Raffaele, our guide for the sunset hike on Etna, was everything you might wish for: knowledgeable, fun, and very accommodating to his clients. The experience included some driving and much hiking, as we had requested. Raffaele showed us not only the volcano but also some great out-of-the-way spots for views and taught us a lot about the area, the flora and fauna. I am excited to go back and do a full-day tour with Raffaele and would highly recommend you book him!

I booked a private tour with Raffaele where we explored the West side of Mt. Etna. He picked me up from my accommodation in Catania and on the ascent to where we would begin our hike, I could immediately tell of his extensive knowledge on Etna and the history of the land and the towns around it. I received really rich information on the legends and history in this part of Sicily all the while hiking around volcanic craters and exploring volcanic caves. Raffaele is extremely passionate in his work and it shows. I feel like I got a really unique experience that I would not have otherwise gotten had I not done my tour with him, and I wouldn’t hesitate to do another tour in my next visit to Sicily. Thank you, Raffaele!

We asked the host of our AirBnB if he could recommend a tour of Mt.Etna from Catania as many are on offer throughout the city. Rafaell, from Sicily Hiking Tour was recommended as he tailors his tour to his clients, picks them up from their door & drops them home again and takes care of all aspects of the tour. This was a private tour, not shared with others and we were transported in a comfortable car between locations. We were very glad that we decided to go with Rafaell as he was very knowledgeable indeed on all relevant subjects, even when we asked him about things he wasn't specifically telling us about at the time. He clearly knows a lot about Sicily's hiostory, the flora & forna and the geology of Mt.Etna and Sicily. We highly recommend him. He was all set to take us up on a big hike up one of the most impressive craters but my 71 year old Mother and I were given the option of less strenuous craters instead. It is clear that Rafaell provides hiking services of several days for some clients and a more touristy, gentle tours for the less athletic. Rafaell took us to several sites on the volcano, showing us different eruption lava flows pointing out the differences in the landscapes between the different erupotions which have occurred over the centuries. This was fascinating. Rafaell has very good English and is extremely knowledgeable. We visited Taormina, the medieval castle nearby with exceptional views and a number of other places. We very highly recommend this tour. (His TripAdvisor page suggests he is in Bronte but he actually lives in Catania now)

Our time hiking up Etna with Rafaela was the highlight of our extended stay in Sicily! We had requested for a long hike to go as far up as possible at the time (End of Feb), and Rafaele complied by taking us on a remarkable trek, going through areas and paths on the south side of the volcano, where it seemed no one had walked all season. There were no signs, markers or visible trail, and if we gone alone we would have not had an experience as remarkable as this. Along the way we learnt about the history of Etna, the types of eruptions that took place, we collected crystals on the volcano side and learnt about the composition of rocks and sand on Etna. Along with fascinating scientific knowledge, Rafaele shared with us myths about the volcano, along with some history and stories about Sicily. Coming down Etna, he showed us how to slide down snow and run on the soft Etna sand, it was a lot of fun. He took extra time to show us an insane lava cave, and shared some intriguing information about the phenomenon. Being a local boy, he was also well informed about the myths surrounding lava caves and volcanoes which was really cool to hear alongside all the scientific explanations. I ended the trip being even more fascinated by volcanoes. If I was to pick the best thing to suggest in Sicily, I would highly recommend Sicily Hiking Tour with Rafaele!