Hiking & Cycling Sicily: Best Group Cycling Trips in Sicily Review

Wondering how to combine the most stunning landscapes, along with ancient history and cultural highlights, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and local Sicilian culinary delights? Then you need to check out two of the top Sicily small group tours. 

If you’re looking for a memorable experience that gets under the skin of a region, hiking in Sicily with a knowledgeable guide or mountain biking in Sicily with a group of like-minded people, then undoubtedly, this is the perfect solution. 

I took part in a two-day trip, which is a taster of a full six-day excursion ‘The South Sicily Hike and Bike Tour’. We got to experience both aspects of the tour, one day on foot, the other by pedal power. 

So, what are you waiting for? Read on and find out more about hiking & cycling Sicily, with THE BEST in Sicily Small Group Tours.

The Sicily Bike Tours and Hiking Experience

A range of excursions is offered by Etna Bike Tours (who cover group cycling trips in Sicily) and Sicily by Nature (who take care of your walking in Sicily needs). 

The partnership between the two brings you a range of tours for the more adventurous traveller through extended days of travel throughout the region.

On a typical biking and cycling Sicily tour, you’ll spend your days alternating between the two activities. A variety of bikes are available including both mountain bikes and e-Bikes. If you’ve never used an e-Bike, they revolutionised my cycling game. 

I’ve partnered with Etna Bike Tours and Sicily by Nature to bring you this travel guide. This article is based on the destinations and experiences I took part in. All views and opinions are my own.

Hiking and Biking Adventure in Sicily – Know Before You Go

If you’re looking for an unforgettable hiking and biking adventure in Sicily, it’s important to know about the best tour companies for Sicily that will give you the best experience. 

Before you completely dive into this adventure, I’m going to start with some helpful tips and information so you can make the most of your trip. 

Getting to Sicily

For this specific hiking and biking adventure, although you could arrive in the island’s capital of Palermo on the West of Sicily, I recommend arriving at Catania Airport (CTA). Catania gives you convenient access to the region, allowing you to start your bike and hike tour without the need for long transfers.

If you’re trying to plan your travels but not quite sure where Sicily is – then read this article before booking.

Best Time to Visit Sicily

The best time to visit Sicily for a more comfortable hiking and cycling experience is during spring and autumn. These seasons offer milder temperatures, making it ideal for outdoor activities. 

The Best Sicily Small Group Tours

Etna Bike Tours and Sicily by Nature are two small group tour companies based in Sicily. Although they each run tours purely based on cycling, or hiking, they also collaborate to offer bike-hike tours. 

The tours offered are all-inclusive so the only thing you have to organise is how you’re getting to and from Sicily. And because the excursions are a collaboration between two companies, you can rest assured that you’ll have the best Sicily adventure experience possible with the most knowledgeable staff.

What makes them some of the best Sicily small group tours, are the group sizes. They vary between 4-12 people. 

You’ll be accompanied by fully qualified, fun-loving and passionate guides who can’t wait to share their love for Sicily with you. 

On your tour you’ll have a mix of guides, specialising in either the biking or hiking aspect of the trip (sometimes both!). They are fluent in both Italian and English.

Cycling and Hiking in Sicily – Tour Review

If you are looking for an adventure that combines stunning scenery, rich culture, and delicious cuisine, then Sicily is the perfect destination for you. 

In this section, I share my personal experience of my hiking and biking adventure in Sicily! 

Spoiler alert – it was outstanding!

Day 1 – Hiking in Sicily

Day Summary: Hiking in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Pantalica Nature Reserve and along the Val d’Anapo (Anapo Valley)

Meeting Our Group

We started the day at our central pickup point near Catania station. Here we were introduced to our guides; Maurizio, Jo & Úna from Etna Bike Tours and Vincenzo from Sicily by Nature. We also met with our fellow bikers and hikers who we’d be spending the next 2 days with.

When I signed up for the tour, it did say ‘experience was required’. With my questionable hiking skills and a big fat zero cycling ability, my adventurous streak got the better of me and I thought ‘why the heck not, it sounds awesome’. 

I was expecting seasoned pro cyclers and hikers and have succumbed to the fact that I would be the clown that foolishly signed herself up, the one that would constantly be at the back of the group holding everyone else up. 

I was pleasantly reassured to find that the group was not only a mix of ages but also most were in the same ‘minimal experience’ group as I was. We were going to be getting on just fine.  

We all excitedly bundled into two vans along with a trailer full of bikes and left the Sicilian capital of Catania, heading out into the Sicilian countryside.

Just over an hour later, we arrived at the location for the hiking part of the excursion; the Pantalica Nature Reserve and the Anapo Valley. 

The ‘City of Death’

With Vincenzo from Sicily by Nature as our knowledgeable guide, we headed into the UNESCO-listed Pantalica Nature Reserve. 

The name ‘Pantalica’ translates to ‘city of death’. As gloomy as that title sounds it’s justified by the 5000+ tombs which were cut into the natural limestone rock face in the valley.

The Necropoli di Pantalica (Necropolis of Pantalica) dates from the 7th – 13th Century BC and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005. All that remains of the burial chambers today are the empty hollows that scatter the steep rock face. The prehistoric burial chambers would once have been sealed with stones or a slab of rock.

The tombs were excavated between 1895 and 1910 although most were looted and repurposed before then. If you are staying in Sicily longer you can see items that were found inside the chambers (mostly bronzeware, pottery and weapons) at the nearby Archaeological Museum in Syracuse.

Val d’Anapo (Anapo Valley)

The ruin junkie in me could have spent hours more exploring the tombs in the Pantalica Nature Reserve (if you’re a fellow ancient civilization buff, then check out some of the other ruins I’ve seen).

We continue the hike away from the ‘City of Death’, stopping every few minutes as Vincenzo points out plants native to the region. Sometimes we stop to look at and sniff natural herbs – I highly recommend the sage. Other times Vincenzo encourages us to try nibbling at some of them – the wild asparagus is REALLY bitter, so pass on this one!

A steep scramble down to the bottom of the valley and we find the old train line – Valle dell ‘Anapo. The Anapo Valley is a deep limestone gorge created by the Anapo and Calcinara Rivers. The word ‘Anapo’ translates to ‘Invisible’ in Greek because during winter the river disappears into the porous rock.

The Anapo Valley follows the remains of where once a train line previously ran. The disused train line used to connect the cities of Catania to Ragusa was dismantled in 1956 leaving behind a relatively flat and wide path.

Meandering its way through the valley, past abandoned train stations, over bridges and wooded areas, the trail also goes right through the rock – 7 times in fact. Make sure you have the torch on your phone handy for these, they are pitch black inside. Also, while you’re along the trail, don’t forget to look up, often you’ll find the native hawk-like birds circling above the valley.

We stop off at the old farm worker quarters, which now house the offices which maintain the valley. One memorable thing of the day – because it was so strange –  was watching the resident cat suckling off the resident dog. The result was that everyone in our little group had our cameras fixated on the pair to get footage of the very strange behaviour.

Our walk continues, through tunnels and winds past old remnants from when the path was a train line. Eventually, we’re greeted at the end of the trail by the rest of the crew. We climb into the vans and head to our accommodation for the night.

Overnight Stay at Giannavì Farm

Located in the heart of the Iblei Mountains, family-run Farm Giannavì is in the middle of nowhere. The farm stay and restaurant are surrounded by stunning views of the Sicilian countryside and the perfect place for a much-earnt rest.

The restaurant produces most of the food it serves on-site, if it’s not available on-site, then it’s sourced locally, so you can guarantee everything you eat is authentically Sicilian.

I lost count of the number of outstanding dishes we got to try. We were very spoilt. One thing I can vouch for is that they were all mouth-wateringly delicious and that it took quite a bit of self-discipline to not gorge myself. 

The Giannavi family certainly know a thing or two about how to host their guests and we certainly felt Sicilian hospitality during our time here. We were treated to a multitude of appetising dishes, all washed down with copious amounts of homemade red wine. I was so full, but I couldn’t resist the overindulgence. 

Hint, wear your stretchy-waisted pants to dinner! 

The rooms at Giannavì’s farm were cosy and comfortable which allowed for a good night’s rest before tomorrow’s 69km cycle ride.

Even if you don’t come to Sicily for a bike and hike excursion, I would highly recommend at least a night to come and try out this real Sicilian hospitality experience. If you’re passing through the area, it’s also worthwhile calling in at Giannavì’s for lunch or dinner. 

Day 2 – Biking in Sicily

Day Summary: Cycling along the scenic routes to visit two UNESCO World Heritage towns of Palazzolo Acreide and Noto finishing off at Vendicare Nature Reserve to watch wild flamingos. 

My Love Affair With eBikes

After a delicious and leisurely breakfast, we were ready to head out on the eBikes for the second day of our trip. I had never used an eBike but wow! They’ve revolutionised cycling for me.

I was worried about the distance we were expected to cycle; 69km! and convinced I would quickly fall behind the rest of the group. Admittedly, I hadn’t cycled since my Uni days and that was on an ancient second-hand rickety bike with broken gears. Cycling has been supercharged –  literally – since then.

We got kitted up, helmets on, and cycling cameras mounted and then were given a briefing on how to use the bikes. They are ridiculously simple to use, with economy mode (where you have to pedal more) right up to turbo mode (where the battery does more of the work for you). I’ll give you one guess which mode I opted for.

Our new e-bikes, the Giant Fathom E+3 Power! Climb with greater ease and comfort, and ride farther—the perfect formula for an enjoyable day on the trail.’

Etna Bike Tours

Palazzolo Acreide

Our group set out on the quiet Sicilian country roads meandering around the lower part of the hills. It was a glorious morning, with hardly any clouds in the sky and the springtime sun beaming down. 

We came to our first incline. This was when I really felt the power of the eBikes. Normally I would be huffing and puffing to get up a hill, with the power-assisted bikes it took the pain away from cycling which, for a total novice cycler, actually made going up hills an enjoyable experience. From that moment I was in love with eBikes. 

Initially, our route took us along the road then onto overgrown bumpy off-road routes on trails that are semi-deserted surrounded by nature in the Sicilian countryside, passing small farms and villages. 

We arrived at our first destination, Palazzolo Acreide. Located in the Hyblean Mountains, this UNESCO World Heritage site is famous for its Baroque architecture and is named one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. It’s situated 43 kilometres west of the Sicilian city of Syracuse.

We stopped off for a short while in the main square opposite the stunning Church of Saint Sebastiano for photos. The sunlight bounds off the light-coloured stone of this very photogenic stop-off. 

After a short break, our group are back on the bikes meandering through the countryside once again, on a mixture of tarmacked roads and bumpy off-road trails, past farmland and quaint residential areas.

Testa dell’Acqua – Traditional Lunch

We arrived at the small hamlet town of Testa dell’Acqua where we stopped for lunch. We ate at Antico Forno Carnemolla, a small restaurant-come-bakery in the sleepy town. We ate a traditional Sicilian Scaccia (pronounced ska-shia).

The Scaccia is a folded and stuffed flatbread, a little bit like the British Cornish Pasty (but much tastier!) with a variety of fillings made using local ingredients. Of course, it all washed down with local wine (who said wine and eBikes don’t mix). 

The Sicilian fact – they love their food, so naturally, there was going to be dessert and coffee. Full up already on the Scaccia and wine, we cycled to Paola’s Place just outside of the main town of Testa dell’Acqua. Paola is the one-stop place if you want to try authentic cannoli.

She gave us a quick tour of her cute farm, where she makes and prepares the cannoli, before giving a demonstration on how they are made. 

If you’ve never had one before, a cannoli is an Italian pastry that originated in Sicily. The hard tube-shaped shells are made of fried pastry dough, which is then filled with sweet and creamy ricotta before being dusted with icing sugar. It didn’t take our group much invitation to get stuck in, they were delicious! Naturally, these were washed down with strong Italian coffee.

With full bellies, we were ready to work off lunch as well as set off on the next leg of our journey.

Noto Antica

We carried on with our route and onto the most challenging part of the day, it was off-road, uphill and very rocky in parts. The more confident bikers cycled up but if we didn’t feel comfortable doing it, we were given the option to walk the bikes up.

The great thing with the eBikes, there’s even a ‘walk’ mode on them. It would have been hard work pushing a bike up the rocky pathway, but with the eBikes, they pretty much rode themselves up!

Eventually, we arrived at the ancient city of Noto Antica. All the remains are the ruins one a once-grand castle-like complex. The city was destroyed by an earthquake on 11th January 1693.

Noto Antica lies about 10 kilometres north of the baroque city of Noto. The ruins are situated next to ravines, with various walkways and recreational areas. If you have the time you could easily spend a day exploring this area, the ruin junkie in me has totally flag-marked this as a place to return to.

The pathway out of the ruins leads down a fairly steep zig-zag path. Parts of the route are shingly. The more confident and experienced cyclers in the group went quite quickly downhill. If you’re not confident on a bike, this was a daunting concept. Putting metaphorical balls before brain, I wish I took my own advice and walked the bike down before I fell off!

Bruised and battered, I walked the rest of the way down.

Noto

A few kilometres later, we arrive at the stunning UNESCO World Heritage city of Noto. The city is famous for its Baroque architecture and of course the 18th-century Noto Cathedral.

We entered the city through the 19th-century Porta Reale, the giant archway which resembles a triumphal arch, and cycled along the pretty cobbled street until we arrived at the cathedral.

Our group stops here for a quick look inside the cathedral. The cathedral is at the top of the steps; lots of steps. My knees certainly felt wobbly going up the steps to the cathedral, however, when you’re at the top of the steps, turn around and look across to the opposite side of the street for a great viewing point of the Palazzo Ducezio, which is now the town hall.

The city is visually impressive in every way, shape and form. We leave the UNESCO city and continue heading towards the coast and our final stop.

Vendicari Nature Reserve

Our route continued mostly along the road, however, our planned route was blocked by a road closure. This meant several kilometres of a detour to get around it. Workmen were digging up a large section of the road. Not keen on the idea of having to go all the way around it, Maurizio, our guide somehow managed to sweet-talk them into letting us pass through. 

The blockades across the road meant that the bikes had to be lifted over for us to continue along the route and through the building works. With some strange looks from workmen along the road, we came out the other end and continued with the journey. 

Within minutes our journey was halted again, this time by a shepherd and his several hundred sheep on the road!

Our route was blocked, After a bit of sweet-talking and we went through the roadblocks

Finally, we arrived at the Vendicari Nature Reserve, famed for its birdwatching, in particular, Flamingos. Both bruised from my earlier fall along with a very sore bottom from 69km of cycling, the minivans, crew, and trailer were waiting for us as we handed the eBikes back over for our final stage of the walking Sicily tour.

Vincenzo, from Sicily by Nature was back as our guide at the reserve. One of the highlights was seeing the semi-resident flamingos along with the various other water birds. The reserve is huge, and there are several trails that stretch along the coast here. 

Historically the area was renowned for tuna fishing. What stands today are the relics from the 18th-century buildings with their columns and chimney restored for visitors to wander about. There’s a lot of history surrounding the area which is explained to us.  

For more information visit the Vendicari Nature Reserve official site.

Back to Catania

The sun was beginning to set and our two-day experience with Etna Bike Tours and Sicily by Nature was coming to a close. It was time to head back to the vans and Catania.

With the feeling of contented exhaustion of a wonderful two days, Sicily had one more trick up her sleeves. It was a clear evening on the journey back and we could see Mount Etna erupting in the distance. The orangey-red glow with little spurts shooting up from one of Italy’s top natural landmarks was perfectly timed as we headed into Catania.

The one word to describe the overall experience; exceptional! I would 100% recommend taking part in one of the collaboration tours offered by Etna Bike Tours and Sicily by Nature.

Back in Catania, we said goodbye to the hospitality of Maurizio, Jo, Úna and Vincenzo as we all parted ways.

I couldn’t have asked for a better way to see the south of Sicily.

Extending your Sicily Trip

If you have longer in Sicily, then I recommend hiring a car and exploring the west of the island. Base yourself in Palermo or Trapani. Palermo is the hectic capital of the island with an outstanding food scene.

However, if you are after a more tranquil experience, then there are plenty of things to see in Trapani and the surroundings including Medieval hilltop cities, national parks and stunning islands.

Sicily Bike Tours and Hiking – FAQs

This section answers frequently asked questions about doing this type of bike and hike tour in Sicily. It gives you extra bits of information about planning your Sicily tour. 

Thinking of Joining One of the Sicily Small Group Tours?

If you’re thinking about joining one of the Sicily small group tours for hiking or biking, you’re in for an extraordinary adventure – the Sicilian countryside surrounding Etna is simply gorgeous!

Whether you opt for hiking in Sicily or Sicily bike tours or combining both, Sicily is an outstanding country to explore by foot or wheel. 

Create life-long memories with like-minded travellers!!

Looking for more reasons to visit Sicily? read other inspirational articles here…

• 13 Fabulous Things to Do in Western Sicily
• The Best Things to Do in Trapani
• The Ultimate Italian Bucket List

For information about hiking & cycling in Sicily contact:

• Etna Bike Tours (for cycling in Sicily with Maurizio, Jo & Úna)
• Sicily by Nature ( for hiking in Sicily with Vincenzo)
• Vacanze Singolari (tour operator, speak to Irene)