DESCRIPTION

Indigo Gazelle Tours is excited to offer an exclusive, intimate summer 2024 journey to Greece that will feature the alluring, seaside “gastronomic capital” of Thessaloniki and the “Blue Zone” longevity island of Ikaria. This slow travel + slow food experience will showcase the country’s effusive hospitality (philoxenia), Zorba-like zest for living, staggering beauty, storied history, and its trademark simple, delicious, and healthy cuisine for which this country is renowned. Indigo Gazelle’s Greece specialist, Alex Safos, and celebrity chef, author, and Mediterranean Diet Ambassador, Amy Riolo, will lead this delectable, intimate, enlightening, and picturesque tour.

This unique, off-the-beaten path itinerary is dedicated to exploring the Roman, Greek, Byzantine, and Ottoman cultural and culinary heritage of Thessaloniki  along the scenic Thermaic Gulf, and the rugged and nature-rich island of Ikaria where indigenous diet (secrets: local honey, wine, and wild herbs) and lifestyle practices (secrets: time is elastic, napping, and community) nurture an active population largely free of chronic diseases and cognitive impairment well into their 90s. This is the wellness tour for the time.

This small group experiential insiders’ tour will include hands-on cooking classes, characteristic dining, olive oil/herbal workshops, wine- and honey-tastings, Mediterranean Diet lectures, food and culture tours, and independent time for R&R, swimming, shopping, hiking, and sampling the diverse local fare (pastitsio, mousaka, hortopita, soufiko, gigantes, kathoura cheese, baklava, loukoumades, mythical wine, and clairvoyant Greek coffee). Join us and Gallop Further into a healthy lifestyle worth imitating!

INCLUDES

• Tour and Cultural Leadership Services of Alex Safos, Indigo Gazelle

• Culinary Leadership Services of Chef Amy Riolo

• In-country flight, one-way: Thessaloniki->Ikaria (1 checked bag per person included). International airfare and return travel from Ikaria is not included.

• **This tour concludes on Ikaria after breakfast on June 15th to allow travelers the option to extend their trip by visiting other islands via ferry from the port of Agios Kyrikos or returning to the Thessaloniki or Athens via air and exploring the mainland before their return to the US. Indigo Gazelle is happy to offer suggested to append to this tour.**

• All ground transportation/transfers during the tour except upon arrival in Thessaloniki

• Lodging, including taxes, in Thessaloniki and Ikaria

• Daily breakfasts in Thessaloniki and Ikaria

• Private guided cultural tour of Thessaloniki

• Admissions to sites and museums

• Private guided culinary tour of Thessaloniki

• A lecture on Thessaloniki by an acclaimed professor

• 1 lunch and 3 dinners in Thessaloniki (1/2 bottle of wine pp included for dinner)

• 4 lunches and  3 dinners in Ikaria (1/2 bottle of wine pp included for dinner)

• 1 pastry/bread-making workshop with Chef Riolo

• 1 Greek cooking class dinner with Chef Riolo

• Winery tour, tasting, and vineyard dinner in Ikaria with musical entertainment

• An olive oil and honey workshop/tasting conducted by Chef Riolo

• A culinary medicine workshop by Chef Riolo

• Presentation on “The Philosopher’s Kitchen” by Chef Riolo

• Guided excursions to Ikaria beaches and sites of note (e.g. Dionysus’ Cave, Drakano Tower)

• Gratuities for driver(s), guest speakers, and local guides

DESCRIPTION

Prefer to travel alone or in your own small group? Seeking a well-crafted, ready-made tour so you don't have to sweat the planning and details? Looking for a shorter but no less profound experience than offered on our small group tours? Indigo Gazelle, in partnership with Edible Destinations by Epitourean, has designed two fascinating and very different Morocco options for the discerning culinary and cultural traveler. One pairs the storied Imperial Cities of Fes and Marrakech, and the other combines cosmopolitan Tangier with intriguing Tetouan in the north. Both offerings are compelling and will deftly serve as Morocco introductions or extensions to existing trips if in the area.

INCLUDES

• Lodging and amenities
• Private cooking classes
• Daily breakfast, select lunches and dinners
• Guided tours
• Cultural enrichment activities
• In-country transportation

DESCRIPTION

Are you interested in creating your own small group experience to either Morocco or Greece? Are you wishing for a trip with a particular trajectory and focus--design, fashion, music, architecture, food/wine, the arts, history, shopping, spa/relaxation, or trekking, for example? Let's have an initial, complimentary discussion to see if we can shape your vision into a tailored, unique travel experience.  

INCLUDES

• To be determined based on consultation
• Fees vary by size and scope