Sicily holidays by Volcano Etna

Most people, during their Sicily holidays, visit only the mass tourist attractions (Taormina, etc…). They don’t know that there are thousand of new and undiscovered experiences you’ve never heard before.

So, if you want to live the best vacation you can get, then read this short guide. I’ll help you discover how to feel an unique experience in 10 simple ways.

In Sicily there are tons of places where live wild adventures and sport activities. The best ones are on the Etnean territory in the middle of 3 natural parks: Etna, Nebrodi and Alcantara.

Here you can practice:

• Trekking/Hiking
• Mountain Biking
• Winter sports
• Water and pluvial sports
• Extreme sports
• Bio and natural watching
• And other adventure outdoor sports

I’ve tried to do a simple search on forums and social websites to verify what exactly people know about adventure travels in Italy and I’ve found a lot of interesting questions that I’ll try to answer in this post:

The main questions are:

• What are the best spots for cycling holidays in Italy?
• What type of mountain biking experiences are possible in Italy?
• How can i find company specialized in walking tours in Italy?
• Have you skiing holidays ideas?
• What the best period to do and outdoor adventure vacation in Italy?

So…lets’go start discover all possible experiences that the Mount Etna territory can give you…

On the Etna you can live the best hiking - trekking holidays of Italy

This territory has a particular characteristics. It’s in the middle of 3 natural parks: The Etna, the Nebrodi and the Alcantara river.

Here practice adventure sports activity holidays of easy/medium difficulty with a duration of 4-5 hours can cost you 70-100€ all inclusive for the group (not at person)

The main trips are:

• Walking tours in the north Etna’s paths to see the recent eruptions, caves, forests and natural landscapes
• The Malabotta forest in the Nebrodi parks
• The lake’s path in the Nebrodi
• The Alcantara river and the little volcano Mojo
• A tour in the caves of the Etna

On The Etna it’s possible to practice the Nordic walking, a new way to combine travel activity and weight loss, and the Geocaching, with the help of GPS you have to find an object let by another and let a message for the future visitor.

For the most skilled there is a complete tour of 2 days between the Etna and the Nebrodi.

To find an adventure travel company you can send an email here

Useful resources:
http://www.etnaviva.it
http://www.entefaunasiciliana.it
http://www.italianostra.org
http://www.caicatania.it
http://www.siciliamountaintrekking.it
http://www.kalura.org
http://www.guidetnanord.com
http://www.etnatrekking.it
http://www.acquaterra.it
http://www.etnanatura.it
http://www.etnaescursioni.it

http://www.etnaguide.com
http://www.aitnemed.com
http://www.volcanotrek.com
http://www.magmatrek.it

Ecotourism holidays to watch the nature and the fauna

Another type of adventure tours that add an educational values are the Nebrodi mounts. These mounts are famous for their animal observation points to see the nests of rare birds. For example some years ago there was a webcam pointed directly on a nest of a couple of Real Eagles, where you could see the nest and chicks.

Birdwatchers will appreciate the extraordinary shows given by the Nebrodi’s lakes and the river reserves in the province of Catania

• Pozzillo lake
• Biviere Lake
• The Trearie lake
• The Gurrida Lake on the Etna
• The Salinelle and ponte barca
• The pluvial park of the Alcantara
• The Fiumefreddo river reserve
• The Simeto’s oasis

Whale watching to admire dolphins and whales near the gulf of Catania, is another animal watching activity to practice.

Useful info:
http://www.naturasicilia.org
http://www.bioscatania.it
http://www.whalewatching.it

Horseback riding tours of the Etna

This is my favourite example of adventure vacation. Everybody know how beautiful could it be a ride on an horse…and if you link it to the views offers by the tallest volcano of Europe and the possibility to visit its historical towns and traditions…wow!

The main trip is of 3 days where you’ll do the complete tour of the volcano.

1. Day: Across the tows of Belpasso and Ragalna (Etna south)
2. Day: In the forest of the Pista “Altomontana� (A path that links the South and the North of the Volcano)
3. Day: Piano dei Dammusi and the Etna caves
4. See the eruption of 1991-1993 that was dangerous for the Zafferana etnea town
5. Day the say path of day 1 to come back home

Accommodation is in the shelters along the path. You can contact me if you are interested in receiving more information on this tour

Useful resources:
http://www.amicodelcavallo.com

Skiing holidays in Italy and other winter sports on the Etna mountain

Have you ever skied on a lava flow?

Yes…most people don’t know that during winter you can ski on the Etna mountain.
The starting point of the skiing season is between December and January. On the Etna there are 2 main ski stations: Rifugio Sapienza in the south and Piano Provenzana in the north.

Here you can practice:

• Downhill
• Cross-country skiing
• Snowshoeing
• Telemark
• Alpine ski
• Snowboarding

The main experiences are with the snowshoes and cross country ski. Here you can cross the forests, open spaces and the paths over the 1.800 meters.

Snowboard is very good because over 2.000 meters there aren’t trees.

Here the list of the ski stations in the South- Rifugio Sapienza, Nicolosi
1° ski lift: Silvestri 1910mt. to 2100 mt.
2° ski lift: Capannina 2100 mt. To 2300 mt.
3° ski lift: Omino 2300 mt. To 2550 mt.
4° ski lift: Montagnola 2450 mt. To 2650 mt.
Cross country path: Piano Vetore
Cable car 1910mt. to 2500 mt.

Here the list of the ski stations in the North- Piano Provenzana, Linguaglossa
1° ski lift: Baby
2° ski lift: Tanaurpi
3° ski lift: Le coccinelle
4° ski lift: Monte Conca
5° ski lift: Anfiteatro
Cross country skiing: Poiana

More and more people like to do show-shoes excursions, because they are the substitute of trekking during the winter.
The main itineraries are:

• “Valle del Bove”
• Nocturnal excursion

If you need more information you can contact us today

Useful info:
http://www.caicatania.it
http://www.scuolaitalianascietna.com
http://www.etnasci.it

Cycling holidays around the Parks

The territory of the Etna is very indicated for Downhill mountain biking and bicycle tours. Around the park there a series of road well used by bikers to:

• Ride in the middle of free natural parks
• Conquest the Etna throw the “Pista Altomontanaâ€?, a 8 hours trips
• Visit the most known attraction like Taormina and Giardini Naxos
• Pass throw the sea villages along the coast
• 40 Km. Across forests, lakes and ancient towns between the Etna and Nebrodi
• Nebrodi and Peloritani mounts for a 60 km ride for a duration of 8 hours

To discover what are the best experiences with your bike, you can contact us now

Useful resources:
http://www.etnafreebike.com
http://www.solebike.it
http://www.mountain-bike-alcantara.com
http://www.bikepeopleadventure.it
http://www.ciclofree.com
http://www.mtbadventures.com

What…? Do Yoga on the Volcano?

Yes it’s so!! Who practices Yoga, knows that Volcanoes are a great energy source. Every year are organized a lot of Yoga courses on Mount Etna and Stromboli volcano.

More info:
http://www.trekkingyoga.com

Boat tour and shore excursions

The Ionic coast of the Etna is a great patrimony for boat passionates or owners. You can use the different ports available and visit the internal touristic attractions.

The coast can be divided in 3 main zones:

1. Simeto – South Etna (This zone comprises the ports of: Catania, Caito, San Giovanni Li Cuti and Porto Ulisse)
2. Ionic – Etnean coast (This zone comprises the ports of: Acicastello, Acitrezza, Capomulini, Santa Maria la Scala, Santa Tecla, Stazzo, Pozzillo)
3. North Etna – Alcantara valley ( This zone comprises the ports of Riposto)

If you need more information of boat tours of Sicily and info on how to contact the port authorities please send us an e-mail

Other types of boat/sea activities can be:

• Fish-tourism – You’ll live like a fisherman: Start in the early morning to go fishing, recovery the nets, cook the fish directly on the boat, discover the best attractions of the Sicily coast and feel exactly the cultural meetings with the sea populations.
• Sailing
• Ship with transparent bottom
• Submarine excursion

More info here:
http://www.pescaturismo-valdinoto.it
http://www.totisail.com
http://www.easy-sicily.com

Scuba diving and Snorkeling

It’s the ionic coast between the little villages of Acicastello and Acitrezza that offers the best underwater excursions. Here there is a natural marine reserva called “Isola Lachea e I faraglioni dei Ciclopiâ€?

This is a sea view where admire the first phase when Mount Etna born thousand of years ago and follow the submarine paths to discover:

• Faro di Capo Molini
• Archaeological rests
• The Panettoni lava rocks
• Submarine photos landscape path
• The Castle with a little canyon
• Lot of typical Mediterranean fishes and others

Useful resources:
http://www.cassiopeasub.it
http://www.divesicily.com
http://www.siciliadiver.com

Caving on the Etna volcanic Caves

Mount Etna is the only place in Europe where to find caves of Volcanic origin.

The main Caves are in the northern side of the Volcano in the territory of the Linguaglossa town.

• Cave of Ices, to approximately 2000 meters high. Sure the most “famousâ€? and known of the Etna.
• Cave of the Vannette, to approximately 1700 meters high
• Cave of the Raspberries, to 1700 high
• Cave of the Females, to 1650 high
• Cave of the Palombe, to 1560 high
• Cave of the Ladri, to 1550 high

More info here:
http://www.gruppogrottecatania.it
http://www.cse-speleo.it

Extreme sports to practice…

It’s amazing to see how many touristic activities you can practice and how many different ways are there to live Sicily instead of the same “Boringâ€? cultural tours.

Some example of other active travels could be:

• Bungee jumping
• Free climbing: On the Etna, there are not too much places where practise this sport. The main points are Acqua Rocca degli Zappini, in the territory of Zafferana, the Peloritani mounts, The zone of Castelmola (near Taormina) and the Climiti mounts close to Augusta.
• Hang gliding
• Ultra light airplane
• Parachuting

Water and pluvial sports

• Rafting and pluvial canoa on the Alcantara and Simeto river
• Hydrospeed on Alcantara
• Canyoning on the Alcantara gorges
• Kayak on Alcantara river, the Acireale’s Timpa, The Taormina’s coast and the natural reserve of Lachea island in Acitrezza

http://www.etnacenter.net
http://www.acquaterra.it

Now you know how to live an adventure travel in Sicily…do you think it’s to much for you?

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