The Alcantara Valley e-bike tour

We leave from Castiglione di Sicilia and going offroad, you can admire the wonders of the Valley, where the river Alcantara has carved his bed, creating at the end of its course a crack between two walls of basalt: the famous gorges of Alcantara. The structure of the walls, which are tens of metres high, is characterized in some places by colonnar structures that recall aligned “organ reeds”, elegant “fans” and ordered “stacks of wood”. The river environment, between lakes and waterfalls, is mainly characterized by Mediterranean forests. You will go along the river as far as its mouth to the sea and then go back to the starting point of Castiglione.

The most important stops are the Cuba Byzantine of Castiglione, the most important Byzantine Cuba in Sicily, is a national monument since 1909, and the Gurne dell’ Alcantara, 16 small lakes dug by the river in lava stone. A corner of paradise within easy reach of bikes.

Time: 4 hours

Distance: 42 km

Level: medium (on e-bikes)

Meeting place: Castiglione di Sicilia, Province of Catania.

Season: all-year round.

Price includes the following:

• E-Bike MTB rental (professional bikes with disk brakes, tubeless wheelset, air suspension fork, Shimano groupset)
• Bike accessories (helmet, water bottle, repair kit)
• Qualified MTB guide (Italian and English)

What to wear and bring with you:

• A small backpack/rucksack for your personal items (you can leave this in the van if you don’t want to take it with you during the excursion).
• Comfortable clothes suitable for biking (bike gloves, padded shorts, etc), a rain/wind jacket
• A change of clothes in case it rains
• Closed shoes e.g. trainers or biking shoes (no flip-flops or sandals)
• Sunglasses & sun cream
• A camera or smartphone if you want to take photos
• A spirit of fun and adventure