Our guide was a very experienced and knowledgeable expert in the area and the related topics. It was really great to see, hear, touch and smell the craters, caldera, etc. But as it was a very windy day, and as I am pretty small and light-weighted, it was very tough to follow him and the group. I recommend that you train yourself before to fit the tough program and fully enjoy the tour. It could have been little better, if a little-longer break was allowed to take photos and to have a snack. Though it was warned, it was quite cold up on the mountain. Even if you take your tracking shoes, I would recommend that you rent shoes from the tour, as your shoes may get damaged from the heat from the hot rocks from the recent eruption.

It was an unforgettable experience! With cloudy skies and very strong winds, we started on Mount Etna in April 2022. Luca, our guide, kept stopping in between and told expert and interesting stories about the special features that were about to be discovered. For me, this tour is one of the highlights of our stay in Sicily - even if it wasn't always pleasant during it. The forces of nature are clearly noticeable on the volcano: the wind almost blew us over again and again, lava dust was everywhere, and it was really cold. But it's all worth it: seeing the craters up close (the tours haven't gone directly to the crater rim for years, too dangerous), walking across the lava fields, sometimes feeling the heat coming out of the open crevices in the rocks - a great experience! And an extra compliment to Luca: Great tour, great guidance! Thanks a lot for this!

The ascent to the crater took a little longer. Our guide has repeatedly loosened up the path with videos of previous hikes where lava actually flowed. After about 1 hour you came to an area where you could see volcanic activity (steam, heat) but there was no lava that day because the volcano was calm. After lunch there was a lot of exciting things to see as we hiked through old chimneys until the descent.