Description
The Mount Etna quad tour is the one to pick if you would rather drive across the volcano than walk it. You ride an automatic Anther A500, a two-seater that is easy to handle, with room for a passenger beside you. A licensed local guide leads the way, and a 10-minute briefing comes first.
The route runs over an eruptive fracture and long fields of lava and dark volcanic sand. Along the way you come to a lava slide cave. Next you cross a broom forest, follow old lava flow channels through lunar scenery and pass the dagale, wooded islands that stand in the middle of petrified lava. The last stretch goes through pine forest along a dry stream bed before you return to the start.
- The quad itself, with fuel
- Helmet and balaclava
- Insurance and the riding briefing
In total the outing takes 1 hour 45 minutes, of which 1 hour 35 is on the trail. Drivers need a category B licence and must be 18 or over; passengers can be as young as 5. Pack a jacket and sunglasses, because it is cooler up high even in summer. Food, tastings and transport to the meeting point are not included. If bad weather stops the tour, you can choose a refund, a new date or a voucher.