How can I hike the Etna on my own and then reach the summit with a guide?
My fiance (who will be my wife then) and I are visiting Sicily in September.
We plan to reach the Etna's summit. From what I have been told, everything above Torre del Filosofo (about 2900 m a.s.l.) can be visited only while accompanied by a local guide.
There are several tours and options to reach Torre del Filosofo, most popular are the cable car and 4x4 ride. However, we do not want to use them, as in our opinion reaching the Etna that way would be cheating (for us, no offence to the ones who used them :) ).
We would like to reach the real top of the Etna, which can be done only with a guide. We will hike up to the Torre del Filosofo on our own and we would like to continue with a guide from there.
We are aware that there is a local guide booth at Torre del Filosofo, but we cannot find any information how to book such a guide without any additional offers (no cable car and no 4x4 ride). We are willing to start hiking early in the morning, but we would like to know if there is any specific hour by which we have to arrive at Torre del Filosofo.
How can we arrange that when we finally reach Torre del Filosofo, there will be a guide there who can guide us to the summit?
Best Answer
My wife and me had actually the same question around ~10 years ago when going to Mount Etna. When I remember correctly, use of the cable car as well as a guide was mandatory for going upwards (but they let us walk down on our own).
Not sure how the regulations are today, I guess your best bet is to contact a guide bureau (like this one) by phone or email and ask them directly.
Stromboli was also interesting, we had a visit during the same holidays, but they definitely forbid any private people to enter the top area without a guide, with severe penalties when they catch you.
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Can you visit Etna by yourself?
There is only one way to explore Mount Etna on your own, and that is by taking the bus from Catania. From Catania a single bus leaves daily (from the company AST, see photo above) to Mount Etna at 8:15 AM. The AST bus departs from the large bus stop right in front of the central station of Catania.Can you hike to the top of Etna?
The Mount Etna summit hike (3,350 meters / 10,912 ft) is not possible at the moment. Due to the current volcanic activities, it's not permitted. Currently, the highest point you can reach is Torre del Filosofo at 2,920 meters (9,580 ft).How long does it take to walk up Mount Etna?
From here the hike begins throughout the most recent lava flows leading up to the summit of Mt Etna, in a volcanic environment. Helmets will be provided. There are about 3 km to the rim of the crater, under normal conditions, the ascent takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes.How do I explore Etna?
We can explore Mount Etna with a horse or in the company of a lama. We can decide to drive to the cableway, at 1900 meters and then go for a self-guided walking tour, or choose an Etna Guided tour from Taormina or Catania.Hiking Mount Etna Volcano - Day Trip from Catania, Sicily in Italy // Solo Travel Vlog Series.
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Images: James Wheeler, Tyler Lastovich, Lukas Hartmann, Pixabay