Mt Etna trek for charity, Italy
| country: | Italy |
| departures: | 2010: 19 May, 22 Sep 2011: 18 May, 21 Sep |
| price: | From £195 deposit + £1875 fundraised (55% to charity) (5 days) inc UK flights |
| more info: | Self funders from £195 deposit + £943 (inc £100 to charity). Other payment options available |
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introduction to Mt Etna trek for charity, Italy
Climb Mt Etna and raise money for your favourite charity at the same time as taking part in an amazing adventure!
Highlights include:Summit active volcano Mt Etna Circumnavigate 3 sides of Mt Etna Overnight in mountain huts Visit the ancient town of Taormina Take in spectacular views of Sicily's coastline
Your long weekend trek begins in Sicily's famed ancient town of Taormina. From here you will head to Mt. Etna, the largest volcano in Europe, standing at about 3,350m. You will spend two days trekking over 35kms and discovering the Pista Altomontana, the circular path around Mt. Etna.
This will have only been the warm up for your main challenge as after the Pista Altomontana you will take a cable link from 1,800m to 2,500m and continue to trek to the top of Mt. Etna. Your 8 hour trek will be accompanied by a specialist volcano guide to inform you about Etna's historic activity.
On summiting you receive your reward; a complete view of Mt. Etna with an amazing panorama of the four craters at the top and the east coast of Sicily. You will descend on foot to Piano Provenzana (1,800m) in the north, where you will be welcomed at a mountain hut for an evening's celebrations.
Please note: This trip can also be booked without flights. Some of the dates are exclusive for specific charities, please contact us for details.
Highlights include:
Your long weekend trek begins in Sicily's famed ancient town of Taormina. From here you will head to Mt. Etna, the largest volcano in Europe, standing at about 3,350m. You will spend two days trekking over 35kms and discovering the Pista Altomontana, the circular path around Mt. Etna.
This will have only been the warm up for your main challenge as after the Pista Altomontana you will take a cable link from 1,800m to 2,500m and continue to trek to the top of Mt. Etna. Your 8 hour trek will be accompanied by a specialist volcano guide to inform you about Etna's historic activity.
On summiting you receive your reward; a complete view of Mt. Etna with an amazing panorama of the four craters at the top and the east coast of Sicily. You will descend on foot to Piano Provenzana (1,800m) in the north, where you will be welcomed at a mountain hut for an evening's celebrations.
what this trip includes
International flights to and from Catania, internal transfers including cable link, all meals and drinking water unless otherwise stated in the itinerary, all accommodation whether in mountain hut or hotel, group first aid supplies, an English-speaking expedition leader, Volcanalogical guide, transport vehicles, a T-Shirt, US$20 to the local community project, and discount from Nomad Travellers Stores for personal equipment. We also make a contribution through Climate Care to offset the equivalent CO2 emissions of your international flight. Please note: This trip can also be booked without flights. Some of the dates are exclusive for specific charities, please contact us for details.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart UK to Palermo, Sicily. Transfer to Taormina. Meet at the airport for your budget flight to Palermo, Sicily. Our representative will be there to assist you with the check-in and any last minute questions. You arrive in Sicily and you will be met at Palermo Airport by a local agent who will transfer you to a 3 star hotel in Taormina. You will check in and have time to freshen up before your briefing to discuss the challenge ahead. This afternoon you can take the cable link down to Isola Bella beach to take a swim if you wish. You will then have a welcome dinner at a restaurant in Taormina. Settled on a hill of the Monte Tauro, Taormina dominates two grand, sweeping bays below and on the southern side, the top of Mount Etna, Europe’s highest active volcano, often capped with snow, offering to the visitors a breathtaking, dramatic and memorable view over almost one hundred miles of Mediterranean Sea. Overnight stay at the hotel. |
| Day 2: | Pista Altomontana, Northern Side – 15 kms trek. This morning you sort out your kit and only take with you 40-50litres for the next 2 days of trekking (sleeping bag, mats, food - the rest will be left with the support vehicle and driver). You will then transfer by private bus to the northern side of Mt Etna, to the beginning of your trek. You are going to trek the ‘Pista Altomontana’, a circular path that goes around the Southern, Western and Northern side of Mt Etna. Your trek begins from the Northern side of the volcano and will arrive 2 days later on the Southern side. The Pista Altomontana is a long forestry track with no steep parts and a maximum altitude of 1,880m. The route is surrounded by forests and lava flows, with a beautiful contrast between the vegetation and the lava that goes from the grey to the very black. Tonight you will hike to a mountain hut where you will spend the night - Mt Scavo Hut or Mt Maletto Hut. Your dinner will be had in the hut and will be made by your guide with all local products. You will stay overnight in sleeping bags inside the hut or outside if you wish to watch the stars from your bed! |
| Day 3: | Pista Altomontana, Southern Side – 20 kms. Today you will continue your trek around the Pista Altomontana towards the Southern side of Mt. Etna with a more wooded path cloaked with broom and chestnut, oak and beech trees. Your route today will end at a hotel where you will have dinner and a well earned hot shower. |
| Day 4: | Summit Mt Etna – 18 kms. This morning you will take a short transfer by minibus (10mins) from the hotel, to Rifugio Sapienza (1800m), Mt. Etna’s main trekking start point. Here you will meet an experienced English speaking volcanological guide who will escort you and the rest of your team throughout the day and answer the many questions you may have. From Rifugio Sapienza you will take a cable link from 1800m to 2500m and then trek to the top of Mt. Etna 3350m. You will be well rewarded with a complete view of Mt. Etna and an amazing panorama of the 4 craters that make up the top of this famous volcano and the entire east coast of Sicily. You will then descend on foot from the summit to the Northern side of Mt. Etna to Piano Provenzana (1800m). Today is a tough days trekking with 7-8 hours of walking. You will finish up the trek with a home-cooked dinner at comfortable mountain hut. Overnight stay at the hut - the hut is equipped with rooms from 2 beds to 4 beds with communal toilets. |
| Day 5: | Depart Palermo to UK, arrive UK. After breakfast, you will pack for your return journey. You will checkout and transfer in private bus to the Palermo Airport for your return budget flight. A picnic lunch will be provided for you to eat at your leisure. You will arrive in the UK the same day. |
Highly Commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
 Our responsible commitment extends to helping the local communities we visit. We employ local guides, porters and other essential support staff, and use locally owned accommodation. We donate approx USD$500 per trek to various projects including ‘Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta’. They have a refectory in Catania which feeds up to 150 people per day, they also have a small first aid centre for poor people needing assistance. They help the homeless with food and shelter and are very important for the town of Catania. As a company we have also drastically reduced the carbon footprint of our UK operations, and are making a huge effort to do so in their destination countries too. We are also investing to offset the emissions from the international flights required to take part in our challenges. We also provide travellers with a responsible tourism policy detailing ways in which you can be an ethical traveller. From packing conscientiously to advice on local customs & environmental awareness overseas to maintaining contact with your new international friends upon your return – our policy is a comprehensive document providing all the info you need to trek, climb of cycle responsibly. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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