Your own volcanological guide, cable car and 4x4 to 3,000 m — no hiking, just your group.
The most exclusive way to reach 3,000 m on Mount Etna: cable car from Rifugio Sapienza to 2,500 m, then 4x4 to the Barbagallo Craters and the Valle del Bove viewpoint — privately, with your own certified volcanological guide. About 3 hours, easy, €300 total for the private guide plus €82 per person for cable car and 4x4, paid separately.
Private guide
Exclusively yours
Cable car + 4x4
Almost no walking
3,000 m
Barbagallo Craters
About 3 h
Easy · your pace
Unlike group excursions, this tour is reserved just for you. You move at your own pace, stop for photos whenever you want, and get explanations tailored to your interests — geology, the 2001–2002 eruptions, or simply the best viewpoints for pictures.
Highlights include the walk around the Barbagallo Craters at 3,000 m, panoramic viewpoints over the Valle del Bove, and views stretching across the Sicilian coastline — on clear days as far as Calabria.
Meet your dedicated guide at the cable car station
Cable car ride to 2,500 m
4x4 transfer up to about 3,000 m
Explore the Barbagallo Craters and the Valle del Bove viewpoint
Privately, with your guide
4x4 transfer down to 2,500 m
Cable car ride back to the station
All items can be rented or bought on site.
A good general fitness level is enough — the tour involves almost no walking. Minimum age 6. It is not suitable for pregnant women or people with serious heart or respiratory conditions. The itinerary can change with volcanic activity or weather.
Prefer to walk on the lava instead? The private 2002 craters hike is the north-side alternative. Want the highest point? The summit craters tour reaches 3,300 m.
| Private guide — per group, up to 6 | €300 |
| Cable car + 4x4 tickets, per person (paid separately) | €82 |
Yes — this one. You have your own volcanological guide, with no other participants joining: just your family, friends or travel companions, at your pace.
The guide is exclusively yours. You choose the pace, the photo stops and the depth of the explanations. The €300 fee covers the dedicated private guide; the cable car and 4x4 tickets (€82 per person) are paid separately.
Up to about 3,000 m, near the base of the summit craters, combining cable car (to 2,500 m) and 4x4 vehicles — with almost no walking required.
No. This private tour stops at the Barbagallo Craters at 3,000 m. For the summit area at 3,300 m, see the Etna Summit Craters Tour.
Yes. Families particularly appreciate the flexibility of a private guide. Minimum age is 6 years.
Yes. With a private guide you can adapt timing, pace and stops to your preferences, within the day's safety regulations.
The tour runs all year. The cable car, however, can be stopped by strong wind or closed for maintenance: we check it and let you know before you drive up, so you never find a closed station. In that case you choose between a new date and a full refund.
Extra to pay on site + €82 per person for cable car and 4x4 bus tickets
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Real, verified reviews from guests who explored Mount Etna with our licensed guides.
Every one led by a certified guide.
Stand on the rim of the summit craters at 3,300 m — the highest you can go, with a guide beside you.
Plus the 4x4 transfer up and down: €50 per person. Groups of up to 6.
Private hike from Piano Provenzana to the craters of the 2002 eruption — lava fields and beech woods on the north side.
A quiet private walk through birch woods and the 1865 craters — for families and seniors.