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Trek for Troops 3 Volcanoes Italy 2019 charity challenge for military and veteran charities Dream Challenges

Trek For Troops - 3 Volcanoes Italy 2019

Challenge level: 4 out of 5

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When can I go?

22 April - 27 April 2019 On Sale
Duration 6 days

What does it cost?

Registration fee (payable today) Info £299
Remaining amount
Total commitment Info

Trek For Troops - 3 Volcanoes Italy 2019

Conquer three of Italy’s epic volcanoes in five days on the first ever Trek for Troops challenge.

Starting in Pompeii with a climb up Mount Vesuvius, we go on to tackle the island volcano of Stromboli and top off our challenge by summitting the 3,345m Mount Etna. Guided by volcano experts, who know the best routes, this trek is tough but well worth it! You’ll be staggered by the unending panoramas, the incredible camaraderie and the mountainous sense of achievement. It’s truly ash-tonishing!

Trek For Troops

For this volcanic Trek For Troops challenge, you can support a UK-registered military or veteran charity of your choice and give something back to all the heroes who've done so much for the UK and other countries across the globe.

You can either fundraise or self-fund with a personal donation to your chosen charity. The Dream Challenges event team will be here and on hand to answer any questions that you might have to help you achieve your challenge of a lifetime. 

Your itinerary

Day 1
London - Naples, Pompeii

After a flight from London to Naples, we transfer to our hotel in southwestern Italy. There, we have a delicious dinner of Italian cuisine, before our tour manager gives us a briefing of the volcanic challenge ahead.

Day 2
Naples, Pompeii - Stromboli | approx. 2 hours walking

This morning, we walk to Pompeii for a guided tour of its famous burial site. An eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 left the city and many of its citizens preserved in ashes. We then travel to that very volcano and trek to the summit at 1,167m above sea level, where we’re rewarded with staggering views of the crater and the surrounding area. After returning to our hotel, we have about an hour’s transfer to Naples Ferry Terminal for an overnight ferry, where we have dinner onboard.

Day 3
Stromboli | approx. 5. 5 hours trekking

Our ferry drops us off this morning on Stromboli, just North of Sicily. From here, we have about a five-minute walk with our bags to our hotel, where we have breakfast. We then have a free morning with lunch also at the hotel, before meeting our licensed volcano guides to climb our second volcano, Mount Stromboli, later in the day so we’ll get a better view of the distant eruptions. This 924m beauty is, unlike Mt Vesuvius, still active, but there’s no need to worry: our guides will ensure a safe trek. To quote the troops we’re trekking for, just keep calm and carry on. At the summit, we watch the amazing eruptions in the part darkness and we have some time to take in the stunning panoramas of the surrounding sea, before descending to our hotel.

Day 4
Stromboli – Sicily, Giardini Naxos

Today, we take a ferry to Milazzo, a large town on the mainland of Sicily. There, we transfer by coach to our hotel in Giardini Naxos, where we’ll be staying for the next two nights. We then journey on to spend the afternoon in Taormina. Here you’re free to get your own lunch and explore the beautiful hilltop town, with amazing 300BC Greek ruins and plenty of shops. Later, our coach takes us back to our hotel in Giardini Naxos for a briefing on tomorrow’s trek up Mount Etna.

Day 5
Giardini Naxos | approx. 8 hours walking

Our last day of trekking is tough but well worth it. We start with a coach transfer to the North-East side of Mount Etna at 1,900m above sea level, where we meet our Volcanologist guides and Mount Etna experts. This side of the mountain has much better scenery and has less tourists than the South side, where the cable car is. We pass extinct craters and lava flows as we climb around 1,400m to the summit at 3,345m above sea level. To put this into perspective, Ben Nevis in Scotland, Britain’s highest mountain, is 1,345m above sea level! On our way up, we stop to enjoy lunch and see the Mount Etna observatory. Once we summit, we take some moments to marvel at our great feat and the unforgettable views, before descending to a mountain lodge for our celebration dinner. Our coach then takes us back down to Giardini Naxos, where we continue our celebration at a beach front bar, having completed a truly extraordinary challenge.

Day 6
Giardini Naxos – Catania – London

We transfer to Catania airport for our flight home to London.

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Funding options

Sponsorship

Pay a non-refundable registration fee and then commit to fundraising a minimum sponsorship amount for your chosen military or veteran charity.

£2,390

Minimum sponsorship target

  • Pay a non-refundable registration fee and then commit to fundraising a minimum sponsorship target for a military or veteran charity of your choice.
  • Your charitable funds must be paid in 10 weeks before your challenge starts.
  • In return, everything for the challenge is provided – flights (not including airport taxes and the fuel surcharge), food, accommodation, transfers, guides, medical and technical support.
  • The more money you raise for the challenge, the higher the percentage of funds that directly support the work of your chosen charity.
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Self Funded

Cover your tour costs and the registration fee yourself and then fundraise as much as you can for the military or veteran charity of your choice with no minimum target.

£1,195

Pay the balance

  • Pay a non-refundable registration fee, which is used to administer the challenge and secure your seats with the airline.
  • Pay the challenge costs (plus airport taxes and fuel surcharge) yourself, 10 weeks before your challenge starts.
  • Choose to fundraise as much as you can for the military or veteran charity of your choice, or make a personal donation.
  • In return, everything for the challenge is provided – flights (not including airport taxes and the fuel surcharge), food, accommodation, transfers, guides, medical and technical support.
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FAQs
Trek For Troops - 3 Volcanoes Italy 2019

This challenge is not designed for Olympic athletes – it is designed for people looking for an amazing goal to train and get fit for. A number of the people who will take part on this challenge will have little or no fitness level when they sign up, but we strongly recommend that you do train for the challenge. We will provide you with an achievable training plan well ahead of time so you'll be ready and raring to go by the challenge start date. It is worth noting that the third climb on Day 5 of this challenge is particularly tough and won't be suitable for people with heart conditions or mobility issues. This challenge is the perfect motivation to get fit, lose weight and have an experience of a lifetime.

Please don't be! The majority of people will sign up for Trek for Troops on their own. Once you've signed up for the challenge, we'll send you a link to a private Facebook group for everyone registered for the Trek for Troops -3 Volcanoes Italy 2019. Please feel free to use this space to swap questions, advice and updates with your fellow trekkers on your training and fundraising. You may also want to reach out to the fellow participants in this group to see if there's anyone in your local area you can meet up to train and fundraise with.

Absolutely not! One of the amazing things about the challenge is that people of all ages will come together to do something very special. The age range is likely to be from 18 to 75.

You will need a good pair of hiking boots, warm waterproof clothing and water bottles or a camel back type hydration system. Apart from that, no specialist equipment is required. We will supply a full kit list before you go.

We will stay in hotels for the duration of this challenge.

Porters will carry your luggage, food and water so you will only need to carry a small day pack containing essential accessories and equipment.

Yes of course! If you wish to extend your stay you will need to come out of our group flights (and of course we would deduct the cost from your balance).

In addition to paying your registration fee you will need to budget for your airport taxes and the fuel surcharge (should be no more than £150 and subject to change), personal travel insurance, visa, gratuities, optional tours and personal expenses.

You will need to take out your own personal travel insurance covering health, accident, loss and repatriation. Dream Challenges has a recommended policy, which we will send you the details of. You can however take out your own insurance providing it covers you for a charity trek in Italy. Each participant needs to organise their own tourist visa if needed. Currently, UK citizens don't require a visa to enter Italy. If this changes, we will let you know and provide you with all the information you need. 

The Dream Challenges team are here to help you achieve your challenge and will support you all the way. We are on hand from the minute you sign up to answer any questions that you may have about your training or the challenge itself. Once you have registered we will send you a realistic training programme to help you get fit for the event. The programme builds up gradually as the event gets closer.

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