Mount Etna and Alcantara Gorges from Taormina

Take layers to wear as weather unpredictable on Etna. Take snacks and a drink as very little time to stop for a break. Quite rushed. Should not need to pay for entry to Alacantra gorges.

A great experience with driver Massimo and tour guide Maria (I think). It was very exciting, interesting and well organised. A really great driver and well informed guide.

Wednesday 13 August 2025 we had an excursion to |Mount Etna with a stopover Alcantara and a train trip to Mount Etna. The bus driver Antonio and tour guide Alexandra were fantastic. Hats off to Antonio, he drove the whole bus tour there and back so nice and dropped us off safely at the hotel in Giardini Naxos. Alexandra, in turn, told everything with small details about the excursion. We were very happy to have booked this excursion and seen so much. On our own we had not done a train trip and had not seen the area around Mount Etna. The pistachio trees and explanation of them. Mount Etna was very beautiful to visit 2,935 for the 2nd time. Fine guide who gave good explanations. It was also lovely on Mount Etna, above expectations it was 20 degrees, good to walk / visit. We recommend everyone to do an excursion via SAT Group Travel. Warm regards from family Permentier to Antonio and Alexandra.

The trip was itself very good ,organized well and managed well The guide according to my adult daughters could do with talking a little less But the trip itself the transportation the gorge and the Mount Etna at the top itself was amazing It is an expensive experience to do the whole trip to the top but given the amount of time it takes to get there and also at the top the amount of transport and guide they provide on the Mount Etna peak itself the price makes sense The pick up and drop off was done in a timely fashion The trip for an hour on the Circumetna was just enough it’s a tiny train . I am glad we all did it My two adult daughters also enjoyed the experience itself Be prepared for the severe cold on the top and the coats they offer for rent are not warm enough You will need warm coats layers hat and mittens at least in May and earlier Have fun !

Getting into a double decker tour bus and travelling through the narrow country lanes on the lower slopes of Etna is an adventure unto itself! The Alcantara Gorge was our first drop off. The water was frigid, yet refreshing. The twisted rock structures Then we boarded a wee train for an hour-long trip through some amazing lava flows and farmlands. After that, we jumped back on the bus and wound our way up the eastern slopes of Etna to the tourist hub (restaurants, shops, etc). Our journey continued with a cable car ride further up the mountain, where we jumped on a 4WD bus thing which took us up a dusty track to around 3000 metres. We finished with a trek around a recent spatter cone to look at a pretty impressive lava flow. This was an excellent trip with a multi-lingual guide and a range of different and amazing experiences. Highly recommended!

This ride was organized suuuper. We had a charming guide with a lot of heart, who provided us with lots of interesting information about the sights but also country and people. Value for money absolutely fine for us. The problem with a bus breakdown on the way back was solved quickly and professionally. We would book again anytime if we were here any longer.

A very interesting and informative tour with Michelle as driver and Aleksandra as guide. I really liked the fact that Aleksandra was able to report so much information about the sights, the historical aspects and life in the places we drove through while driving. I also found it amazing that she explained this in English, German and Italian in a way that was easy to understand It has brought me closer to the Sicilian way of life and the island. Personally, I would have liked to have spent longer in the Alcantara Gorge to see everything there in peace. However, since a certain time limit has to be observed for this tour, this was not possible. Will definitely eat away from this trip for a long time and can highly recommend the tour. On my next holiday in Sicily I will explore the Alcantara Gorge by kakaka.

the train was warm the top of etna too cold to get to top guide was very helpful big effort to get to start pick up with many people not sure if they were in the correct place ray

We really enjoyed the trip to Mount Etna and Alcantara gorges from Taormina. Our guide and driver were both super knowledgeable and professional. It was a great experience to be able to go up Mount Etna via tram, truck, and foot to the 2920 mtr level. Alexandra made sure to get us where we needed to be on time and safely. Quite the impressive and enjoyable guide.

We chose this trip as we wanted to see Etna and the gorges. We were picked up at 7 am and spent 45 mins collecting everyone for the trip. This was ok but this added up with the long waits throughout the day. We then went straight to the gorges. It would have been helpful to know the correct footwear for this. As this is a trip to see the gorges we would expect the price to include this. It was €9 each which isn’t much but this adds up as the trip price was expensive. It was lovely down there so I would recommend going down! Then to the volcano! We thought… after an hours ride, we came to a train station. And got straight onto the train. This was at 12 - so you can imagine we were getting hungry. We were told there would be a lunch spot so assumed the train was taking us there? After 1-1.5hrs on an average train. We arrived at another train stop. We were told after that the ride was to see the pistachio trees. It was interesting to see where the lava had been but this long train was a waste of time. After coming off the train, and thought it was time for lunch, we were greeted by the bus again! We were then told it was 1.5hrs to Etna! We arrived at Etna and had paid for the cable cart up so straight up we went. It was a great experience going up and we hear eruptions! We then came back down, had a food and a drink and then went home. Another 1.5hrs. Luckily we were the first to be dropped off! The gorges and volcano was a good experience and I would recommend it. But the long journey to get there made it more unenjoyable. The day wasn’t clear. If it was we would have packed food with us. If you have a car you can take yourself to these places to cut costs. We did but was never told this. I think it is very misleading that it had the forges in the ticket but yet it is not included in this price.