Geography Trip to Sicily

A school trip to Italy offers your students the chance to explore Sicily, one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean!

With its varied landscapes and spectacular coastline, the island offers a geographical diversity of unspoilt seabeds and fertile volcanic slopes, making it a fascinating destination for a geography school trip.

Make sure you include a visit to Mount Etna, Europe’s tallest active volcano, and enjoy breathtaking views of the volcanic landscape from its summit.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Flight to Catania

Afternoon

Meet coach for a guided transfer to accommodation, travelling via the scenic Cyclops Riviera, where volcanic coastal landscapes surround the historic towns of Acireale and Aci Castello

Evening

Evening meal at the hotel

Day 2

Morning

Mount Etna excursion up to 2,900m and the Barbagallo Crater

Afternoon

Guided trek exploring the unique volcanic landscapes of Mount Etna

Evening

Return to hotel for evening meal

Day 3

Morning

Explore Alcantara River Park, including Alcantara Gorge, on a guided visit with a park ranger

Afternoon

Guided walking tour of Taormina, including a visit to the ancient Greek Amphitheatre

Evening

Return to hotel for evening meal or enjoy a restaurant dinner or pizza-making experience in Taormina (supplement applies)

Day 4

Morning

Transfer to airport for return flight to the UK

3 nights' half-board accommodation
Airport taxes and passenger duty at current rates
ATOL protected return flights from the UK
Detailed information pack
Free staff place ratio 1:10
Itinerary planning service
Return airport transfers in resort
Vamoos travel app - giving you access to all your trip documents on your phone or tablet
VAT at current rates to tour operators

Curriculum

A Level

Earth structure and plate tectonics
Tectonic disaster trends since 1960
Active volcanoes - eruptive activity and land formation
Human responses to natural hazards
Managing tectonic hazards - predictions and forecasting
Coastal landscape systems and features of littoral zones
Weathering, erosion and deposition
Coastal management strategies
Threats to the coastline and the impact of tourism
Fieldwork

GCSE

Plate tectonics theory
Living alongside hazards in developed countries
Management of tectonic hazards and their effects
Monitoring, prediction and protection at plate boundaries
Geomorphic processes, erosion and deposition
Distinctive coastal landforms
Impact of humans on coasts
Coastline protection schemes
Fieldwork

Key Stage 3

Geological timescales and plate tectonics
Rocks, weathering and soils
Hydrology and coasts

Primary

The water cycle
Volcanoes and earthquakes

Accommodation

Hotel Nike

Nike Hotel’s 51 guestrooms feature modern Mediterranean-style decor in white and blue; all include air conditioning (surcharge), satellite television, direct-dial phones, and hair dryers. Guests can start the day with a buffet breakfast, sunbathe on the hotel’s private beach and enjoy drinks on the terrace of the seasonal bar; the hotel provides a concierge service.

Educational Activities

Alcantara Gorges

The gorges of Alcantara are canyons of black lava walls which tower as much as 50m above the Alcantara river.

Mount Etna

Mount Etna dominates eastern Sicily at a height of 3292m and isthe highest and largest active volcano in Europe.

Siracusa/Ortygia Island

Located near the southeastern corner of Sicily on the Ionian coast, Siracusa (Syracuse) is built on an ancient Greek settlement

Stromboli

Stromboli holds Europe's biggest active volcano after Etna - the only volcano in Europe with permanently eruptive activity.

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.