Etna Jeep Tour from Catania or Taormina

Mount Etna, Europe's highest active volcano, rises just outside Catania, and this jeep tour gets you onto its southeast flank without needing hiking experience or your own transport. Riding in an air-conditioned Nissan Pathfinder with five other passengers, you'll head up to the Valle del Bove to see the 1992 lava flow and take in views across the volcano's lower slopes before continuing higher.

The route takes you to a lava tube and lava flow cave, where you'll wear a helmet and carry a torch to explore inside. From there, you'll pick up tracking sticks for a light walk up the cone of a lava crater at 2,100 metres, crossing terrain that looks more lunar than Sicilian. The tour wraps up with a tasting of Etna's white and red wine, local honey, and arancino, giving you a taste of what the volcanic soil around Catania actually produces.

Pick-up is available from the Catania Cruise Terminal or your hotel in Catania, Zafferana Etnea, or Taormina, so you can join the tour without arranging your own way up the mountain.

Your jeep tour starts with pick-up from the Catania Cruise Terminal or your hotel in Catania, Zafferana Etnea, or Taormina. From there, the Nissan Pathfinder heads up to Etna's southeast side, stopping at the Valle del Bove to view the 1992 lava flow and get a first look at the volcano's scale, along with a tasting of local honey.

Next comes the lava tube and lava flow cave, explored with a helmet and torch. You'll then swap gear for tracking sticks and head up to the cone of a lava crater at 2,100 metres, walking across a landscape shaped entirely by past eruptions. The tour finishes with a tasting of Etna white and red wine and arancino before you're driven back to your pick-up point.