Magmatrek

Magmatrek is a cooperative of volcanological guides born in 2002 on Stromboli. Its guides live on the island, in the village of Stromboli and in Ginostra, and belong to the Collegio regionale Guide Alpine e Vulcanologiche Sicilia, the professional college that licenses volcano guides in Sicily. They speak Italian, English, French, German and Spanish.

What they do

Their main outing is the sunset excursion to 400 m above sea level, the limit allowed by the ordinance of the Comune di Lipari with an authorised guide since the 2019 explosions. The path climbs the slope of the volcano to a terrace above the Sciara del Fuoco, the slope down which the material from the explosions falls into the sea, and there you wait for dark to see the activity of the crater. It is about five hours in total, about 8 km and 500 m of ascent, of medium difficulty.

The outing is in the afternoon, about three hours before sunset: depending on the time of year, between 15:00 and 18:00. It costs €30 per person and €25 for under-12s, with a helmet included. The climb to the summit craters, which they used to do, has been suspended since 2019.

They also organise outings with a private guide in the language you ask for, with the price on request, and excursions for schools and easy walks for small children.

How it works

The season runs from 15 March to 31 October. You book by email, by phone or with the form on their website, and they ask you to do so a week ahead in high season. You set out from their office, on Via Vittorio Emanuele, near Piazza San Vincenzo, the church square.

Trekking footwear and a torch or headlamp are compulsory: a phone light is not enough. They recommend a rucksack, a sweatshirt, a windbreaker, a spare T-shirt, long trousers for coming down the sand, a scarf for the dust, 1.5 litres of water and something to eat. Equipment can be hired at the Totem Trekking shop, on the same square. The guide has the last word: they may change or suspend the outing because of the weather, the equipment or the group's fitness.

From Lipari

If you sleep in Lipari, the agency Da Massimo takes you by boat to Stromboli, leaves you with the Magmatrek guides and brings you back to Lipari at night.