13 days | 12 nights: june 7 - 19, 2019
genuine greece: cuisine, culture, & wellness
DESCRIPTION
This novel journey will showcase Greece's effusive hospitality, Zorba-like zest for living, staggering beauty, incredible history, contemporary challenges--and its trademark simple, delicious, and healthy cuisine--for which this country is renowned. Indigo Gazelle's Greece expert, Alex Safos, and celebrity chef, author, and Mediterranean Diet advocate, Amy Riolo, will lead this delectable, intimate, enlightening, and picturesque tour.
This unique, off-the-beaten path itinerary includes: cosmopolitan, pulsing Athens, with its iconic Acropolis, world-class museums, gamut of cafes and gourmet-to-street food eateries, and spirit of perseverance; the fabled, scenic nearby island of Samos, birthplace of Hera; the philosopher, Epicurus; and famous mathematician but lesser-known "Father of Vegetarianism in the West," Pythagoras; and the “Blue Zone” island of Ikaria, rugged and wild in the northeast Aegean, where indigenous diet (secret: honey) and lifestyle practices (secret: time is elastic) nurture an active population largely free of chronic diseases and cognitive impairment well into their 90s.
This experiential insiders’ expedition will include hands-on cooking classes, wine-tastings, characteristic dining, olive oil/spice workshops, culinary lectures, cultural enrichment encounters, and independent time for R&R, swimming, shopping, antiquities touring, and sampling the diverse local fare (pastitsio, hortopita, soufiko, gigantes, gyros+fries á la Grecque, baklava, loukomades, outstanding wine, and clairvoyant Greek coffee). Join us and Gallop Further into this legendary culture through its sincere food and people!
INCLUDES
- Tour and Cultural Leadership Services
- Culinary Leadership Services
- Lodging and amenities
- In-country transportation
- Private cooking classes (multi-course, pastry, and bread-making)
- Admissions to UNESCO World Heritage sites and tours
- Daily breakfasts and select lunches and dinners
- Winery tour and tasting
- Insider's culinary tour of Athens
- Olive oil workshop and tasting
- Culinary medicine workshop
- Private musical performance and dancing
- Cultural enrichment activities
12 Days | 11 Nights: march 27 - April 7, 2019
moroccan fantasy: Souqs, kasbahs, & oases
DESCRIPTION
This extraordinary springtime expedition to Morocco will reveal the cultures, colors, sensations, hospitality--and its trademark savory & sweet cuisine--for which this North African country is renowned. Indigo Gazelle's Morocco expert, Alex Safos, and celebrity chef, author, and culinary diplomat, Amy Riolo, will lead this delicious, intimate, enlightening, and adventurous tour. Are you longing for fantasy? Climb aboard our 2019 "Marrakech Express"!
This multi-layered itinerary will traverse: cosmopolitan and complex Casablanca; “The Rose City” of Marrakech with its African, frontier-like spirit, glamorous panache, and storied Djemaa el Fna or “Square of the Dead”; a spectacular journey across the Tizi n’ Tichka pass through the High Atlas Mountains to southern Morocco with its alluring oases, ksars, and kasbahs including the cinematic Aït Benhaddou, further to Ouarzazate with its Hollywood sets, on to the iconic and lush Skoura Oasis then back to Marrakech for a finale in its palmeraie outside the city.
This experiential insiders expedition will include hands-on cooking classes, characteristic dining, a spice and olive oil workshop, guest lectures, guided tours to UNESCO World Heritage sites, and independent time for relaxation, shopping and sampling the country’s diverse local fare (tagines, b’stilla, couscous, rustic breads, honey-drenched pastries, succulent olives, fresh oranges, preserved lemons, sweet almonds, countless dates, reputable wine, and ever-flowing mint tea). Also--incomparable starlight, a requisite camel ride, Gnawa music, souq bargaining, and buzzy glam mixed with dreamy palm frond quiet. Amp up your dream reel and join us for this exclusive small group tour. Gallop Further into this mesmerizing culture and discover its amazing food, geography, and people!
INCLUDES
- Tour and Cultural Leadership Services
- Culinary Leadership Services
- Round-trip economy class flights from/to Washington, Dulles to Casablanca/from Marrakech
- Lodging and amenities
- Private in-country transportation
- Private cooking classes
- Guest speakers
- Admissions to UNESCO World Heritage sites and tours of kasbahs and palmeries
- Guided tour of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
- Guided tour of the Marrakech medina
- Admission to Yves Saint Laurent Museum & Jardin Majorelle
- Daily breakfasts and most lunches and dinners
- Insider's culinary tour of Marrakech's Djemaa el Fna at night
- Olive oil workshop and tasting
- Spice workshop
- A camel ride amidst an oasis
- Private musical performance
- Cultural enrichment activities
7 Days | 6 Nights, Year-round, based on availability
independent curated tours
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
3-14 days, Year-round, based on availability
customized experiences
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