Mt Etna is Europe's highest volcano and one of the world's most active.  In fact, a new eruption began on 9 May this year when new fissure vents appeared on the south east side.  Nothing significant happened so scientists just sit tight and wait for the next rumble.  

Our bus takes us to the car park at 1900m.  This is where the cable car to 2500m begins.  It is really crowded.  There are many tour buses here today.  There are school kids on excursions, families with children, tourists young and old.  Each cable car takes 6 people so it was slow going but everyone queued without a fuss and waited.  The only people complaining were a couple of men who had been made to wait in a queue for the toilet as the women had taken over both the men's and the women's toilets to speed things up!  It is also much cooler here than at the bottom so most people put on windjackets or jumpers.

At 2500m we leave the cable car and waiting for us are large very high 4WD jeeps which the guides call 'Moon Buggies' because the landscape resembles a lunar landscape.  They take us to 2900m which is as high as we go.  We pass large craters on route.  There is no vegetation and the landscape is completely black.  It really does look lunar.

 

 

 

  We stop at an enormous crater.  There is a path that goes all the way around and one that goes down into the crater and up the other side.  There must have been at least a couple of hundred people walking around or down into the crater.  There are also other walks that can be down with the alpine guides there.  We walk around the crater and watch Etna huff and puff and wonder what is going on underneath our feet!!

 

 

Alcantara Gorge

 Back in our moon buggy, we return to the cable car and descend back to 1900m where we eat lunch at the Rifugio Sapienza restaurant.  From here, we are driven to the Alcantara Gorge.  This was created when thick lava reached the freezing Alcantara river.

 

 

 

We watch as several people brave the icy water for a paddle or to walk across to the cave.  It was too cold for me!  We walk about 100m along the river bank and then head back to the bus.  The tour company was excellent.  Our day ran like clockwork.  Our tour guide didn't talk non-stop as we drove.  We were given earplugs and could listen to information as we travelled if we chose to.  I thought it was well-organised and value for money.  

 

 

 

 

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Coming soon!