Moderate walking on varied surfaces, with some long days and regular ascents / descents.
The season for this holiday is:
11 April 2020 - 30 June 2020
22 August 2020 - 31 October 2020
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| °C | 8 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 23 | 18 | 14 | 10 |
| mm | 65 | 52 | 48 | 38 | 27 | 12 | 10 | 21 | 38 | 72 | 66 | 76 |
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An excellent walking holiday through very quiet but fascinating countryside. A good pair of boots was essential as although much of the walking was on tracks these were often very rough and eroded. The views were fantastic; we had good weather throughout the week despite our trip being in mid October. English was much more widely spoken than we had expected making communication much easier. The Agrituristica Bergi was very congenial and relaxing and the food particularly fresh & tasty - we could have happily stayed here for longer.
This is an enjoyable trip, with excellent mountain views and a feeling of remoteness in the first half.
The holiday was thoughtfully planned, giving a wonderful taste of NE Sicily, the holiday notes were thorough and the walking routes easy to follow, although occasionally needed reading carefully to be sure we had followed the route accurately.
The walks included an interesting variety of landscapes with frequent wonderful views. The accommodation was a good mix from the slightly more basic to the luxurious, all with their own distinctive Sicilian flavour. Would definitely recommend a walking holiday with Inntravel.
An excellent walking holiday through very quiet but fascinating countryside. A good pair of boots was essential as although much of the walking was on tracks these were often very rough and eroded. The views were fantastic; we had good weather throughout the week despite our trip being in mid October. English was much more widely spoken than we had expected making communication much easier. The Agrituristica Bergi was very congenial and relaxing and the food particularly fresh & tasty - we could have happily stayed here for longer.
This is an enjoyable trip, with excellent mountain views and a feeling of remoteness in the first half.
The holiday was thoughtfully planned, giving a wonderful taste of NE Sicily, the holiday notes were thorough and the walking routes easy to follow, although occasionally needed reading carefully to be sure we had followed the route accurately.
The walks included an interesting variety of landscapes with frequent wonderful views. The accommodation was a good mix from the slightly more basic to the luxurious, all with their own distinctive Sicilian flavour. Would definitely recommend a walking holiday with Inntravel.
I found the walks to be comfortable in the main and challenging in a few places. However, we were blessed with good weather, and the going would have been much more difficult in adverse weather conditions.
This was a great holiday and Sicily is the perfect antidote to angry Brexit Britain. The Madonie mountains are like the land that time forgot. The woodland is surprisingly mixed and beautiful and this is likely to be the only walk we ever take where we were accompanied by the gentle snuffling of black pigs in the undergrowth! The food was really good and so was the welcome at all the hotels. We enjoyed the contrasts of hilltop towns, remote mountains and Mediterranean heat near the sea. It felt like we did and saw a lot but with plenty of rest time too. Lovely, thank you.
Relais Santa Anastasia is a lovely place to stay. We found having an extra night so we could enjoy the beach in Cefalu was well worth-while.
Hotel Bergi was the best.
The accommodation and the food offered was great.
Santa Anastasia was a lovely bit of luxury at the end of the week.
Best walk days were day 3 (great climb up and lovely views from the top) and on day 4 the route from Pomieri to Refugio Crispi.
Do not underestimate how quickly the weather changes in the mountains nor the severity of the mountain storms. We got caught out on day 1 and had to retrace our steps in a thunderstorm.
A compass is useful due to the poor management of the signposting, and an ability to count your steps!
There are some steep ascents and descents so we found our walking poles very useful !
Use insect repellant - expecially on day 5, the long day. We were attacked by horseflies all the way from Refugio Crispi to Bergi.
This was our 3rd Inntravel trip and yet we thoroughly enjoyed it. In some respects it was the most challenging trip of the 3, mainly due to the heat (we went end of August) and the rocky terrain under foot both up and downhill. However the views were worth the effort as they were breathtaking.
We experienced incredibly tasty food throughout the whole trip and at all 4 hotels. The room at Hotel Pomieri was very basic and unfortunately we had noisy neighbours however the hotel staff especially Giacomo the barman were extremely welcoming.
We had a couple of issues with the route instructions but worked these out eventually, the instructions were mainly easy to follow and the walks exhilarating.
We would recommend taking waterproofs - we had sunshine forecast all week but had an unexpected thunderstorm we weren’t prepared for. A jacket with a hood would also help as a barrier with the at times incessant flies - please don’t let this put you off, they came in bouts mainly after the storm rather than being constant and did not ruin by any means ruin the holiday.
The hotels were superb and the area and walking on offer likewise. The holiday was ruined by extreme poor notes. That is the first time we have felt this about an Inntravel holiday
We're very sorry that you found these walking notes to be poor. We have not previously been aware of any significant issues with the notes for this walk, for which the notes are frequently praised, but welcome any suggestions or further detail on where there can be improved.
We had expected a more arid landscape but the Madonie Hills were luscious, very green and covered in so many vibrantly coloured wild flowers, including sweet peas and wild peonies. Our holiday was at the beginning of June and started with temperatures that were more Spring than Summer. Good walking weather, but demanding layers of clothing you may not anticipate. Very quickly the temperatures rose and as you walk to Bergi the landscape changes. We walked in temperatures in excess of 30c, there was less shade and it is difficult not to become dehydrated, despite drinking plenty of water.
All the hotels were good, with excellent local food and wine but for us the highlight was Azienda Bergi and we were very pleased to have booked an extra night there.
It was an enjoyable holiday, just a few uncomfortable moments on day 5. Hotels on the walking holiday were very varied but enjoyable in different ways. Everyone was friendly on the walking holiday, and the scenery and wild flowers were beautiful. Cefalu felt like a completely different aspect of the holiday but was equally lovely. Also really enjoyed walking Palermo.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers enjoyed our Palermo and Catania City add-ons after their Mountains of Sicily self-guided walking holiday.
We had a wonderful holiday and the wild flowers and butterflies were particularly spectacular. Despite the coldness of our room, the Hotel Pomieri was a particular highlight-excellent food and a very warm welcome. The Azienda Agrituristica Bergi was also a highlight with a very relaxed atmosphere and lovely food. We would recommend walkers bringing a compass and a pedometer would also be very useful in order to be able to follow the written walking instructions more accurately. The walks were excellent, reasonably strenuous but perfect for our level of fitness days, we saw noone at all, except maybe a fellow walker or two.
Glorious views and lovely walks. Hotel Pomieri is a bit basic but saved by a wonderful waiter and a log fire. Santa Anastasia - well worth upgrading to a better room. Visitors should ask to see the library. Whilst we were warned it could be cooler in the mountains, snow, morning temperatures of 2 deg, and wearing ALL one's clothing were not expected at the end of May.
The Modonie Mountains are spectacular! We saw numerous wild flowers including bee orchilds, wild iris and peonies in flower. The views were wonderful from every walk. Our first night in the mountains was very cold; we needed all our clothes on at the same time!! The visit to the winery at Sant Anastasia was both interesting and informative.
Joining these two holidays in Sicily worked really well and we had a lovely, varied experience and felt we had explored Sicily more deeply than we otherwise might have done. The accommodation was well-chosen and provided variety. The fact that Inn Travel adds possible excursions, including walks, to its Treasures of Eastern Sicily holiday added much to the experience and gave us alternatives to sight-seeing (there are a lot of churches to visit in Sicily the Duomo in Cefalu was the church highlight). Walking up Etna in a snowstorm was an unforgettable experience.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers enjoyed our Mountains of Sicily self-guided walking holiday followed by our Treasures of Eastern Sicily self-guided journey.
This was a reasonably challenging walk that was incredibly rewarding. The scenery was fabulous and late April a great time to see wildflowers including stunning orchids. We encountered few people on the middle days, but saw deer, snakes, lizards and lots of birds. Highly recommended.
Circular walk at Petralia Sottana was our favourite. Suggest downloading an app such as viewranger so you can mark your route ahead - and check where instructions and signs are unclear.
We experienced a warm welcome at all the hotels en route. Hotel Pomieri is situated in a stunning location and its faded charm definitely grew on us. We especially enjoyed the relaxed, friendly atmosphere with guests chatting around the fire in the evening. We would have liked to have spent another day at Agrituristica Bergi. The food was delicious and featured lots of tasty home-grown produce. The Relais Santa Anastasia is beautiful; the service impeccable (possibly a bit too formal) and the food good.
The walks amid beautiful scenery were lovely, if sometimes challenging on rough, rocky paths. The weather was perfect and at this time of year the wild flowers were stunning. Orchids were plentiful, wild peonies and narcissi an unexpected treat. We encountered foxes, Nebrodi pigs, wild boar, deer, an adder, amazing green lizards and numerous butterflies and birds including the elusive Sicilian rock partridge.
A word of caution - avoid any contact with the Pine Processionary moth caterpillars, a fascinating sight but their hairs contain a toxin which can cause extreme skin irritation.
If you are visiting Cefalu on a Sunday you will need to book a return taxi (35 euros) as the bus only runs Mon-Sat.
The mountains are just gorgeous! People we met along the way — both other hikers and locals — were so nice, and the food was delicious. We had a great time and enjoyed the balance of towns and country.
The Mountains of Sicily walk was a beautiful and varied landscape. The wildflowers in April were amazing. The accommodations were all different but charming in their own way.
Il Castello gives a warm enthusiastic welcome. The Pomieri hotel, though only 2-star was warm and offered a great space to sit in with a wonderful fire and spectacular mountain views. Really high-quality cooking of local produce. The Agrituristica Azienda Bergi offered a warm welcome Gaia was delightful, and imaginative generous meal. However, the room was cold and after a very long walk with foul weather blowing outside, nowhere to go and no means to warm up. In Anastasia the welcome was great and despite foul wind and weather everything enjoyable. We also made some good Inntravel fellow travelling friends! Overall, we wondered if the grading of the walks was a bit optimistic. We had a great time.
We enjoyed our walk, our first ever organised walking tour, very much. Highlights were the day 3 walk from Hotel Pomieri and the walk to Agriturismo Bergi on Day 4. We were able to take our time with the walking so we could take plenty of photos and soak up the scenery. Spending the day at Cefalu on the last day was a great way to finish the walk. All the accommodation and meals were fabulous. One recommendation would be to wear long pants as many of the plants next to the paths are spiky.
A Fabulous holiday, excellent walking without the problems of luggage carrying and finding accommodation. Lots of Highlights - stupendous views, lunatic villages at the top of mountains, autumn colours, flowers and fungi, dung beetles, watching the clouds come up the valley from Pomieri, the Roman bridge, bits of Roman road, the megalithic temple at Cefalu and the wonderful Duomo (not to be missed).
Another excellent Inntravel holiday. The routes were varied, with fabulous views, we saw wild pigs and stags. We loved the hospitality of the Sicilian people. Santa Anastasia was a lovely treat at the end.
Highlights for me were the extremely friendly people we met at the hotels, both staff and other guests, the excellent food and the wonderful views of the nature reserve including encounters with magnificent 600-year-old oaks and chestnut trees, wild pigs and deer. I would thoroughly recommend a visit to the Villa Romana de Casale, for its superb Roman mosaics, which can be arranged with the taxi driver as an extra detour on the way back to Catania.
The walks in good weather were spectacular. On last walking day a better description of the route as it appeared to be level but was quite up and down. Also some of the paths are dangerous and need reviewed.
We're sorry to hear that you felt the paths were dangerous. We have responded directly about this, and monitored further feedback; there haven't been further similar comments but we will continue to keep a close eye on this.
The walk up to Cozzi Ipsi was the star walk of the trip, followed by the first half of the walk from Pomieri to Bergi.
All hotels and food were a treat and all very different in their own way. Would have probably liked to have spent an extra night at Bergi
We thoroughly enjoyed our first walking holiday with Inntravel and will go again. Too many highlights to mention. Looking forward to the next one. Have recommended to friends and colleagues.
The highlights were the hotels at Bergi and Santa Anastasia. Petralia Soprana is a gem to wander round.