Scheduled departures every day from Piano Provenzana, Etna's northern slope, with special 4×4 off-road vehicles of the latest generation, environmental class euro 5 and euro 6 regularly authorized by the Etna Park Authority and assisted by mountain or volcanological guides authorized by law.
The hike to the summit area starts at an altitude of 1,800 meters (Piano Provenzana) and continues along the scenic road that, among ancient craters and recent lava flows, will allow us to reach the Volcanological Observatory located at an altitude of 3,000 meters.
Having begun the ascent, the first stop will allow one to observe the ruins of the hotel
"The Birches," the only structure visible among those destroyed by the 2002 lava flow.
The next stop will be the characteristic button craters of the October 27, 2002 eruption. Arriving at an altitude of about 1,900 meters, the trekking on the flows and explosive products begins. The loop trail, will allow you to walk along the edges of the craters and admire their morphology called "buttonhole" morphology typical of lateral eruptions of the volcano. After reaching the summit (about 2,050 meters above sea level), it will be possible to enjoy the impressive view of the eruptive theater and the lava flow that destroyed the tourist resort of Piano Provenzana. Back on the vehicles, we continue in the direction of the "Umberto and Margherita" craters, located at an altitude of about 2,380 meters.
Once the visit is over, we set off again in the direction of the volcanological observatory located at Pizzi Deneri. After leaving the off-road vehicle, accompanied by our guides, begins a short trekking route of about 15 minutes that will take us to the top of the Pizzi Deneri promontory at an altitude of 3,000 meters where, weather conditions permitting, it is possible to admire the Aeolian Islands, the Ionian Coast from Syracuse to Taormina, the Calabrian coast and, at a distance and in absolute safety, the summit craters.
Afterwards we will return to Piano Provenzana with the mountain or volcanological guide aboard our vehicles.