Gruppo Guide Alpine Etna Sud

Who they are

The Gruppo Guide Alpine Etna Sud is a cooperative of mountain guides and volcanological guides working on the south slope of Etna. Its base is the Baita delle Guide, on the esplanade of the Rifugio Sapienza, at 1,910 m, the point where the road from Nicolosi ends and where the cable car starts. Its published organisation chart brings together about fifteen guides, with a president and board, and the cooperative is part of the Collegio Regionale delle Guide Alpine e Vulcanologiche of Sicily.

The tradition goes back a long way. According to the cooperative itself, already in the late eighteenth century shepherds, hunters and woodcutters accompanied travellers to the crater, and in 1804 Mario Gemmellaro organised the first group of guides and muleteers. In 1877 the Catania section of the Club Alpino Italiano gave rules, a uniform and a badge to the Nicolosi guides. Today Sicilian regional law no. 28 of 1996, together with the 1989 state law on the profession, reserves to guides registered with that college the leading of groups on active volcanoes. In other words: to go with a guide to the high areas of the volcano you must hire a registered guide, and this cooperative is one of those who can take you.

What excursions they run

The best-known outing is the summit craters, the most demanding (difficulty 5 out of 5), of about five hours: you go up by cable car and then walk to about 3,300 m, depending on the volcano's activity. There is an intermediate version to 3,000 m, of four to five hours, and a gentler one of about three hours by cable car and off-road vehicle to the Torre del Filosofo, at 2,900 m. They also organise the crossing of Etna, trekking in the Valle del Bove, two-day outings, sunset excursions, routes designed for families, educational outings for schools, multi-day treks on the volcanoes of Sicily and a tailor-made personal guide.

The exact route changes with the volcano's activity and with the safety orders issued by the authorities: there are days when the craters cannot be visited and the outing stays lower down.

Ages, equipment and season

The website does not publish minimum ages or group size, nor does it detail what equipment they lend; for the summit you need to be fit, with mountain footwear and warm clothing, because at 3,000 m it can be cold and windy even in August. Rates do not appear on the website either and are requested when booking. The family outings and the Torre del Filosofo one are suited to children or those with little experience. They do not publish a season calendar; in June 2025 they announced that the excursions had resumed normally, so it is worth checking their notices before going.

How to book and languages

You book from their website, with the booking button for each excursion, or by phone on +39 095 791 4755 and +39 389 3496086. They do not publish cancellation conditions, so ask for them when you book, especially in case the weather or the volcano force a change of day. The website is in Italian, English, French and German; it does not say in which languages they guide nor does it mention Spanish.