Event Details
Come and enjoy the absolute delights of these two incredibly beautiful islands, the wilder shores of Italy and France, each with its own highly developed food traditions and some great wines. We start in the old city of Cagliari, exploring the winding cobblestoned streets and delightful little restaurants as well as the bustling San Benedetto Market where all the stall-owners vie to make us feel welcome. We visit a local winery to taste some of the fabulous wines of the region and enjoy a cooking class using the freshest produce in season and learn how perfectly the local pasta fregola combines with sweet red prawns and plump mussels.
We stay in a charming little town on the west coast for a couple of nights and then settle into a luxury resort snuggled under huge peaks where we relax before sailing along the most perfect coastline in the world.
The journey from Sardinia to Corsica is just an hour by ferry and is one of the most spectacular entrances to a townā¦we sail into a secret cove to beautiful Bonifacio, with its stone ramparts and ancient town with its winding laneways and charming little squaresā¦all looking out over clifftops and blue sea. Its breath-taking! We stay in a luxury hotel overlooking the pretty port right in the old city. Weāll explore the old town with our guide Pierre, try some local restaurants for dinner and savour the delights of a new and different island.
Weāll visit our winemaking friends who produce some exceptional wines, all grown biodynamically, for a tasting and lunch then settle into Ajaccio, the capital, and Napoleonās birthplace. This is a city with real charm, a bustling produce market and some great Corsican food. Final night dinner at one of our favourite restaurants in a Corsican hill town which is the perfect place to catch the sunset and savour Corsican food that touches your heart.
So, best to fly into Cagliari via Rome and then depart from Ajaccio to Paris.
More information on our itinerary, feedback from past guests and aĀ BLOGĀ from one of our travellers.
Jan & Charles –
We loved our Sardinia/Corsica Safari. It was an immersive cultural experience with food and wine at its core. Each day we were presented with unique and varied experiences (e.g. making the famous filindeu pasta with Paula Abraimi, jet boating to a quarantine Island now a bird sanctuary to watch the sunset). Experiences we could never have done by ourselves.
Maeveās skills during such a tour, are many and varied. Besides her genuine warmth and humour, she has developed relationships with her contacts that extend beyond the purely commercial to ones of genuine friendship. As tour participants, we greatly benefited from this.
This is our second International Safari. We hope it wonāt be our last. Jan and Charles
Liz P –
Dear Maeve and Suzy, Thank you both for another wonderful safari. I can only imagine the amount of organizing that goes on behind the scenes to bring people together for a magic blend of food and wine, local art and culture and fun adventures. I hope I will have the opportunity to go on another safari in the future. Maybe Sicily and Malta š Liz P
Lisa & Gareth –
Awesome!
Gourmet Safaris have created a vibrant, action packed, food tour of Sardinia and Corsica. You could book the hotels but you canāt replicate the carefully selected food experiences, knowledge, and warm relationships developed by Maeve over a number of years. Bravo, Lisa and Gareth
Vanessa & Dean –
Thanks to you & Maeve for yet another fabulous trip!
One word – Tremendous! Thoughtfully planned trip with an exceptional balance of activities, food & fun š¤© Dean & Vanessa
Lynda B –
Sensational!
Entering my first group tour, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but the experience was nothing short of sensational. Every aspectāfrom the exquisite food and wine to the immersive cultural momentsāwas truly outstanding. We traveled extensively through Sardinia and Corsica, visiting places I had previously only dreamed of. Thanks to the deep, long-standing relationships Maeve has cultivated over the years, we were welcomed into private homes to enjoy the freshest local fare and remarkable wines. Her local guides were incredibly passionate, and their love for their heritage was infectious. It is impossible to single out a favourite moment when the entire journey was so extraordinary.” Lynda B
Alan & David –
Weāve just completed our second International Gourmet Safari – this time to Sardinia and Corsica, and it was every bit as good as our Sicily/Malta adventure last year. Travelling with Maeve is like traveling with your smart, well-connected, super organised best friend. She is generous in sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm for the food and culture of our destinations, and somehow manages to build a genuine connection with every guest. Our hotels were varied and individual, the buses were excellent and spacious (big shout out to Tommy our incredible driver), and of course every meal was an adventure. We got insights into the lives and food cultures of the regions, whether it be simple agroturismo farm meal or sitting on the terrace of a 5 star hotel with a view of the harbour. We have wonderful memories to treasure and hope we can travel with Maeve again in the future. A & D
Leanne G –
The Sardinia-Corsica gourmet safari was the best trip Iāve ever done! Every day had something unexpectedāwhether it was exploring local food markets, listening to amazing winemakers, or meeting people who truly love their food and culture. I would do another Gourmet Safari without hesitation! Leanne G.
Marg O’Shaughnessy –
The words that come to me when I think of my recent trip to Sardinia & Corsica on the Gourmet Safari is wow, wow, wow! The itinerary is a perfect blend of food experiences and learning about the culture and history that underpins it.
Maeveās connection with local guides Paula and Pierre and the respectful relationship she has with them opened up so many opportunities which would be quite difficult to access if travelling on your own. Tommy our driver was an excellent driver.
Iām not a confident cook but love food and the vibe of everyone around the table, Maeveās vivacious personality, humour and down to earth approach made each meal a delight. The Gourmet Safari exceeded my expectations and look forward to future trips.
Christine Sheppard –
What an amazing tour of Sardinia & Corsica! Each day trumped the previous one, whether it was a market tour, cooking demonstration or breathtaking sights. Maeve has well-established contacts at each stop, more friendships than business and her enthusiasm and energy are unmatched. Highly recommend A+ š
V –
What a wonderful few weeks with our new travelling family and with our fabulous guide, Maeve. Looking back over photos to share with family & friends, I realised that we covered so much territory and experienced so many different places, wine and food. It really was an exceptional time with wonderful varied accommodation to top it off. So many experiences….V
I –
It was a well organised food and cultural adventure made all the better by Maeveās local knowledge and contacts at each location.
We were spoilt with amazing food every day and great accommodation at every stop. Our fellow travellers were a fun group of like minded foodies. I
MD –
June 2023 – Wanted to check back with you and let you know how much I enjoyed the Sardinia/Corsica trip and thank you for your organization and work behind the scene.
I certainly would love to go on future trips with Maeve as I thought she was an awesome guide and the tour was just perfect. MD
Anonymous –
Click here to read a blog written by Catherine Saxelby – Foodwatch – https://foodwatch.com.au/blog/foodie-favourites/item/my-5-best-foodie-experiences-in-sardinia.html