Gole dell'Alcantara: Our most recommended tours and activities

Alcantara River and Gorges: Bodyrafting Experience

1. Alcantara River and Gorges: Bodyrafting Experience

Take part in the incredible adventure of body rafting along River Alcantara with diving wear and all the necessary equipment. Enjoy a physical activity in an idyllic setting whilst in the care of a local guide. Start your adventure at the Gole dell'Alcantara. Whilst here your guide will equip you with diving gear, helmet, and jacket - all the gear required for bodyrafting. Start walking into the clear waters of the river, located in the valley of Alcantara. Follow your expert guide along the track and explore rock faces that have volcanic origins. See the natural canyon of the Alcantara Gorges from the inside. Walk inside water passages, swim, and jump into the water. Enjoy a refreshing swim and start bodyrafting until you reach the valley once again. Make the most of an itinerary that stretches 2.5 km and acquaints you with hidden passages both in the water and on land.

Catania: Mount Etna Volcano and Alcantara Park Tour

2. Catania: Mount Etna Volcano and Alcantara Park Tour

With an expert guide by your side, discover the Mount Etna volcano, sitting at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level. Explore ancient craters, lava flow caves, and admire the breathtaking landscape of the Ionian coast. Explore Alcantara Park in your free time. Dissected by the Alcantara river, Alcantara Park is a location brimming with unique vegetation, lava rock formations, and columnar basalts formed by the icy waters of the Alcantara. During the warm season, cool yourself off by taking a refreshing dip in these pristine waters or just stroll alongside the river.

Motta Camastra: Quad Bike Tour to the Alcantara Gorges

3. Motta Camastra: Quad Bike Tour to the Alcantara Gorges

You'll be able to choose the tour that suits you best, for beginners or experts, without giving up the discovery of this beautiful area at the foot of Mount Etna. You will be accompanied by our open-top guide, who will allow you to explore in complete safety. You will start from the Alcantara Gorges and then head to Francavilla di Sicilia, a historic village of 3,000 inhabitants located in the heart of the Valley. During this route you will travel along both dirt paths and asphalt, always remaining enveloped by a picturesque and characteristic landscape. From time to time there will be a pause that will allow you to admire the landscape and the Alcantara River. If you choose the 2 1/2-hour route, always accompanied by our guide, you will be able to arrive as far as Castiglione di Sicilia.

Motta Camastra: Alcantara Gorges Body Rafting and River Trek

4. Motta Camastra: Alcantara Gorges Body Rafting and River Trek

Thanks to River Trekking and Body Rafting, you will enjoy a unique experience, fun, intense and all in the utmost safety thanks to our river guide. You'll begin your adventure with river trekking, you'll follow a stretch of river that funnels into a basalt gorge about 30 meters high, the result of millennia of erosion that led precisely to the formation of these characteristic routes of a canyon. You will continue the tour between small waterfalls, rapids and rock walls, but fear not, nothing difficult, you will only need to have a lot of spirit of adventure. You will reach the highlight of the route once you arrive at the"Cascata di Venere," one of the most renowned destinations in the Alcantara Gorges, where legend has it that the Roman goddess Venus spent her days. Once you've completed the river's ascent, you'll return to the valley on an adrenaline-fueled body rafting adventure.

From Taormina: Mount Etna and Alcantara River Tour

5. From Taormina: Mount Etna and Alcantara River Tour

Depart from Taormina and head to the Rifugio Sapienza on Mount Etna. Learn the history of the volcano and visit the sites of its last eruptions. Choose to trek along the nature paths of the Parco dell’Etna or take the cable car to an altitude of 2,504 meters and continue by 4WD minibus to the Torre del Filosofo. Get stunning views of the scenery stretching down to the sea and admire the craters and old lava flows that characterize the landscape. Explore a lava cave with all the proper equipment. Continue down the mountain and stop at the organic farm for a delicious sampling of local products, including honey, wine, and oil. Discover the different corners of the Alcantara River. Walk down small paths, past cultivated fields, and see the natural pools and waterfalls and continue to get up close to different basalt and unexpected lava formations.

From Taormina: Etna Summit Area, Lunch & Alcantara Tour

6. From Taormina: Etna Summit Area, Lunch & Alcantara Tour

Reach the summit area of Etna, ascending 2750 meters by either cableway or off-road vehicle on this tour from Taormina. Hike the base of the active craters with a naturalistic guide, experience the lunar landscapes, and savor a typical Sicilian lunch with local wine and drinks. Begin your tour with a pickup from your accommodation (or close vicinity in Taormina and the surrounding area). You'll travel in a small group of no more than 8 people for a more intimate and personalized experience. Drive to Mount Etna where you'll start the ascent to the summit area (2750-2800 meters of altitude). Depending on the availability and the circumstances, in order to guarantee an optimal service, the ascent can be carried out either by cableway or off-road vehicles only. Once at the summit area, enjoy light trekking with a volcanological guide and a naturalistic guide. Walk through a desert of black ashes and extinct craters, while admiring the lunar landscape and the spectacular view of the active craters from a close distance. Back at 2000 meters, you'll be given the proper equipment, such as helmets and torches, to visit one of the striking lava caves of the volcano. Then, enjoy a typical Sicilian light lunch with local wine and drinks during the midday break. Finally, you'll admire the Alcantara Gorges created when thick lava flows invaded the bed of the icy river Alcantara, giving rise to geometrically perfect rocks.

Motta Camastra: River Trekking Tour in the Alcantara Gorges

7. Motta Camastra: River Trekking Tour in the Alcantara Gorges

If what you are looking for is adrenaline and fun, this tour is just right for you, and you will be able to immerse yourself - figuratively and literally - in the Alcantara Valley. You'll be provided with waterproof dungarees so you can dive into the river during the trek, and you'll be accompanied by a river guide the entire way. You willstart your adventure downstream and reach the entrance to the gorges by walking a route that is about 2 km long and lasts about 2 hours. You will walk along the riverbed and pass, small waterfalls, eddies, slippery rocks and small rapids, all surrounded by beautiful, breathtaking scenery that will make this hike unforgettable.

From Taormina: Guided Trip to Mt. Etna and Alcantara Gorges

8. From Taormina: Guided Trip to Mt. Etna and Alcantara Gorges

The tour will start from Taormina and together with our guide you will head to the renowned Mareneve road - at 1500 meters above sea level. Thanks to the stories told by our guide, you will discover the legends of the villages located at the foot of Mount Etna and the volcano itself. The first stop will be the famous lateral lava flow that in 2002 destroyed the ski facilities of Piano Provenzana and burned part of the Ragabo Pine Forest. Crossing various paths that wind through pine, birch and crater forests, you will reach the Grotta dei Ladroni, a tunnel carved out of the lava that you will explore and learn about thanks to our guide. At the end of the excursion, it will be possible to have a lunch break in a Chalet, at an altitude of 1500m, with a choice of menu and payment on site. Once lunch is over, you will continue on to another splendid natural destination, made up of unique landscapes resembling a canyon: the Alcantara Gorges. Along the way, you will visit some ancient Sicilian villages, such as Castiglione di Sicilia, renowned for its wine cultivation used to produce Etna D.O.C.

From Motta Camastra: Mount Etna & Alcantara Gorges Quad Tour

9. From Motta Camastra: Mount Etna & Alcantara Gorges Quad Tour

Accompanied by our guide, you will explore the majestic Mount Etna and discover its stories and legends. You will walk along a variety of trails winding through pine and birch forests and visit a lava flow cave. It will be possible to stop at a Chalet, 1500m above sea level, to have a drink and recharge your batteries before heading back down to the Gorges. You will end your tour by exploring the world-famous Alcantara Gorges and admiring the shapes that make them unique. The roads and paths that you will travel are not easy, so the tour is recommended only for experienced or knowledgeable presone

From Catania: Mount Etna and Alcantara River Tour

10. From Catania: Mount Etna and Alcantara River Tour

Benefit from pick-up at your accommodation in Catania and journey by bus to Rifugio Sapienza on the slopes of Mount Etna. Visit the sites of recent volcanic eruptions and the old Silvestri craters. Choose from different options at Rifugio Sapienza and trek the nature paths of the park or ride the cable car to 2,504 meters above sea level. Continue by 4WD minibus to Torre del Filosofo for an additional fee. Get up close to the central and southeast craters and marvel at how the landscape has been shaped by lava flows. Visit locations where the volcano flourishes before you return to Rifugio Sapienza to look inside a lava cave using helmets and torches. Sample the local produce at an organic farm in Zafferana, and get stunning views of the Alcantara River. Walk the small paths past cultivated fields to see the natural pools of Gurne dell'Alcantara and the ruins of Francavilla Castle. Admire the basalt columns and lava formations of the gorge.

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Gole dell'Alcantara

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What people are saying about Gole dell'Alcantara

Overall rating

4.5 / 5

based on 143 reviews

We had an excellent day on this tour! The communication with Etna People was great, even though the website wouldn’t let us choose our accommodation for pick up we just emailed them and they arranged it for us! Our tour guide Roberto was brilliant! He was great fun and very knowledgeable, he definitely made the tour something to remember! The volcano trip was great, we had a van driven by Roberto for the day (6 people I n our group) then to do the 2nd part of the Etna ascent we joined a bigger bus which took us so high, again with great tour guides (Roberto stayed with us). We did a little cave trip too. Lunch was amazing! 2 courses plus wine. The Gorge was beautiful and we had time to go for a dip (take your swimwear). All of this is included in the cost, they even supplied walking boots, coats, helmets and torches. We didn’t want the day to end! A huge thank you to Roberto and the team!

This tour was great! Our guide, Florence, spoke English, French and Italian brilliantly and knew a lot about Etna, so we learned a lot. The river visit was an unexpected highlight and a fantastic inclusion. At Etna, there will be offers of the cable car, electric bike or jeeps to take you further up (for an extra price of at least €68). However, if you don’t choose this, your guide will give you a walking tour around the craters and the site, which we loved. I really recommend this day trip, we loved it and learned a lot.

It was a beautiful day trip. And our guide has contributed a lot to it. He spoke so beautifully. It was really fun listening to him. We were simply enchanted by the nature and landscape. We also really enjoyed the visit to the small farm. Many delicacies were offered as souvenirs for those who stayed at home. The visit to Mount Etna was super nice and the river is also a natural beauty. You should have seen it. We had super warm weather. It is definitely a good idea to take bathing suits and water shoes with you.

Very complete and varied day, led by a pleasant, considerate and very informative guide. Everything is done to make the day unforgettable.

Enzo took us on an interesting tour. He put a lot of energy and love into it. Many Thanks