Etna Nord Basic and Alcantara Gorges

Posted By : aprildT1542YI
We reserved the base with the help of a lady from the agency located in Taormina. She simply told us about salads. She told us that we could leave our luggage on the bus (we had a train in the evening and we had returned the keys to our accommodation), only what a surprise to discover that we had to keep our luggage with us during the excursion. Great for climbing Etna. The bus lets in all the cold and the audio guides don't work, so no information on where to visit. When we arrived at the refuge, no one told us where to go and what to see during the two free hours, no guide or information. For those who go up to 3000 it looks great but with the base we stay down and wait because discovering the place in 2 hours is impossible. To continue, the bus came to pick us up 1 hour late and completely forgot two people at the Etna refuge!!! We were then very late and we were told that we would return at 7 p.m. even though some had trains and planes to catch. After a call with the agency we were made to understand that we were obliged to go to the gorges regardless of those who had transport because they did not want to reimburse the tickets including the gorges. Arrived there we only had an hour and be careful if you don't pay the additional 7€ you won't see anything of the gorges and you stay in the parking lot. It’s a park that requires an additional cost (this had been said but I thought we could at least see the gorges if we didn’t pay). Thanks to the kindness of the driver and the participants in the excursion we returned on time, but disappointed with the trip. Fortunately, the sites are really beautiful to see, I recommend going there but in another way to fully enjoy these wonders of Sicily. The ad is misleading and the lady at reception tells us all what we want to hear whether it is true or false. It's shameful for the price!
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Posted On : 2024-04-26 12:41:31

Posted By : JMH2006
Open sided bus and -8 temperatures and hail going up to base of Etna. There was no communication about what was happening for the day or at the stops. While it was great to see Etna (or what we could of it in the blizzard conditions) we feel we were not given a clear picture of what the tour involved and how basic the transport would be. Not impressive sales info! Even if the weather had been sunny, a bit more guidance would have been helpful. We were not told anything about Etna, the surrounding area or the gorge. Im sure it would be better on a warmer day!
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Posted On : 2024-04-19 09:52:03

Posted By : stefanomF7816RC
Nice place but with what I paid I expected more in the end you are the guide and that's it... really bad service never again
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Posted On : 2023-10-13 06:43:15

Posted By : 628alessandrac
I did this tour a few days ago with my son and it was a wonderful adventure that I would do again immediately, thanks also to the CityBySee company who accompanied us on this fabulous experience. Both the guide Maria and the driver were kind and friendly. I recommend you do this tour with them.
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Posted On : 2023-09-09 14:53:03

Posted By : sallyrC6100DS
From booking with Maria to the tour with Guiseppi we had a great experience from start to finish.
The two staged trip to just below the Etna cater (3000m) was amazing and the Alcantara Gorges did not disappoint.
Would definitely recommend.
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Posted On : 2022-05-12 09:50:08

Posted By : shellefos
CitybySee Tour

Booked two tickets for the Mount Etna tour, north side, as we had heard this was the more adventurous tour and we were not disappointed.

We were ready and waiting at 7.35am at Taormina Bus Station for the open sided CityBySee tour bus.  What a godsend that was in the late September heat!  

The ride to the refuge area (2700 metres) took us through several towns and villages up in the mountains,  lasted about two hours, and was a great experience seeing differing neighbourhoods.

We milled around the refuge area for about twenty minutes, mainly queuing for the solitary toilet which had a charge of 0.50€.  There was also a small cafe, gift shop and hire shop in case of need for walking boots or a windcheater jacket.  Apparently it can get quite chilly at 28000 metres.

Covid temperature checks done and masks donned, we clambered in and the off road vehicle was fired up.  A  very bumpy ride up the beaten track ensued. Owing to Etna being an active volcano it is forbidden to go right to the top.  However we were not disappointed as we got to see three craters close up.  Our guide, Giuseppe, was very knowledgeable about Etna and its history, and made it an entertaining tour.

After three crater stops we bobbed back down to base camp in the off roader, a short rest break and we were back on the tour bus.  Part of the afternoon itinerary involved a two hour stop at Gole Alcantara Geological and Botanical Park for some river trekking in the gorges, and which was included in the price of our tour tickets.
Take some beach shoes and a towel as the water is freezing.

We would like to express our appreciation to Giovani for his excellent driving skills navigating the narrow streets and twisting turns of the mountain roads, Giuseppe for his good humour and fluency of English and French (he made it seem very easy to speak three languages),  and last but not least, Valerio who we booked the tour through.  It lived up to our expectations and then some!

If you are going to do Mount Etna, I'd recommend this tour company.

Tip - trainers or walking boots recommended depending on the weather, as well as a warm top or jacket.  Be prepared to walk on uneven ground, especially areas where lava rocks have congregated.  Some paths require a good sense of balance.


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Posted On : 2021-09-28 01:17:31