Oct 10, 2024
Fabulous tour and tasting experience - The experience was fabulous - we started with a tour around the olive grove, which was beautiful, and Nikos taught us all about how the olive trees are cared for and olive oil production in the town. We then went to the factory where olive oil in the local area is produced, and Yannis ran us through the factory process from start to finish. Both were incredibly knowledgeable guides, and the way the olive oil production works is genuinely very interesting. We then had a delicious meal, learning how to make a couple of the dishes, and introduction to olive oil tasting. All in all it was a lovely way to spend the day and a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable experience. Thank you to Nikos and his family for their hospitality!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 1, 2024
It’s all about happiness - Avoiding the crowds of big Attractions for the Eleven Holidays, we head to Crete, Greece, the birthplace of European civilization. I was lucky enough to discover the National Geographic Recommended trip to Olive. As Nikos walked in his footsteps, we strolled through the olive groves, listened to him tell the history of olive trees, how to grow happy ones, tasted Raki, a local specialty wine, under 500 years of olive trees, learned how to make high-quality olive oil, and learned how to identify and taste high-quality olive oil, as well as how to make Greek specialities. I'm told it has one of the longest lifespans in the world and has a lot to do with the Cretan diet. It was a memorable and relaxing Trips, thanks especially to Nikos and his mother for their hospitality!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 23, 2024
Best tour !! - We had the best experience visiting The Olive Trail and our tour guide Nikos was amazing and full of knowledge explaining the harvesting and pressing of the olives.
The process and love that goes into olive oil (the juice of the fruit) is unbelievable.
Thank you Niko and the lovely ladies Despina & Maria for the traditional Cretan food that you cooked for us.
Enjoyed the sampling of the different olive oils and the knowledge in choosing a good virgin olive oil.
Niko definitely made this an experience we will never forget 🫒
Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting
Crete 🥰
Aphrodite & Rino
Australia 🇦🇺
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 18, 2024
Best day of our week in Crete! - I cannot rate this experience high enough! Nikos was an amazing tour guide; knowledgeable, friendly and so authentic. The experience itself was also amazing.
It started with a tour through the olive groves, where Nikos taught us about the history of olive oil farming in the area, and about the specific type of olive they grew. It was a very hot day, but we stayed in the shade and there was a beautiful breeze blowing through the olive trees! We stopped half way under a grove of trees, and sat and chatted while eating olives and drinking raki!
After this, we headed to the factory where the local co-operative makes their olive oil. We were shown the process of making olive oil, and where the problems can lie. The factory was amazing and huge! We saw the whole process, from raw olives to bottling at the end.
After this Nikos took us to grab some waters and then we headed off to his family's garden. Here we prepared some Cretan food using olive oil, with the help of his lovely mother Maria! We then sat under the shade of an olive tree and listened to the cicadas whilst we ate and drank and chatted. It was beautifully peaceful and the perfect end to the trip!
As I said, I can't recommend this experience enough. It was a beautiful day, and the highlight of our whole holiday! If you have the chance to go on The Olive Trail, I would definitely go!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 13, 2024
Amazing Olive Experience - A very interesting and informative tour about the history and use of the olive. We also enjoyed the cooking class and the tasting of the olive oil. Nicos and Janis love working with the olive trees and are there with heart and soul. Top was also the German tour guide Irena. The time in the beautiful vegetable garden has passed with very good explanations, food and raki. We had a very nice and eventful day, which we would like to repeat at any time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 5, 2024
Great day! - We had an amazing trip, starting by walking through the olive groves, seeing the factory and learning about the process of harvesting olives, before tasting a variety of olive oils and ending the trip making some delicious food - I would really recommend this tour as you visit crete!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jun 14, 2024
A quintessential Cretan experience - We had such a great experience with Nikos on The Olive Trail yesterday. He has an unrivalled knowledge and passion for olive oil and we left feeling like experts! We joined the tour halfway through, and Nikos and his family were so accommodating to our needs (being pregnant in 38 degrees), looking after us and cooking a delicious meal in their garden under the olive trees. Felt like the quintessential Cretan experience and we’d highly recommend it! Plus his olive oil is fantastic so make sure you buy a tin.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jun 7, 2024
Wow. Amazing trip - a true local experience - An amazing full day trip. Host Nikos was so friendly, passionate and informative.
Really understood about Olive trees, the oil making process and how sophisticated it is.
The extraction plant was very interesting and the guide very knowledgeable and again passionate.
Finally had a small gathering lunch - with cooking lesson at Nikos family Olive plot. Food amazing and so fresh and tasty.
Did some Virgin olive oil tasting - really interesting and very educational.
Fantastic day. Definitely recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 13, 2024
The Olive Trail - a definite must if you’re in Eastern Crete. - This was definitely a highlight of my tour. Starting off in an olive grove Nikos passionately talked about the agriculture, pruning, and the harvesting of olives. We then visited the olive mill where we learnt the intricate process of producing olive oil, thank to Yiannis who was equally passionate about this liquid gold. Finally we headed off to Nikos’ grove for olive oil tasting and where his mother and mother-in-law cooked the most delicious lunch using, olive oil of course. Highly recommended for all.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 5, 2024
Exceptional Olive oil excursion - Nikos was exceptionally knowledgeable and passionate about olive oil.
We learnt so much.
First a walk through the olive trees with Nikos and then to the olive press where Yannis explained in much detail the process of making oil from this fruit.
Lunch in the family grove with the most delicious lunch made by Nikos’s mother.
A wonderful day, I can highly recommend a visit and tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
