One-Day Tour with Wine & Food Tasting in Northern Kynouria Arcadia

Where history blends with tradition to deliver gastronomy at its finest!

Take a one-day tour of Northern Kynouria (Voria Kynouria - Βόρεια Κυνουρία) in Arcadia region in Peloponnese and experience the untapped beauty of this little corner on Earth. Unique natural landscapes and the smell of fresh oregano, thyme, lavender and cedar, blended with the aroma of home-cooked meals, will awaken your senses and tantalise your taste buds.

Where

You’ll visit Northern Kynouria an area steeped in history and tradition, spanning from the Neolithic Period all the way to the Greek War of Independence in 1821. Its name, Kynouria, derives from the Ancient Greek word for dog (kyon) and is testament to the Ancient Greeks’ love and respect for wild dogs.

Ancient ruins and UNESCO World Heritage monuments attest to the area’s glorious past. Having passed from the Byzantines, to the Slavs, the Franks, the Venetians and the Turks, Kynouria gained its independence in the mid-1800s and is now an area with a rich cultural heritage, attracting visitors from across the globe.

Υou’ll discover hidden little villages, perched on mountainsides, and taste magnificent local products and food, prepared by Greek mamas.

When

The One day tour is available all year round, Monday to Thursday. Greek official holidays are excluded.

The Experience

Visit 4 traditional villages, explore mountainous nature trails and enjoy local delicacies, with Mt. Parnonas as your backdrop.

Stop 1: Winery Visit and Local Wine Tasting

During this 2-hour activity, you’ll visit a well-known estate in one of the largest villages, known for its local produce.

Established in 1989, the estate has been staying true to its motto since day one: Good wines are produced in the winery, but fine wines are made in the vineyard! You’ll tour the vinification and wine ageing areas and the vineyards, and find out all about the indigenous varieties of Moschofilero and Agiorgitiko.

The tour concludes with a wine-tasting experience, paired with local cheeses. Whether you’re an occasional wine drinker or a seasoned expert, you’ll gain valuable insight about local wines, tasting premium labels of the latest vintage each time.

Stop 2: Tour in a Greek village and Full Lunch

This 3-hour activity is split into 2 parts.

Part 1: Coffee-shop stop and tour of the village and area

At an altitude of 1,050 meters (3,450 feet), a verdant village, known for its role during the Greek War of Independence in 1821 and its local folk museum, with exhibits highlighting the local history and tradition.

You’ll enjoy a coffee, tea or any other hot beverage and a light snack at the local coffee shop, before embarking on a tour of the village. Two locals, George and Vicky, will recount the history, legends and traditions of the village, while strolling through the cobblestone alleys.

You’ll then go on a small hike of the surrounding area, taking in the natural beauty, before returning to the village for lunch.

Part 2: Full lunch with local cuisine at the village tavern

Enjoy some of the finest meals based on traditional recipes, cooked daily by a local mama, who uses the freshest of ingredients.

In this cosy tavern, you’ll get to taste comfort food in hearty servings, by the most hospitable people you’ll ever meet. And if the weather is a bit chilly, you’ll get to enjoy all this next to the fireplace.

Meals are seasonal and include entrees, mains and dessert, washed down with local wine. There is something for everyone, including vegan and vegetarian options, while the dish of the day may include wild boar, pork with garlic and walnuts, rooster in red sauce, homemade cheese and vegetable pies, and fresh oven-baked bread.

Stop 3: Visit to an Environmental Centre, Hiking and Visit to Traditional Shop

This 3-hour activity is split into 2 parts.

Part 1: Visit to Environmental Centre and hiking

You will visit a picturesque village, listed as a traditional settlement, at an altitude of 950 metres (3,000 feet), at the foot of Mt. Parnonas.

The village has many hiking trails to choose from, some leading all the way to the top of Mt. Parnonas. The E4 European Trail also crosses through here. It is the ideal place for mountain adventurers and hiking enthusiasts.

Just outside of the village there is also the Monastery of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Malevi, a listed Natural Monument.

The village is also home to one of the two Environmental Information Centres in the area. A local tour guide will tell you all about rare and indigenous flora and fauna, types of natural habitats, and local areas of historic, religious and archaeologic interest.

The experience can be combined with activities in nature, such as exploring the Juniperus drupacea forest, a rare cedar species, unique in the entire European continent.

Part 2: Visit to traditional local shop

Discover unique local delicacies, such as walnuts, honey and aromatic herbs from Mt. Parnonas, in a traditional shop right on the central village square.

Maria, the owner, will reveal some of the secrets of local products, including trahanas (fermented milk pasta), liqueurs, homemade desserts and spoon sweets, and excellent cheeses. As a matter of fact, her sour cherry spoon sweet has received an award in a Greek contest. She’ll even let you try before you buy!

Depending on availability, you may visit her small workshop, where you can see and learn all the process of the production of the Greek local pasta!

Stop 4: Visit to a small Cheese Farm & cheese tasting in a small Greek village

You’ll visit a small local cheese-making farm, where Takis produces graviera, myzithra and feta cheese with milk from local farms. Takis will give you a tour of his farm and will explain the whole cheese-making process, from the moment the milk is received to the end product.

You’ll then enjoy a cheese tasting experience at the local cheese shop, accompanied by rusks and olives. You can even buy any of the cheeses that take your fancy.

This gastronomic one-day tour through nature concludes with a trip down Mt. Parnonas and back to the seaside town of Paralio Astros Kynourias.

Extra Gastronomic Experiences (upon request)

Wish to select your own favourite activities? Choose any experience of the One Day tour you wish or combine them with the following. Just let us know and we will come up with a tailor-made gastronomic experience just for you!

• Wild forest truffle & Mushroom hunting & lunch with chef

• Cooking class along with local chef and full traditional lunch

• Dinner & overnight stay in a traditional guesthouse or a stone-villa

• Visit to an olive grove, an olive oil mill & Olive oil tasting with a certified olive oil taster 

• Moustos Wetland - Bird watching - Tour and Observation of local fauna

• Walking tour, rock climbing and local lunch in Leonidio, Southern Kynouria

Are you a travel agency or company and are looking for a trusted, local partner?

Do you wish to build a mutual, fruitful collaboration and would like to provide one of a kind gastronomic experiences

or team building events to your travelers?

You can contact us and organize it for you in the best way possible!

Tips

To make your visit even more memorable, here are some tips:

• Wear comfortable shoes and a hat, as you’ll spend quite a bit of time outdoors.
• Notify us of any special dietary needs (e.g. vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, flexitarian, etc.)
• Notify us of any allergies (e.g. food allergies, allergies to bees, etc.)

Pricing

• Small, only private experiences of 5-6 guests: 270,00€ / per person
• Min. of guests: 2 - Max.: 12.

Contact us to request a price

• For more than 12 guests.
• For transfer services or organize your transfer from Athens city or any other place in Peloponnese and join the One day tour.

We can also design and provide tailor-made and multi-day experiences in the region of Peloponnese upon request.

Drop us a line at mamasflavours@gmail.com and together we’ll come up with a personalized gastronomic experience

just for you! 

Included in the price

• Wine tour & tasting of 5 wine labels
• Visit to a small cheese farm & cheese tasting
• Full lunch, all visits & activities of the main tour
• Greek local delicacies, coffee and drinks
• Local hosts / tour guide throughout the experience
• All taxes

Excluded from the price

• The Extra experiences may be provided upon request, depending on availability and at an extra charge
• Personal purchases from the winery and the local shops (optional)
• Tips & gratuities (optional)
• Transfer services may be provided upon request and at an extra charge

Additional info

• The One day tour experience is provided upon request and depending on availability. In case there is no availability for the day you are interested, it can be offered the next available date or choose another similar available experience after coordination.
• Transfer is needed for the One day tour experience in Northern Kynouria which is located 1 hour and 45' away from Kalamata. Please inform us if you have your own transfer. In other case, we can arrange it with our partners at an extra cost.
• In case the specific winery has no availability, the wine tour and tasting takes place in another available winery in the areas of Arcadia or Nemea.
• The cheese farm tour is only open June to November. Cheese tasting is available all year round.
• Availability: Monday to Thursday. For Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays, please contact us to check availability.
• Holy Friday - Easter Tuesday and Greek official holidays are excluded.
• Wish to participate in one of the experiences of the One day tour or only in our extra gastronomic experiences or even add them to your One day tour? Just send us and email and we will get back to you with a tailor-made experience just for you!
• Meeting point & time: The meeting point is arranged after coordination. Meeting time: 09:00 a.m.
• Return time: 18:00 p.m. - 18:30 p.m.
• Languages: English & Greek. Other languages can be provided at an extra charge.
• Family friendly.
• Wheelchair accessible: 80%.

Bookings & payment

• Bookings: In order to organize your experience in the best way, the booking and the full payment must be made the latest 8 days before.
• For booking less than 8 days or last minute requests, please contact us via email to check availability.
• When the booking and the transaction are completed, the experience is officially confirmed by Mama's flavours through email.
• All payments can be made through our booking engine, bank transfer (you can contact us via email for this option) or Paypal.
• Cash is not accepted.

Cancellation policy

• Mama’s flavours reserves the right to postpone the One day tour due to bad weather. If the tour is postponed, no refund is given but, the experience is conducted the next available date and after coordination.
• For cancellations from our guests, there is no refund regardless of cancellation status but, you may choose a next available date.
• All sales final.

Mama's flavours philosophy

Our scope is to provide our guests - travelers a high quality personalized and authentic local experience that goes above and beyond their expectations. For this reason, we prefer to organize private experiences to couples, friends and families. This applies also for larger groups for e.g. a group of friends or a team building events. 

When you, our guest, book one or more of our gastronomic experiences, the day is dedicated to you, your friends and your beloved ones. With this way, we enjoy a beautiful day together and at the end we say goodbye as friends!

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