MYCOBOTANICA: Mushrooms & Plants of Northern Greece
Spring Herbal Immersion
May 22nd-30th
Zagori Region, Greece
We will have 9 days together exploring the Zagori region in the Pindus Mountains of southern Epirus, Greece.
In collaboration with mycologist Olga Tzogas of Smugtown Mushrooms, Greek herbalist Eleni Bourou and Greek mycologists and culture-keepers, I am SO thrilled to announce MYCOBOTANICA May 2026!
Olga is Greek-American and has been bringing groups to her beloved mountains of Greece for the past 10 years to share her deep love of the ecology, culture, mushrooms and medicinal plants.
Topics & Group Activities Include
Identification of Plants, Trees &Mushrooms
Ethical Harvesting + Gathering of Plants and Mushrooms
Common uses of Mushrooms + Plants of Greece
Demystifying Taxonomy + Binomial names
Smelling Your Way Through the Forest
Blind Tea Tastings + other sensory activities
Learn how to make Botanical Hydrosols, Oxymels + Honeys
Common Greek Herbs for Immune support
Cooking wild mushrooms + local dishes + MORE!
Famous for its ancient stone villages, striking natural beauty and diverse ecology, the Zagori region is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its unique culture, geology and landscape
What we’ll be up to…
DAY 6: Pseudo-Alpine habitats + High Meadows
We'll visit open rolling high elevation meadows that are closest you’ll get to alpine in the Southern Balkans for more foraging and frolicking. Have you ever wanted to lay in a meadow surrounded by a slew of medicinal and spring ephemeral plants and flowers? This is your time! Hopefully while in this area, we also find the yummy and fruity Calocybe gamobosa mushroom. A short seasoned wild mushroom that tends to show itself in the higher meadows mid to late May…fingers crossed!
DAY 7: Lakeside foraging + Plant Processing + Wild mushroom cooking outdoors
We'll picnic alongside a gorgeous high meadow lake and explore the Beech and Black Pine forests that surround us. We'll do more foraging, processing of our herbal and fungi findings, make a feast together with the bounty, and receive teachings from local mushroom experts. We will have several mushroom tastings and flights of local cheeses!
DAY 8: Lessons from the land + Wrapping up projects
Our last full day together, we stroll our home village, finish projects, keep drying herbs + mushrooms to bring back home with us, make a collective meal and learn techniques to make the authentic food from the region. Will we be lucky to hear the klarino the last night here and learn to dance the drone-y rhythms of Epirus? Lets hope our musical friends find our mountain hideaway.
DAY 9: Grevena, The City of Mushrooms
After breakfast, we start returning back towards civilization, heading to Grevena, coined the City of Mushrooms! We'll visit the famous Fotis’ mushroom factory, explore several mushroom + herb themed shops and share our last meal together at world famous mushroom-themed restaurant.
DAY 1: Ioannina, Truffle hunt + Western Zagori
After a morning exploring the markets and cafes of the lakeside city of Ioannina, we'll head into the mountains, deeper into the Zagori region, to forage truffles with well cared for truffle dogs in the lead
DAY 2: Western Zagori - Village life, Natural Dyeing + Farm to Table Meal
We'll continue seeping into the region and spend time with a cooperative of woman working to preserve a heritage breed of sheep, dye wool with mushrooms and botanicals and share a farm-to-table meal together.
DAY 3:Vikos Gorge + Voidomatis River
This is a day of riverside walks, collecting aromatic herbs, and gazing into mesmerizing flowers. We'll make many stops along the way to gather mushrooms and plants and will visit the Vikos Gorge, Europe’s deepest gorge.
DAY 4: East side of the Vikos Gorge to Valia Calda
Today we leave our Vikos Gorge residence early and head to and through feral mountains that break tree lines for more plant foraging + mushroom hunting, immersing ourselves in the natural splendor as we travel to a new part of the Zagori region! Along this path we stop at a Botanoyiatro “Plant Doctor” homestead/museum to see and learn what famous plant medicine practitioners where up to over 100 years ago
DAY 5: Aoos watershed + fields + forests
A day to restore, retain and process, we'll go through and work with our botanical and fungal findings and make medicine, gather for more discussions, practice cooking Greek food and make a hydrosol with plants we've gathered from the land
