We are registered for RS Best of Sicily 31 March 2019 tour. In posted itinerary I see reference to Mt Etna and volcanologist in Taormina plus museum visit in Catania. Has anyone had experience w/ hiking Mt Etna while on this tour? Do we need to allow for an extra day or will there be time to do this on our own. Is hike worth doing?
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
We took this tour in May and while we did drive around and near the mountain, we only stopped at the visitors center for an hour or two that allowed some tour members to take a short hike. We had a great guide on that tour, our 16th RS tour.
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6292 posts
There's no time on the tour itself. We stopped for lunch there, and some of us spent a little time hiking. It was bitterly cold, windy, and snowing - in June!
Posted by
Birmingham, AL, USA
222 posts
We joined this tour in April and had a wonderful time! RS tours have not disappointed us yet (14 to date with 15 coming up in August). We stopped at Mt. Etna for a couple of hours - enough time to hike around an inactive eruption. Some hiked to a higher point but everyone seemed to have gained a good insight into the remains of a volcanic eruption. We enjoyed hot chocolate at the restaurant at the stop. A thunderstorm rolled in and we had about 30 minutes of hail. The next morning at the hotel we had a clear view in the distance of smoke curling from the peak of Mt. Etna. Not sure how much more you could want in the way of a hike. There was plenty of walking up and down hills on the tour! The vulcanologist gave an after dinner talk on volcanos with really good video. The group found it to be very informative and entertaining. good information to later understand the eruptions in Hawaii this summer! This was a very active tour so be prepared!