The Island

Climbing Stromboli

Stromboli online offers you the opportunity to climb the volcano virtually. The following information is about the «real thing».

Climbing to the top of Stromboli is, by law, severely restricted and only permitted if you join a guided tour. Guides take groups of tourists to the summit, weather permitting, on most days during the season. The booking office is below the bar «Ingrid» on San Vincenzo church square. Groups depart in the afternoon, stay on the summit until darkness and descend late at night. During the hottest season some tours also start after midnight and descend in the early morning hours.

The path is very rough, particularly on the way up, and in a group it takes at least three hours of strenuous walking. Basic equipment includes sturdy hiking boots, sun protection, wind protection for the top, flashlight for the descent in the dark and food. Guides advise to take at least one litre of drinking water. However, SOL team members never climb Stromboli with anything less than two litres each.

Please do not throw away garbage on the way up, on the top nor on the way down. This includes bio-degradables as well as a colony of rats breeds on the summit. They have become a great nuisance and they feed on garbage left by tourists.

Please allow us a word of caution: We are well aware that every year thousands of tourists climb Stromboli (illegally) on their own, and some spend all night on the summit. We are in no position to discuss the rules and laws regulating the climbing of Stromboli.

Please note, however, that any of the following things may very rapidly turn a seemingly harmless summer hike into a nightmare: The weather may change within minutes, even in summer, and fog or thunderstorms can start when least expected. Despite what «experienced» Stromboli excursionists may tell you: Explosions can throw huge bombs on Pizzo. There are no visible precursors (warning signs) prior to these events. If you want further details, here are reports on accidents relating to Stromboli and unusual eruptions. Finally there may not be another group ahead of you which you can follow down. But there are vertical cliffs near the paths in several locations.

During the descent via the ash slope of «Rina Grande» there is, unknown to most people, a risk from rock falls. Roby was caught in one of these in 1999 and he considers this one of the most frightening situations he ever experienced.