Family Sicily Multi-Activity Adventure

Our trip starts today in Palermo, Sicily's capital with a rich tapestry of Greek, Roman, Islamic and Byzantine culture all merging into a fascinating mix of architecture and customs. Due to a number of flights arriving late today, our tour leader will meet you tomorrow morning (Day 2) at 8am for the welcome meeting. There are no other activities planned today, so you're free to arrive in Palermo at any time. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Palermo's Falcone-Borsellino International Airport (PMO), which is around a 45-minute drive from the airport. Please note that a full dinner is served up until 9pm. If you're arriving later than this, we can arrange for a cold platter to be provided. If your flight arrives earlier in the day, you might like to visit the Gothic Cathedral with its extensive mosaics and beautiful cloisters. To get away from the summer heat the Botanical gardens are also well worth a visit. The city centre is compact with a network of narrow streets and expansive piazzas with a great choice of places to eat. Palermo is well known for its colourful and bustling open-air markets with a wide range of food on offer from pane e panelle (a Sicilian sandwich stuffed with chickpeas) or a wholesome bowl of homemade, fresh spaghetti with sundried tomatoes, olives, capers and topped with breadcrumbs. Most restaurants also offer kids' menus.

Overlooking the azure waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Palermo is one of Sicily's cultural and historic highlights, combining influences from the Greeks, Byzantines, and Romans. We'll 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. This afternoon, we'll enjoy a cookery lesson, putting our culinary skills to the test to make pasta and gnocchi. At the end of the class, we'll eat what we've cooked - it's a great opportunity for the whole family to get involved!

After breakfast this morning, we'll drive for two hours to the Madonie Adventure Park for a full day amongst the wooded landscapes near Petralia Sottana. It'll be an action-packed day testing out all the park has to offer. You can choose to brave the assault course through the trees, with zip-lines, rope ladders and 'Tibetan bridges' or try your hand at archery, tree climbing and 'Power fan' (which involves free-falling from high platforms whilst attached to a safety harness). Please note that throughout the trip you'll need to be well prepared for activities and wearing appropriate footwear. For today, we also recommend cycling gloves for the high-wire course. Refer to the equipment and clothing section for full details. Tonight, we'll stay in the forest. There are five tree tents within the trees set about six meters off the ground. The tents can accommodate three people each and there are another five tents positioned on platforms at ground level for those wanting to sleep nearer the forest floor. The area is illuminated at night and there are toilets close by.

Pack your swimsuits, water shoes, sunscreen, and goggles today as we head to the island's largest water theme park. The award-winning water park boasts over 14 slides including; The Black Hole (guests are seated on a two-person dinghy that slides through a dark and twisting tunnel), Jungle Splash (using a 20-seater boat with a drop of 30 meters towards the splash zone below), Hydro and Dark Kamikaze slides (both with drops so steep your back doesn't touch the slide), Twin Twister (four slides linked together over 120 meters) and Rafting River with (a four-person dinghy that slides right into the pool). The Wave Pool, the largest in Europe, comes to life every hour for splashing fun. You can take a break from the excitement by enjoying a relaxing float around the Lazy River or at the Blue Lagoon, an oasis of rocks and waterfalls, too. Plus there's a Hydro Pool where you can enjoy a hydro massage after the full-on fun of the past few days. Please note that some attractions have height restrictions up to 1.4 metres high.

One of the highlights of our week is our visit to the slopes of Mount Etna, the highest volcano in Europe (3,330 meters) and one of the largest in the world. We'll drive up the mountain this morning, passing through citrus groves and beech woods to Linguaglossa Rovittello where we'll taste a selection of dairy products and salami. We'll continue to Curva Sparita which is where the lava flow of 2002/2003 engulfed a part of the old road to Mareneve before arriving in Piano Provenzana (1,800 metres) where there is the opportunity to view photographs of previous eruptions that have been taken by a local well-known photographer. We'll continue by foot along a path that goes up to the crater of the Northeast side of the volcano to an altitude of about 2,300 metres, stopping off at an old Bottoniera (numerous craters formed in 1923 including the longest one on the volcano) where we'll also stop for lunch. We'll continue the walk for around 90 minutes returning to Piano Provenzana where we'll meet our transport and visit a volcanic cave which is one of more than 200 caves in the area (1,750 metres). Afterwards, we'll return to our hotel by bus.

We'll spend today exploring the landscapes that lie along the Alcantara River. Carved from basalt rock, the gorge drops down over 50 meters, following the course of the river and providing us with some stunning but short walking trails. We'll 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. Our walk will cover 2 kilometres/1.2 miles and take around one hour. After lunch, we'll travel to Aci Castello where we'll sea kayak along a guided course exploring the protected marine park of Isole Ciclopi for a few hours, including a circumnavigation of the towering sea rocks of the Faraglioni di Actirezza. Life jackets, tuition and auto-draining two or three-seater kayaks are provided.

This morning, we'll travel the short distance to Taormina, Sicily's most famous resort. Once a haven for the likes of D. H Lawrence and Oscar Wilde, Taormina is still a popular tourist destination. After a walk around the beautiful town, with its pretty medieval churches and charming streets, it's easy to understand why. We'll visit the Greek Theatre with a local guide. The snow-capped Mount Etna acts as a spectacular backdrop to the remarkably preserved columned stage and it's easy to see why this is possibly the most famous view in all of Sicily - it makes for a superb photograph. After our tour, there's free time to walk amidst magnolia, hibiscus, and bougainvillea trees. We recommend taking a stroll down one of Taormina's side streets where you'll find quaint, local bars and restaurants for lunch that are less busy than in the centre. This afternoon, we'll drive to Naxos to pick up snorkelling gear. Heading out into the Mediterranean on a rib boat, we'll visit the Isola Bella Marine Park and snorkel in two spots, the Blue Cave Bay and Isola Bella South Side. Snorkelling equipment is provided including fins, mask, snorkel, wet suit and life jacket.

Our trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in the village of Linguaglossa. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart from Linguaglossa at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Catania Airport (CTA), which is around a 1 hour and 15-minute drive from our hotel.