To read Part I of my Star Clipper’s Mediterranean cruise experience, click here.
There were several excursions offered for the port stop in Catania, Sicily and our party of six decided to visit Mount Etna. As we made our way to, and then up, volcanic Mount Etna by bus, cable car, and finally all-terrain vehicle, I was a bit nervous but it was also exhilarating.
The tour bus drove us through Catania and past some smaller villages and towns that lie around the approximately 450 square miles that Mount Etna encompasses. As we continued to wind upwards and head towards the cable car station, we passed different stages of lava flows. Some had full grown trees and lush undergrowth, others had the beginnings of plants sprouting out of the fertile soil, and the most recent flows had a bare, black volcanic soil. Each of these snaked their way lazily down the mountain.
There were a few structures at this elevation- one narrowly missing one of the flows, another nearby building had the tip of its roof sticking out above the volcanic soil. Once we reached the cable car station, the six of us piled into one small cable car and held on tight as the car crept slowly further up the volcano. Fifteen minutes later, we were in an all-terrain vehicle and continued our drive to as close as we could get to the summit, about 2800 meters above sea level. The ground was volcanic rock and it almost looked like you were stepping out on to what I envision the surface of another planet would look like. It was quite a bit cooler and windier at this elevation, very quiet, and you could feel a difference in the oxygen levels. The landscape held amazing views with numerous craters.
With our guide, we wandered around a large crater with faint smoke escaping from cracks in the lava. Off to the left was the summit of Mount Etna, which was consistently sending off much thicker smoke. Mount Etna also boasts two snow resorts in the winter and even in the middle of the summer we spotted some snow that had not melted and was encapsulated by volcanic ash.
I was surprised at how incredible it was to be on top of this volcano and how amazing Mother Nature can be. A day earlier, we had visited Herculaneum at the base of Mount Vesuvius, and the difference between these two massive volcanoes was striking. Surprisingly, Mount Vesuvius is a bit more unpredictable since it has been dormant for quite some time, possibly increasing the chance that the next explosion will be all that more powerful. I was fascinated with how people continue to live and work daily around these volcanoes and how they carry on and rebuild when an eruption occurs. With all the recent concern over the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland I am glad I saw Mt. Etna and Vesuvius earlier in the summer! –Lindsay, August 2014
Mediterranean Cruise, Part 2 of 3: Volcano Trekking
To read Part I of my Star Clipper’s Mediterranean cruise experience, click here.
There were several excursions offered for the port stop in Catania, Sicily and our party of six decided to visit Mount Etna. As we made our way to, and then up, volcanic Mount Etna by bus, cable car, and finally all-terrain vehicle, I was a bit nervous but it was also exhilarating.
The tour bus drove us through Catania and past some smaller villages and towns that lie around the approximately 450 square miles that Mount Etna encompasses. As we continued to wind upwards and head towards the cable car station, we passed different stages of lava flows. Some had full grown trees and lush undergrowth, others had the beginnings of plants sprouting out of the fertile soil, and the most recent flows had a bare, black volcanic soil. Each of these snaked their way lazily down the mountain.
There were a few structures at this elevation- one narrowly missing one of the flows, another nearby building had the tip of its roof sticking out above the volcanic soil. Once we reached the cable car station, the six of us piled into one small cable car and held on tight as the car crept slowly further up the volcano. Fifteen minutes later, we were in an all-terrain vehicle and continued our drive to as close as we could get to the summit, about 2800 meters above sea level. The ground was volcanic rock and it almost looked like you were stepping out on to what I envision the surface of another planet would look like. It was quite a bit cooler and windier at this elevation, very quiet, and you could feel a difference in the oxygen levels. The landscape held amazing views with numerous craters.
With our guide, we wandered around a large crater with faint smoke escaping from cracks in the lava. Off to the left was the summit of Mount Etna, which was consistently sending off much thicker smoke. Mount Etna also boasts two snow resorts in the winter and even in the middle of the summer we spotted some snow that had not melted and was encapsulated by volcanic ash.
I was surprised at how incredible it was to be on top of this volcano and how amazing Mother Nature can be. A day earlier, we had visited Herculaneum at the base of Mount Vesuvius, and the difference between these two massive volcanoes was striking. Surprisingly, Mount Vesuvius is a bit more unpredictable since it has been dormant for quite some time, possibly increasing the chance that the next explosion will be all that more powerful. I was fascinated with how people continue to live and work daily around these volcanoes and how they carry on and rebuild when an eruption occurs. With all the recent concern over the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland I am glad I saw Mt. Etna and Vesuvius earlier in the summer! –Lindsay, August 2014