Travel with us on a twin-centre family holiday to beautiful Sicily, off the southern tip of Italy, an island that offers adventure with a rich historical backdrop. This active trip blends a great variety of activities in places of natural beauty with the cultural highlights of Palermo and Taormina. Activities include cycling, swimming, river trekking, climbing, archery, powerfan (which involves free-falling from a high platform attached to a safety harness), walking and a pasta/pizza cookery lesson. No experience is required, all equipment and expert instruction is provided, activities are graded easy and just require an enthusiasm for adventure! There is also time to relax along the way, perhaps by the pool of our farmhouse hotel (agriturismo) or rural hotel. Each evening we return to the comfort of our farmhouse/hotel where we can enjoy home-cooked typical Sicilian cuisine. All dinners are included on this tour.
Itinerary
[+] Detailed Itinerary
1
Join tour Palermo Airport. Drive into the Jato Valley
Arriving at Palermo Airport today we drive out into the serene landscapes of the Jato Valley, to our first base in a charming agriturismo. Located some 20 kilometres outside of the city, we spend our first few days in a beautifully converted chapel, enjoying the tranquility of the Sicilian landscape. Set amidst over 300 acres of farmland, the chapel once lay at the heart of rural life and much has been done to retain its historic character and charm. We’ll enjoy a home cooked dinner this evening with produce from the estate’s own biologically farmed land. Hopefully there will be time for a dip in the pool on arrival before dinner.
Overnight Standard Farmstay
Included meals: Dinner
Swimming available
2
Madonie Adventure Park
After breakfast this morning we drive 2hrs to the Madonie Adventure Park, for a full day amongst the wooded landscapes near Petralia Sottana. The first part of the day we spend on bikes, exploring ancient Roman ruins, winding dirt tracks and sleepy old villages. Suitable for beginners, the 16km ride takes us up to lunchtime, after which we have a free afternoon to enjoy more of the park’s many delights. Options include an assault course through the trees, with zip lines, rope ladders and ‘Tibetan bridges’. There is also archery, tree climbing and ‘Powerfan’ available, which involves free-falling from high platforms whilst attached to a safety harness.
Cycling: approximately 3-4 hours/16 kilometres (depending on the group).
Overnight Standard Farmstay
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Swimming available
3
Full day’s excursion to Palermo
Overlooking the azure waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Palermo is one of Sicily’s cultural and historic highlights. We spend the day exploring some of its treasures today, stopping off at the Piazza Marina to visit Villa Garibaldi - a small garden set amidst some of Palermo's best-known historic buildings. Continue by foot to the city’s most picturesque and historic market (Vucciria), brimming with colourful fruit and veg stalls. Then we take a drive up to the summit of Mount Pellegrino to enjoy some great views down over the town and the Gulf of Palermo, before continuing on to Mondello Beach for some free time. This afternoon we return to Palermo downtown to enjoy a cookery lesson of pasta and or sfincione (local style pizza). Later drive back to the farmhouse.
Overnight Standard Farmstay
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
4
Boat trip along the Cefalù Coast. Drive to Castiglione
Leaving behind the landscapes of the Jato Valley, we head for the charming coastal town of Cefalù this morning, to take a boat trip along the beautiful northern Sicilian coastline. We’ll stop off in secluded bays and coves to enjoy a swim in the clear waters, before making our way back to Cefalù in time for lunch. After some freetime to explore or relax on the beach we then continue 2.5hrs towards the town of Castiglione, lying on the northern flank of Mount Etna. This is the location of our base for the next days, in a rural hotel set amid nature and near to Alcantara gorge.
Overnight Standard Hotel
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Swimming available
5
Explore Alcantara Gorge: walk and 'river trek'
We spend today exploring the landscapes that lie along the Alcantara River. Carved from basalt rock, the gorge drops down over 50 metres, following the course of the river and providing us with some stunning but short walking trails. We hike up to the ‘Terrace of Venus’ this morning, before continuing along the Gorge Trail to view the surreal monoliths of lava that lie strewn across the valley floor. Total 2km/1hr walking. After lunch we then have an opportunity to try some easy river trekking (weather dependent), where we don overalls and boots (a bit like a fisherman's waders) and are guided on a walk downriver, following it for nearly a kilometre as it flows through the gorge (overalls, boots and guide provided).
Overnight Standard Hotel
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Swimming available
6
Morning trip up Mount Etna. Afternoon drive to Taormina
One of the highlights of our journey is a visit to the slopes of Mount Etna, the highest volcano in Europe (3330 metres) and one of the largest in the world. We’ll drive up the mountain this morning, passing through citrus groves and beech woods up to around 1900m. Continuing by cable car up to around 2,500 metres, we then travel by 4WD on an exciting drive up to 2920m. For those interested and time/weather permitting, there is the option to continue by foot for about 1km to 3000m (not summit) for fine views. This afternoon we depart for the town of Taormina on the east coast. Perched on a cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea, this pretty town is home to an ancient Greek theatre, historic churches and a number of lively bars and cafes. We have some free time here before heading back to our hotel.
Overnight Standard Hotel
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Swimming available
7
Free Day - optional Kayaking
Today has been left free to enjoy at your own pace. One possible option is to join a guided sea kayak trip along the coast. Leaving from Aci Castello and taking you into the protected marine park of ‘Isole Ciclopi’, the three hour trip includes a circumnavigation of the towering sea rocks of the Faraglioni di Actirezza. All equipment is provided and the kayaks used are modern two and three seater sit-on-tops. Minimum 10 participants.
Overnight Standard Hotel
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Swimming available
8
Tour ends Palermo
After breakfast we drive back along the northern coast 3hrs to Palermo airport where the tour ends.
Included meals: Breakfast
