What to Wear for Body Rafting at Alcantara: The Complete Kit List

Body rafting in the Alcantara Gorges takes place in water that stays between 10 and 12°C year-round. The basalt canyon is cold, wet, and physically demanding. What you wear matters — not for style, but because the wrong kit makes the experience uncomfortable or unsafe. This is the complete list of what Sicily Active provides and what you need to bring.

Sicily Active provides a full wetsuit, helmet, life jacket, and water shoes for body rafting at the Alcantara Gorges. Participants need to bring a swimsuit, flip flops, and a beach towel. Water temperature in the gorge is 10–12°C regardless of season. Keys, phone, and documents are stored in lockers at the site. Everything else should be left in the car.

✅ Provided by Sicily Active: wetsuit, helmet, life jacket, water shoes

🎒 Bring from home: swimsuit, flip flops, beach towel 🌡 Water temperature: 10–12°C year-round

🔑 Keys, phone, documents: stored in lockers

🚗 Everything else: leave in the car

What Sicily Active Provides — and Why Each Item Matters

Body rafting equipment is not optional. Every participant receives the following items before entering the gorge.

Wetsuit The wetsuit is the most important item. Water temperature in the Alcantara Gorges stays between 10 and 12°C throughout the year — significantly colder than the air temperature outside, even in July and August. Without a wetsuit, prolonged immersion in water at this temperature causes rapid heat loss. The wetsuit keeps core temperature stable throughout the activity.

Helmet The gorge involves moving through narrow basalt passages with overhead rock surfaces. The helmet protects against contact with canyon walls and rock formations during the activity. It is not negotiable.

Life jacket The life jacket provides buoyancy in deeper sections of the gorge and assists navigation through current. All participants wear one regardless of swimming ability.

Water shoes The basalt rock surface inside the gorge is uneven and slippery when wet. Water shoes provide grip on volcanic rock and protect the feet during the trekking sections inside the canyon. Standard flip flops are not suitable inside the gorge — they are for before and after the activity only.

For a full assessment of which conditions exclude participation, see our guide on body rafting at the Alcantara with a pre-existing injury.

What to Bring From Home: Three Items Only

The list of what to bring from home is short deliberately. Everything else is either provided or should be left behind.

Swimsuit Worn under the wetsuit. Bikini or one-piece — both work equally well. The wetsuit goes directly over the swimsuit, so the cut or style makes no practical difference. Avoid board shorts with pockets or padding — they add bulk under the wetsuit and reduce comfort.

Flip flops Used before and after the activity — at the entrance, changing area, and after returning from the gorge. Not used inside the canyon. Pack a pair that dries quickly.

Beach towel For drying off after the activity. A standard beach towel is sufficient. A microfibre towel is a good option if you are travelling light — it dries faster and takes up less space.

That is the complete list. Three items.

What to Leave Behind — and Where

Keys, phone, wallet, and documents go in the lockers provided at the site. Do not bring them to the gorge entrance.

Everything else — bags, clothing, extra gear — should be left in the car before arriving at the site. The changing area at the Alcantara Gorges is not a storage facility. There is no supervised bag drop. Anything you bring to the site that cannot go in a locker needs to be secured in your vehicle.

Practical checklist before entering the gorge:

• Swimsuit on ✅
• Wetsuit, helmet, life jacket, water shoes fitted ✅
• Keys, phone, documents in locker ✅
• Flip flops left at changing area ✅
• Everything else in the car ✅

For a full overview of activities at the Alcantara Gorges, visit our Alcantara Gorges page.

The Water Temperature Reality: Why 10–12°C Feels Cold Even in August

The Alcantara River originates on Etna's slopes at high altitude. By the time it reaches the gorge, the water temperature has stabilised at 10–12°C regardless of the season. Air temperature in July and August can reach 35°C at the gorge entrance. The water inside is 10°C. That gap is significant.

The wetsuit manages this difference effectively. Participants who are correctly equipped do not feel cold during the activity — the wetsuit traps a thin layer of water against the skin that warms quickly and acts as insulation.

Without the wetsuit, 10–12°C water produces cold shock within minutes. This is why the equipment list is non-negotiable and why arriving without a proper swimsuit underneath creates a problem on the day.

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