Rifugio Sapienza to Etna summit craters and back

Hi there,
I am trying to explore the possibility of travelling from Catania to Sapienza Rifugio in the 0830 bus, then climb all the way to Etna summit craters and then back at Sapienza Rifugio before 1630 to catch the bus back to Catania.
I will be visiting at the end of April.

Here are my questions:

1) If I manage to climb to Torre Del Filosofo (thanks to your gpx files ), can I find a guide there just to visit the Summit craters ? I am not sure if you guys offer any such service. Do you?

2) I am natively from the Himalayas, trekking long distances is a way of life in the mountains, so I sont think I will find the hike very difficult . Although, I am not sure how different is the soil at the slopes of etna , so I sont know how easy or difficult is to climb or descend there. Do you think my plan to do it all in the small time window I have is an overambitious or silly plan :silly: ?

Thanks a lot for any help,
Cheers ,
Manu.

Hi Manu,
sorry for my late reply. I think you have enough time to rise and descend. The slopes are easy to walk, the ground is "sandy", covered by volcanic ash.
The only "issues" could be:
1) I'm not sure you will find guides for the last stretch of the route, due to low season. In this case, some tourists walk to the top on their own, at their own risc
2) snow could still be present

Kind regards

Bruno