Etna North 4x4 Tour to 2,900 Metres and the 2002 Craters

The North Etna 4x4 tour starts at Piano Provenzana. A volcanology guide rides along as the specially equipped 4x4s climb a mountain track to about 2,900 metres, just beneath the summit craters.

From that height the view opens onto two great hollows, the Valle del Leone and the Valle del Bove, with the North-East and South-East craters of the summit area above them. The stop is long enough for photos and for questions to the guide. Back down at roughly 2,100 metres comes a walk of some 20 minutes on the rim of a crater from the 2002 eruption.

The vehicles are comfortable and spacious, and the way back to Piano Provenzana is by 4x4 as well. The excursion lasts about two and a half hours, with licensed volcanological guides accompanying you from start to end. Pregnancy, heart conditions, high blood pressure and babies under one year rule it out.