Climbing Etna: Europe's most Active Volcano
I have a thing for volcanoes. I’m pretty sure it started when I saw Mt. Vesuvius for the first time. I was a young impressionable 19 year old standing on top of one of the most powerful natural formations in the world. It was able to destroy cities within a matter of minutes. It altered history not only with its eruption but again when those cities it had destroyed were uncovered. Pompeii and neighboring Herculaneum have always been fascinating to me and I will always be amazed and humbled by them. So it’s no surprise that I would want to visit any volcano within accessible distance to where I’m staying, especially when that volcano is Mt. Etna. In fact, it was one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Sicily in the first place.
Mt. Etna is Europe's most active volcano, with its last eruption in 2017. They’re not always large explosive eruptions like the 1984, 1993 or 2007 eruptions but they are fairly consistent. With its consistently smoking caldera, Etna has become a major tourist attraction. Buses from Catania leave daily for self-guided hikes up the black moon-like mountain, and several private tours can be found through sites like TripAdvisor and Viator.
There is a narrow window for visiting Etna, mainly the summer months, due to weather conditions and snow fall levels. Etna can have snow until May as well as its own weather separate from Catania and the shoreline, so make sure to check the weather and eruption conditions (yeah you read that right) before you head out.
For self-guided climbs, catch the bus to Etna at the central bus station, across from the Catania train station. Leave early to beat the heat, especially in the summer. Temperatures can reach into the 90's (or mid to high 30's if you’re of the Celsius crowd) and the black lava rocks don’t help. The gondola ride up the mountain side currently costs 75 euro. For around the same price you can get a guided tour in a small group.
I booked a tour with Ernesto from Etna Guided Tours and it was amazing. Ernesto has been doing Etna tours for the past 20 years. He was even part of the team that took the BBC up to Etna last year and was filming on his phone when a sudden eruption occurred. The eruption was caused when magma reached the snow and caused a sudden and violent explosion. If you take his tour ask him to show you the video- it’s pretty amazing! The tour took myself and six others to five different locations on Mt. Etna.
The First Stop: The pathway of the 1993 eruption
If you ever wanna feel like you’re walking on an alien planet, this is your spot. Surrounded by black lava rock for miles in every direction this isolated location gives you an eerie feeling. From here you can see all the way to the coast, the section of land that was made by the very volcano you’re standing on.
Starting in 1991 Etna began an eruption that would last until the end of March in 1993, this eruption completely changed the landscape of the small town of Zafferana. What was once a heavily lush forest is now a black moon-like surface. Large waves of lava project from the ground frozen in motion along the mountains slope. Engineers were able to save the small town in the nick of time...literally feet from one home's backyard. This eruption also destroyed parts of the cable car entrance station.
The Second Stop: Vista view of the Southeast Crater
Driving even higher up the mountain side, we’re lead to a vista with an unusual view. A massive eruption has carved a deep scar into hill side which even the passing of time can not heal. No trees can grow here, the lava having stripped the earth of everything and leaving only pumice in its wake. This perspective really lets you understand the power and magnitude of what this very active volcano can do. Collapsed lave tubes can be seen from this distance, their size somewhat unbelievable.
The Third Stop: Lava Tubes
My confession for this post is that the reason I booked this tour was because of this part, lava tubes. I’ve never been inside one and the idea was too enticing to turn down. From the outside it didn’t look like anything, maybe a small section of ground that had collapsed in on itself, but from underneath it was a cavern and reprieve from the oppressive heat.
Hard hats and jackets on! While outside was blisteringly hot, inside the lava tube it was cold enough to see your breath. The only light comes from your hard hat and water drips from the cavern ceiling. Roots from above reach down into the cool darkness between the massive crack that runs the length of the tunnel. While this is a little unnerving, the crack is actually the meeting points of the magma walls, butting against each other until they couldn’t move any further. The lava tube was formed when hot liquid magma pushed up from below and started forming a tunnel, pushing out to the mountain side. The start of the tunnels floor is wave like in texture and it’s easy to see the how the hot magma flowed back and forth until it was able to push forward. Toward the mouth of the tube the ground is rocky and much like the pumice rock terrain in the first two locations.
The Fourth Stop: Hiking Etna
This is where it gets intense. Like physically intense. If you’ve never hiked a volcano before think about the steepest hike you done, now imagine the ground is thousands upon thousands of small and medium loose rocks. Every step you take you slide down an extra two to three inches. The rocks are sharp and dusty. Sounds fun right? It’s definitely a skill, and I found myself maybe for the first time thanking my parents for dragging me out on hikes in my childhood. Because of that I have picked up a few tips on how to hike in steep and difficult conditions that I never even realized I knew. It took me hiking a volcano with a small group of people who had very obviously NEVER hiked before to realize it but better late then never.
The view was worth it.
The Fifth Stop: Sunset on Etna
I have been lucky enough to do a lot of amazing things in my life. This was one of the most peaceful. Which is interesting considering I was on one of the most active and destructive volcanoes in the world. There’s just something about sunsets that bring me peace and a feeling of connection to the earth. I think we all felt it: people were quiet or talked in hushed voices as we watched the sunset from Etna.
If you have the option do a sunset tour, it’s truly beautiful.
The drive back down the mountain was full of twists and turns as we followed the path back into civilization. Going down we passed several spots where remains of homes and farms stand as a reminder that while Etna may seems calm, she is simply simmering under the surface until the next opportunity. Like with anything with this amount of power, you have to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Eruptions can happen any time, and with Etna you don’t always get warnings until it’s too late. It may sound corny but I truly believe you need to respect that power.
In the end, hiking Etna was the best thing I did while on Sicily. If you can go, do it. Whether it’s on your own or on a tour it’s a great way to understand and connect with the island of Sicily.
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