Island Hopping in the Sicilian Archipelago

Where to start. . . This was my first trip with MBA and I wasn't 100% sure what to expect but I fear I'm now an addict.

This week of great walks, incredible views, and such wonderful people was exactly what I needed, and the mix of activities and downtime was about right.

Nino, our guide, was brilliant - so informative and passionate about what he does which made the week much better! The volcano guides were equally as passionate, informative, and patient. The vineyards and wine tasting were excellent, and the communication from the MBA team was spot on.

All the islands were great but Vulcano was a particular highlight for me. The kayaking and exploration was great fun, but the hike that followed and the views were spectacular.

What a fabulous week away with some truly lovely people! The Sicilian islands are stunning & being able to see them from a range of perspectives, be it on foot, kayak, car or boat was really special. Nino was our guide for the week & he could not have been better. Such a good laugh & he was so patient with all our questions & high maintenance demands! Particularly with me being the slowest walker in the group 🫣 He was so kind & considerate when I unfortunately got food poisoning on the 5th day (meaning I sadly missed the Mt.Etna hike 💔) I found the trip to be more physically demanding than I expected, but that is down to my level of fitness & certainly not a reflection on the trip itself. Which was impeccably well organised, with seamless timings for transfers / boat pick ups etc. Communication from MBA was spot on from start to finish & I will certainly look at booking another trip with them in the future (maybe from the ‘Easy’ category next time!)

This was my first trip with Much Better Adventures and it was fabulous, exceeded my expectations. Our guide Nino was great, super helpful and everything was so well organised. He also booked some great restaurants for us for our free evenings. The itinerary was great, good mixture of activities, some fabulous wine tasting, and beautiful sunsets from the back of the boat!

First and foremost Nino was an awesome guide. He made everything simple, safe, and fun.

Excellent itinerary, great accommodations. This was my first Much Better Adventure but will certainly be doing more.

Nino was a fantastic tour guide for our Sicilian Archipelago adventure. He was always so patient with the whole group, nothing was too much trouble and he consistently went above and beyond to ensure that everyone was looked after.

The islands we visited were absolutely amazing too with so many new adventures like seeing lava and diving through a sea cave.

The other people on the tour were awesome & we quickly became lifelong friends too!

Great mixture of chilling on boats to the islands; volcano bagging (each with its own character) and a bit of soaking up the ambience thrown in. Fortunate enough to see Stromboli do its eruptive thing and great views of Mount Etna. Nino, our guide, was excellent.

Greatly enjoyed this trip! There was a good mix of hikes and other activities. The weather was perfect so we were able to do everything on the itinerary, except for summiting Etna which is not possible right now due to volcanic activity. I particularly enjoyed the hiking days to Stromboli and Vulcano, and the second and third wine tastings (the first was more like wine drinking than tasting). The coastaneering was great too! The scenery on the Etna hike was stunning, but was more of a slow walk with a lot of stops and extensive talking by the specialized Etna guide in both English and French (as we were with another non-MBA group for this). Would have been better if it had been just our group and only in English. Our MBA guide, Nino, was fantastic. We were very fortunate to have him with us. He was interesting, chill, flexible and friendly. Everything you would want in a guide. Would definitely recommend this adventure.

First of all, our guide Antonino was amazing in every way possible and his local insights made the trip so much better. Also appreciated the flexibility, departing from the airport earlier and switching the destinations for the day based on weather. Watching the lava explosions from Stromboli was an unparalleled experience, and Vulcano kayaking and summiting were spectacular. Unfortunately, it seems like you can only go halfway up Stromboli, and it's a bus ride two thirds up Etna, rather than "Trek to the top".

Nino our guide was brilliant, he was constantly thinking of the weather conditions and factors to make sure that we would have the most successful trip. Transfers and boat trips were seamless. The walks and the scenery were beautiful. I’d highly recommend this wonderful opportunity to see amazing volcanic islands.

Fantastic trip. The volcanos and surrounding scenery are to die for. The amount of walking is perfect, not overkill but also not too easy. Nino was an excellent guide, so much to learn and take in as well as the scenery. Would definitely recommend as this far surpassed my expectations.

A huge shout-out to Tony; another incredible guide working for MBA. He really made the trip. The destination is stunning and varied; from the postcard-like setting of Stromboli to the lunar landscape that is Etna, every day felt different. Throw in some good food, fascinating culture (uncovered and expertly explained by Tony) and you have a very good trip.

On the downside, we missed the kayaking (which I was really looking forward to) due to the kayaking guide taking ill. Also, the accommodation was perhaps not the greatest - especially in terms of value for money when looking at other MBA trips.

Finally, the trip was a bit easier than expected for me. The days are full and you're always on the go, but I didn't feel like any of the activities gave me a workout and I was craving a proper challenge / sweat by the end.

Overall, a very good trip if this is what you're looking for.

I really enjoyed our trip. Every day was eventful, interesting and impressive. We came into contact with local history, architecture and the beauty of nature. Our Tour guide Tony made our stay unforgettable. Intelligence, with good communications skills- He always had a good plan and easy adjusted depending on the situation. I love our group and appreciate each moment.

First and foremost, our guide (Tony) was incredible! He was very knowledgeable about all the islands and trails, and he was very effective at solving problems and ensuring everything ran smoothly, including finding alternative activities for the days we had cancellations due to weather. He was also very kind and provided great recommendations for food throughout the week, as well as for future travel plans for those who stayed in Italy longer.

In terms of the trip itself, the hiking and kayaking sites were all very beautiful. Highlights for me were hiking up to the crater of a volcano and a beautiful trail in the mountains with constant views of the sea and wildflowers in bloom all around. This was my first MBA trip so I wasn't 100% sure what 'moderate' difficulty meant, but the hiking and kayaking were a bit more difficult than I expected. The wine tastings were all great - the one near Mt. Etna in particular was in a beautiful location.

As noted above, we had a few canceled hikes throughout the week due to weather, which was a bummer. I wonder if having scheduled these earlier in the week could have allowed for them to be rescheduled later in the week?

My final comment is that the week did feel a bit go-go-go at times - lots of early morning boats taken between the islands / not too much downtime overall, so this is something to keep in mind!

A great was to explore the Sicilian islands. An awesome tour guide, a like minded group and great scenery and culture.

Really enjoyed island hopping, the vineyards were both amazing - great wines and great food to go with them. Sadly weather meant we didn't get to Stromboli or to go up Etna - perhaps we did the trip too early in the year. Additional hikes were great and the sea kayaking and snorkeling were really really fun. A great trip!

Really good balance between activities and tourism. Our hiking guide Tony and sea-kayaking guide Eugenio were brilliant and very professional and the wine-tastings were superb.