at the hotel we will have time for a short walk over the so-called ‘Crateri Silvestri’ track for a first approach to the Etna activity, characterized by regular explosions and eruption of gasses and ash, followed by lava flows that constantly remodel the mountain slopes. Some of the main eruptions of the last 10 years have even caused the airport of Catania to close down. In the evening we will eat a hearty dinner based on local specialties at the hotel.
(2 hours hiking, +150m, -150m)
Accommodation: Etna – Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner
Day 7 - Mt Etna
Today we will visit the main body of the Etna volcano, arriving at an altitude of 2100 m a.s.l. Here you will discover the line of craters that opened during the eruptions of 2002 and 2003. These events were among the most explosive of the last 100 years, erupting up to 160 million cubic metres of volcanic ash and lava. From here we have an amazing view over the Ionian Coast with the cities of Messina, Catania and Siracusa. During our walk we will explore the edge of the ‘Valle di Bove’, an immense caldera measuring 1000 metres deep and 5000 metres wide resulting from the collapse of and old crater. Today it is also possible to take an optional trip with a certified guide to the summit at the central craters (3350 m a.s.l.), arriving at 2900 m a.s.l. by cable way and 4WD and then trekking to the top. From the summit we then walk back to the hotel. Please note that the price for this optional trip is 60 euro per person. After returning to the hotel, a private transfer will take us to our evening’s hotel at Catania where after our arrival, you have plenty of time to explore this bustling city. You may visit some of the Greek remains or choose to admire the many baroque ‘palazzi’ and churches located in the heart of the city centre.
(4 hours hiking, +200m, -200m; including optional walk 6 hours hiking, +1000m, -1000m)
Accommodation: Catania – Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner
Day 8 - End of Tour
The tour ends in Catania after breakfast today. You can easily reach the airport by bus. A taxi transfer to other destinations can be arranged on request.
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