Syracuse Hikes & Walks
Syracuse Hikes & Walks: plan and book your own hikes and walks to discover the surroundings of the ancient Greek colony of Syracuse, full of treasures.
Plan your DAILY (half or full day) or MULTI-DAY tours.
We are in the Hyblaean Mountains territory, which extend from Monte Lauro (987 m altitude) to the Ionian coast of Syracuse and the coast of Ragusa, exactly in the front -African country, since this part of Sicily belongs to the African plate.
Millions of years ago this area was affected by underwater and subaerial phenomena of volcanism , long before the birth of Mount Etna.
Monte Lauro, it is part of an underwater volcanic complex, and the evidence of its volcanism can be found around it with lava pillow and also in the beds of many rivers that take their source.
The Hyblaean plateau is above all a limestone plateau that has seen deep canyons born through the phenomenon of Karst. These places are true oases of biodiversity (it is a region rich in Natural areas) where one can meet hyblæan plants and migratory birds at certain times of the year.
Another interesting aspect is the presence of necropolis, the discovery of artifacts and cave-shelters that testify to the first settlement of peoples of Sicily.
The caves, the impermeability of some places, the presence of water, have made many canyons ideal places to live, defend themselves and in many cases burial places, with hypogeums and necropolises scattered throughout the Hyblaean region.
Each excursion shows the beauty of the naturalistic landscape as well as the traces left by the men who preceded us.
Noto Antica & Carosello Canyon
- 4/5 hours
- Easy Moderate Level
- Small group
- All seasons
- Noto
- Dog allowed
In 1693, a devastating earthquake destroyed Noto, a beautiful medieval town.
There are still parts of the city’s mighty ramparts, the castle, churches, water mills and old tanneries along the Asinaro river.
The place is inserted in a natural context of great charm, a subtropical landscape, rich in rare fauna and plants.
The beauty is enhanced by lakes, where you can dive to cool off, up to the hanging lake that overlooks the majestic Durbo valley with a below-ground waterfall of about 40 meters in height, where you must be careful not to lean.
- Noto Antica and the ruins of the earthquake;
- Tanneries and mills;
- Carosello Valley lake.
Ancient Noto or to be agreed.
- Distance: about 10 km
- Difference in altitude: 350 – 400 mt
- Time: Half day (5 hours)
- Period: All year round.
“There is no bad weather, only bad clothes.”
Clothing and Equipment
Always recommended to dress with the “onion” technique.
-a short or long sleeve t-shirt,
– a fleece, a sweater, a warm shirt,
-a mountain jacket (depending on the season), in summer a windbreaker/k-way;
- Gloves, cap, neck-warmer;
- Sunglasses;
- Hiking shoes.
- A backpack with water (1.5 lt), snack, meal, sunscreen.
Un sac avec 2 lt d’eau, snack, repas, crème solaire, lunettes de soleil
During the summer it is important:
a windbreaker/k-way, hat, swimsuit, beach towel.
A bag with 2 lt of water, snack, meals, sunscreen, sunglasses.
Cavagrande del Cassibile Nature Reserve
- 4/5 hours
- Easy Moderate Level
- Small group
- All seasons
- Avola
- Dog forbidden by the Reserve
Landscape-oriented nature reserve, very rich as regards anthropological, hydrogeological, archaeological and speleological aspect.
The area covers 2,700 hectares in the territory between Syracuse, Noto and Avola.
The reserve is crossed by the Cassibile River, which over the course of millennia has created a series of deep canyons 10 kilometres long.
Protected by the inaccessible walls overhanging the quarry and the proximity of water, the Sicules, first known inhabitants of this place, built two rock villages, which dates back to the XI-X centuries BC. C.
Here we find a hundred tombs in small caves and the early Christian hypogeums dug into the walls, arranged one opposite the other, on six different parallel levels.
In the valley bottom, a complex system of small waterfalls and natural pools called locally Uruvi has been created with fresh and clear waters, the most suggestive of which are reachable.
- Breathtaking Nature: Fauna and Flora;
- Small lakes and rivers where to swim.
Avola (Syracuse), to be agreed.
- Distance: 8 km above
- Difference in altitude: 250 mt above
- Time: Half- day (5 hours)
- Period: All year round. Ideal during the hot days to swim in the crystal clear waters.
“There is no bad weather, only bad clothes.”
Clothing and Equipment
Always recommended to dress with the “onion” technique.
-a short or long sleeve t-shirt,
– a fleece, a sweater, a warm shirt,
-a mountain jacket (depending on the season), in summer a windbreaker/k-way;
- Gloves, cap, neck-warmer;
- Sunglasses;
- Hiking shoes.
- A backpack with water (1.5 lt), snack, meal, sunscreen.
Un sac avec 2 lt d’eau, snack, repas, crème solaire, lunettes de soleil
During the summer it is important:
a windbreaker/k-way, hat, swimsuit, beach towel.
A bag with 2 lt of water, snack, meals, sunscreen, sunglasses.
Pantalica Reserve and Anapo Valley
- 4/5 hours
- Easy Moderate Level
- Petit groupe
- All seasons
- Ferla / Sortino
- Dog forbidden by the Reserve
Pantalica and the Anapo Valley Reserve are a naturalistic and archaeological pearl .
Pantalica is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The whole rock of the area appears pierced by hundreds of openings, so much so that it resembles a huge hive and, by a strange coincidence, the Sicels, inhabitants of Pantalica, were called the «people of bees».
The citadel plays a very important role in the study of the Bronze and Iron ages. The openings are necropolis, and on the site there are 5 necropolis for a total of 5,000 tombs, built at different periods, over about 600 years.
Other natural openings that we encounter are the karst caves, some of considerable size as the Bats Cave, inhabited by this protected fauna.
The Anapo river and its tributary the Calcinara flow along its gorges, thanks to its cliffs partly impracticables and the availability of water, this reserve is an oasis of biodiversity for flora and fauna.
Here the Oriental plane tree and Macrostigma trout are protected.
- The Hyblaean Plateau;
- The Calcinara Torrent and the Anapo river;
- The Railway;
- The Necropolis;
- Rock churches;
- The karst caves.
Ferla (Syracuse) or Sortino (Syracuse), to be agreed.
- Distance: 10 km or 15 km
- Difference in altitude: 200 or 400 mt about
- Time: Half Day or Full day
- Period: All year round (During the summer is advisable to make visits compatible with the temperature and closer to the river.)
“There is no bad weather, only bad clothes.”
Clothing and Equipment
Always recommended to dress with the “onion” technique.
-a short or long sleeve t-shirt,
– a fleece, a sweater, a warm shirt,
-a mountain jacket (depending on the season), in summer a windbreaker/k-way;
- Gloves, cap, neck-warmer;
- Sunglasses;
- Hiking shoes.
- A backpack with water (1.5 lt), snack, meal, sunscreen.
Un sac avec 2 lt d’eau, snack, repas, crème solaire, lunettes de soleil
During the summer it is important:
a windbreaker/k-way, hat, swimsuit, beach towel.
A bag with 2 lt of water, snack, meals, sunscreen, sunglasses.
Vendicari Nature Reserve
- 4/5 hours
- Easy Moderate Level
- Small group
- All seasons
- Main Entrance
- Dog forbidden by the Reserve
A reserve of about 1,512 hectares and 8 km long on the coast that houses an unspoilt ecosystem rich in plants typical of the Mediterranean scrub and migratory birds, such as herons, flamingos and storks, ideal for those who love bird watching and trekking.
Lush vegetation, breathtaking landscapes, crystal clear sea and golden beaches that alternate with cliffs, are the setting for the many trails of the oasis.
Inside the reserve, you can visit the remains of ancient buildings dating back to several historical periods: the stone quarries of an ancient Greek city; the Cittadella dei Maccari, made up of an ancient Byzantine church and catacombs from the same period; the Swabian tower, a 15th-century fortification used to defend the port’s activities; and finally the Vendicari Tonnara, an illustrious example of industrial archaeology.
- Migratory bird watching;
- The marshes;
- Cittadella di Maccari;
- The Swabian Tower;
- La Tonnara (ancient Tuna factory).
- Calamosche beach.
Near the Vendicari Reserve, to be agreed.
- Distance: 9 km or 16 km
- Difference in altitude: 50 mt about
- Time: Half Day or Full day
- Period: All year round (During the summer is advisable to make visits compatible with the temperature).
“There is no bad weather, only bad clothes.”
Clothing and Equipment
Always recommended to dress with the “onion” technique.
-a short or long sleeve t-shirt,
– a fleece, a sweater, a warm shirt,
-a mountain jacket (depending on the season), in summer a windbreaker/k-way;
- Gloves, cap, neck-warmer;
- Sunglasses;
- Hiking shoes.
- A backpack with water (1.5 lt), snack, meal, sunscreen.
Un sac avec 2 lt d’eau, snack, repas, crème solaire, lunettes de soleil
During the summer it is important:
a windbreaker/k-way, hat, swimsuit, beach towel.
A bag with 2 lt of water, snack, meals, sunscreen, sunglasses.