Day 1: Arrival
You will arrive at Castiglione di Sicilia, with wonderful views of Mount Etna.
Day 2: Castiglione di Sicilia – Villa Dorata (hours of riding: 7)
We will set off from Castiglione at 8:00 in the morning. After riding along a small path through the middle of a lava flow dating from 1911, and passing through the village of Solicchiata, famous for producing fine wines, we will begin the ascent on Etna's northern side, through forests of oak and chestnut. After about three hours, we will arrive at the Palombe cave, one of Etna's many caves formed by lava flows. Soon we will arrive at the Pista Altomontana, a track with an average altitude of 1700 metres above sea level, which we will follow to the refuge of Monte Spagnolo, before continuing on through lava flows, past craters and through beech forests. We will pass the Monte Nunziata cave before arriving at the refuge Galvarina, where we will stop for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, we will continue along the same track – when visibility is good, you can enjoy views of half of Sicily from here. We will pass the cave of Santa Barbara, and finally arrive at our hotel, Villa Dorata, with breathtaking views of the city, the plain and the gulf of Catania, with views stretching as far as Syracuse. Here we will have dinner and spend the night.
Day 3: Villa Dorata to Etna Mille77 (hours of riding: 6)
We will have breakfast and set off at about 7:30 in the morning. Having left our hotel, we will start to climb towards the Rifugio Sapienza, Etna's most visited site, from where tourists can take a cable car to the summit of the volcano, and which becomes a ski resort in the winter. Once we reach an altitude of around 2000 metres, you can admire the "mouth" of the 2001 eruption, from which millions of metres cubed of lava erupted and engulfed almost all of the buildings and roads on Etna's southern side, flowing right down to the foot of the volcano. We will then pass through the middle of the Silvestri craters, created during a major eruption at the end of the nineteenth century, and nicknamed the "bottoniera" because they follow a fracture line like the buttons on a shirt. We will then descend along very challenging paths across lava flows from various older and more recent eruptions and through dense woods, before arriving in the territory of Zafferana Etnea, famous for producing honey. We will stop for the night at the B&B Etna Mille77, a beautiful house with sea views, where we will also have our evening meal.
Day 4: Etna Mille77 – Chalet Clan dei Ragazzi (hours of riding: 6)
We will have breakfast and set off at about 9.00 in the morning. We will begin by climbing Etna's north-eastern side through oak forests, passing the famous Ilici du Carrinnu, huge trees which are centuries-old. We will then ride along the edge of the Valle del Bove, a famous depression in the landscape into which all of the lava from eruptions on the eastern side of the volcano flows. After a picnic lunch we will set off again, climbing until we reach the impressive Sartorius craters, created during a major lateral eruption in 1865. We will then descend through forests of birch and beech trees, before finally arriving at the Ragabo pine forest with its giant pine trees and our accommodation, the Chalet Clan dei ragazzi, where we will have dinner and spend the night
Day 5: Chalet Clan dei Ragazzi – Castiglione di Sicilia (hours of riding: 7)
After breakfast we will leave the chalet at around 9.00 in the morning and begin by climbing up through the pine forest to the Piano Provenzana, a well-known ski resort, where we will begin to climb a series of tracks and paths set in a moon-like landscape, passing through the site of the last major eruption of 2002. We will ride along the craters that were formed on 26 October of that year, before riding around Monte Nero, and stopping for a picnic lunch near the Timpa Rossa refuge, immersed in a beech forest which is among those found the furthest south in the Northern hemisphere. We will then begin our descent on Etna's north side, through a variety of forests, until we reach the vineyards around Solicchiata. Finally, we will arrive back at our starting point.
Day 6: Departure
Breakfast and departure.
Prices
£1110 per person for a double room.
£1290 per person for a single room.
2020 Dates
This trail is available at any time on request from April to December, but the dates need to avoid our week long tour dates.
Additional Info
Level: Comfortable at all three paces (walk, trot and canter), with experience of hacking out in the open.
Group size: Ten people maximum.
Key information/requirements: Between six and eight hours in the saddle per day. You must be comfortable at all three paces (walk, trot and canter) and physically fit. This programme is aimed at intermediate and advanced riders and it is not suitable for beginners or riders with only limited experience. The terrain is varied and there may be long trots and gallops along the way.
Equipment: It is possible to hire riding hats and chaps on site. The following items are essential: waterproofs, layers (it can be cold at altitude), boots and chaps, and sun cream.
Accommodation: Agriturismi, B&B or good quality hotels.
Meals: Evening meals consist of authentic Sicilian cuisine prepared with local produce. A typical evening meal will include: a variety of starters, a pasta course, a meat/main course, dessert, wine, water and a digestif. Picnic lunches are provided by support vehicle (together with tables, chairs and cutlery) and include: fresh bread, salads, cheeses, olives, charcuterie, Sicilian specialities, wine or other drinks on request, coffee or tea.
Tack: Comfortable English saddles, with a sheepskin cover, or Western saddles on request. Guests are not required to groom or tack up the horses.
Languages spoken: English, French, Italian, Sicilian.
Airport: Arrive Catania - Depart Catania
Other trail rides of Etna are available April - December 6 day trail