5 days picking olives in Ikaria

Cost

Typical week

Register

The olive picking takes place in the last week of October and during the whole November. Reserve a room in our guesthouse for one or more of the above weeks and join us in the olive picking! This is an activity that is only offered to our guests.

Ikaria is a small island in the center of the Aegean, still off the radar of the tourist industry, with a unique wild nature and a mountainous terrain. For some people Ikaria is the place where people forget to die, as some studies conclude that the island belongs to the longevity zones, the blue zones: A place where people live longer than expected.

Accommodation

Each of our guests has his own private room in the Ikarian Center guesthouse. You do not share your room with other guests you do not know beforehand. You can share your room, sometimes at no extra cost, with a friend traveling with you, regardless of whether or not the friend is participating in our courses or activities. All rooms are heated, equipped with private bathroom and kitchenette and can accommodate up to two people. The center’s guest house is located right next to the course/work area, in a quiet mountain location, not far from the sea. We are located in a magical part of the island, 1.5 Km away from the settlement of Arethousa and 3 Km from the seaside Karavostamos, in direct contact with the natural environment. The view of the sea and the mountain as well as the starry sky on clear nights is enchanting. You will experience the calm and relaxation that direct contact with nature gives to a person’s daily life. The common areas of the facilities help contact with other residents, as well as isolation, thus supporting the development of a healthy sociability among the guests.

Cost

The cost includes accommodation in a private room at the Ikarian Center guesthouse, simple meals (lunch and dinner) from Monday to Saturday, free transport from the port and airport on Sundays, local transport, and activities (such as lectures and screenings, traditional dance lessons, cooking evenings, etc.

• One or two people in a private room:
  100€/overnight (€500/5 days minimum participation),

Typical week

Olive picking is combined with hiking. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday morning, depending on the weather, we orginize guided hikes on the mountains of the area.. We start 9:30. We walk for 3 – 5 hours with breaks, on paths of easy or moderate difficulty. From 15:00 to 17:00 we work on picking olives, in the olive grove of the Center.

Other activities during the week: In addition to the hikes, we organize a series of activities:

• Visits to local wineries and olive mills
• “Cooking evenings”, where we will all cook local dishes together
• Traditional dance lessons
• Lecture on local architecture and history of the island as well as oil production.
• Evenings of Greek music

The activities take place in the Center from 19:30 or 20:00 for about an hour and a half. Visits to wineries and olive mills take place during the walks.

Reservation

You can check availability and book in the last week of October or November. Check-in: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Check-out: Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Minimum booking duration, 5 days. To complete your reservation you must make a payment of 30% of the total amount, following the instructions you will receive in your email after making your reservation. Deposits are non-refundable if you cancel your reservation for any reason, but you can join the program the same year or the following year.

Are you looking for a Greek language course?

See here

7 days hiking Ikaria

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