Truffle Hunting
Truffle Hunting
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1-2 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
216 reviews
Excellent
191
Very good
17
Average
3
Poor
4
Terrible
1
Nadja T
2 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
Nikola is such a sweet and down to earth guy! He has a huge amount of experience and it shows. This dogs are super cute and they are so good at their job! Don’t be put off by the chance they won’t find truffles, even if they don’t you‘ll have an amazing time and Nikola is honest about what you can expect. Truffles are a rare find so that makes it all the more special if they find something but this experience is all about the technique he uses.
I highly recommend to ask Nikola to take you to Dean’s winery after the tour, the wines taste spectacular and you get to taste some simple yet delicious truffle dishes too!
I highly recommend to ask Nikola to take you to Dean’s winery after the tour, the wines taste spectacular and you get to taste some simple yet delicious truffle dishes too!
Written June 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
jenweyler
Shrewsbury, MA64 contributions
Sep 2022
We recently visited Istria and were lucky enough to have gotten a truffle tour with Nikola Tarandek and it was one of the highlights of our 5 day visit. Nikola is very funny, and entertained us while teaching us. His dogs are so sweet, and so well-trained. Nikola makes it clear that he can't guarantee that we will find truffles, but his dogs are so good they managed to find two white truffles in the hour we spent on tour, even thought the dry conditions made it a tough truffle season.
Written September 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
George S
Chesapeake City, MD3 contributions
Jun 2022 • Friends
We enjoyed a full morning learning about and experiencing the unique experience of hunting for Istria’s famous white and black truffles from local guide Nikola Taradek. Nikola met us at the town of Livade, known for its truffles ( they even have a small monument honoring white truffles in the main town roundabout) and led us to a nearby forest where he and his dogs Mala and Zara led us on a hunt and showed us how they locate and dig up the truffles.
If you come during the season when truffles flourish, you are sure to find them. During the off season, Nikola, Mala, and Zara can demonstrate how the dogs’ keen sense of smell and special training allow them to find these buried forest gourmet gems.
Over and above the wealth of knowledge about this much desired fungus, Nikola enlivens each tour with a quick and ready wit, a disarming self-deprecating humor, and. True desire to ensure everyone on the hunt leaves with pleasant memories of excursion. Nikola also proved a ready source of excellent recommendations fir local restaurants and shops one might not find on the beaten tourist paths
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Nikola snd his smiling dogs. Ten/ten would do this again
If you come during the season when truffles flourish, you are sure to find them. During the off season, Nikola, Mala, and Zara can demonstrate how the dogs’ keen sense of smell and special training allow them to find these buried forest gourmet gems.
Over and above the wealth of knowledge about this much desired fungus, Nikola enlivens each tour with a quick and ready wit, a disarming self-deprecating humor, and. True desire to ensure everyone on the hunt leaves with pleasant memories of excursion. Nikola also proved a ready source of excellent recommendations fir local restaurants and shops one might not find on the beaten tourist paths
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Nikola snd his smiling dogs. Ten/ten would do this again
Written June 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
DogTourist
DC5 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
Fantastic experience with Nikola and some of his dogs (Doki, Mali, Zara). He’s a friendly, personable and warm person who truly loves his dogs as family members (beware not all truffle hunters are ethical or kind to their dogs). The experience itself was wonderful, getting the chance to see the dogs work. We even were able to find a small white truffle (which we later had prepared and ate at Mondo restaurant) despite weather making for poor truffle season this year. He is genuine, doesn’t plant a truffle for dogs to find during tour to trick you into thinking they always get truffles. But you can test the dogs’ ability by planting a truffle he gives you and placing somewhere they don’t know and watching how quickly they can find it. The dogs and Nikola are truly amazing and awesome. Such a wonderful experience you’ll remember for a lifetime.
Written September 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Shannon M
San Diego, CA78 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
Authenticity! Nickola and his adorable dogs Zara and Mala took us romping through the fairy tale forest of Istria on an authentic truffle hunting experience. We learned about black vs white truffles, why they’re so hard to find, and then found some (thanks to the dogs!). Nickolas, this engineer turned naturist, was wonderful. Highly recommend! If teens can have fun then so can anyone!
Written July 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Simon Lok
3 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
Truffle hunting with Nikola Tarandek is an amazing experience. A brief intro at the edge of the forest followed by an amazing truffle hunt through the forest itself with his dogs yielded numerous truffles. I highly recommend this experience.
Written July 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
COSCork
London, UK11 contributions
Jun 2022
This was a nice experience we participated as a couple and a 7 year old boy. Our son loved it. Nikola speaks excellant English and we learned a lot. He kindly called a restaurant for us so we could eat nearby. He also changed dogs when the first two didnt manage to find truffles and we were very impressed then at how good Nero was. Definitely worth doing.
Written June 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Pascal B
Kapellen, Belgium2 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
We had a lovely afternoon of truffle hunting with Nikola and his two dogs Nero and Zara. It was very exciting to see the dogs at work, and they found quite a few black truffles in the woods. Nikola suggested a great restaurant where we could do some tasting of dishes with truffle and it was topped off with shavings of a truffle that we found!
Written July 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helene6p
3 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
We had a great experience with Nikola. We found a little white truffle only a few minutes after entering the forest; it was small enough that he let us keep it after the tour so we could enjoy it. We also found a few others even though he said it was not a great year. His dogs were nice. Furthermore, he showed us great place tu buy amazing olive oil, and thanks to him, we had a nice price to Zigante restaurant (Michelin restaurant cooking truffles -50 euros per person)
Written October 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
gbix
Hertfordshire5 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
A wonderful afternoon spent with Nikola and his two dogs in the Istrian forests. Communication was good throughout and he met us punctually in Livade. His two dogs, a German pointer and an Italian Lagotta were adorable and clearly enjoyed working with Nikola. He explained they were young and not his best dogs - but they did great on the day. He also explained that some days you don’t find any truffles but we were fortunate enough to watch the dogs find a handful.
After the hunt, he took as to a very sweet, traditional winery where we enjoyed some local wine and scrambled egg with truffle.
Nikola was knowledgeable, engaging and full of good humour.
Five star!
After the hunt, he took as to a very sweet, traditional winery where we enjoyed some local wine and scrambled egg with truffle.
Nikola was knowledgeable, engaging and full of good humour.
Five star!
Written June 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Syazana
10 contributions
Does anyone know how long the tours are? And what times?
Nikola T
Motovun, Croatia2 contributions
The length of the tour is minimum 1 hour but you can be in the forest how long you want to be.
You just need to let me know when you will like to come day/date and then we will settle a time for the tour.
kasbahcharlie
United Kingdom2 contributions
Hi Nikola
Do you have availability for two adults next week and, if so, how much would it be? Thanks
Nikola T
Motovun, Croatia2 contributions
Hi there,
I'm available for Truffle hunt tour next week you just need to let me know when you will like to come and then we will settle a time for Truffle hunt tour.
The cost of the tour is 60Euro total so 30 Euro each of you.
You can have also degustation of same meals with truffles and cost of this is 10Euro per person.
Also you can have honey olive oil and wine tasting and all of this is for free.
The meeting point is in the village Livade 3km away from Motovun.
My phone +385 91 569 6835
Kind regards
Trufflehunting Nikola Tarandek
Hi Nikola,
We are two adults and one child and would be interested to go truffle hunting tomorrow. Are you available and how much is it for the three of us?
Nikola T
Motovun, Croatia2 contributions
Hi there,
Tomorrow I'm available for Truffle hunt tour between 12pm and 6pm so you can choose when you will like to come.
The cost of the tour is 60Euro total.
You can have also degustation of same meals with truffles and cost of this is 10Euro per person.
The meeting point is in the village Livade 3km away from Motovun.
My phone +385 91 569 6835
I'm using Viber and What's Up
Kind regards,
Trufflehunting NikolaTarandek
Nina E
Graz, Austria
Hello :)
We are 4 adults and 1 child, How much is the price for the truffle hunting for all together?
Greetings
Nina
Nikola T
Motovun, Croatia2 contributions
Hi,
The cost of the tour is 70Euro total so 17.50Euro each of you and for child is free.
You can have also degustation of same meals with truffles and cost of this is 10Euro per person.
Also you can have honey, olive oil and wine tasting and all of this is for free.
Thanks,
Kind regards
Trufflehunting Nikola Tarandek
Claudine P
2 contributions
Hi I’m visiting Rovinj in Oct2019. How do I get in touch with Nikola’s team for Truffle Hunting?
Nikola T
Motovun, Croatia2 contributions
Hi there,
I'm Nikola so you can contact me here or by my email which you have here on TripAdvisor or my phone +385 91 569 6835
I'm using Viber and What's Up
Thanks,
Best regards,
Nikola Tarandek/Truffle
FellowTraveler761389
1 contribution
Hi Nicola-
We are coming to Croatia on June 20, 2019. Is there truffle hunting to be done or is it better in the fall months? Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Susie
Nikola T
Motovun, Croatia2 contributions
Hi Susie,
June is ok for Truffle hunt because then is a season of black truffle.
I'm available for Truffle hunt tour June 20th.
The meeting point is in the village Livade 3km away from Motovun.
The cost of the tour is 70Euro total.
You can have also degustation of same meals with truffles and cost of this is 10Euro per person.
Also you can have honey, olive oil and wine tasting and all of this is for free.
Kind regards,
Nikola Tarandek/Truffle
Isabelle T
Montréal87 contributions
Bonjour! Est-ce que cette activité est disponible en tout temps? J'y vais fin juin, il sera possible de faire l'activité? Merci!
Nikola T
Motovun, Croatia2 contributions
Hi there,
I'm available for Truffle hunt tour in June.
You can choose when you want to come day/date and time between 9am until 6pm each day.
The meeting point is in the village Livade 3km away from Motovun.
My phone +385 91 569 6835
I'm using Viber and What's Up
Kind regards,
Nikola Tarandek/Truffle
Annie L
Canada11 contributions
Hello there, read some good comments about Truffle Hunting and can anyone please tell me how to contact Nicola to arrange this tour ?
Levitova Irina
Moscow, Russia11 contributions
Enjoy your hunting!!!
Nikola Tarandek, founder
+385 91 569 68 35
CaliforniaEllen
home27 contributions
My husband and I will be traveling from Zagreb to Dubrovnik for 16 days in June. We plan to spend 4-5 days in Roving. While in that area we would like to do 1-2 truffle hunts andone with Nikola. We have always had the black lab breed of dog and thought this would be fun. I want to also go to olive oil farms and goat farms. Can you tell me how I go about contacting Nikola. I tried to email thru the site but no response. I don't know if I need to reserve prior to our visit. We live in California and am so excited about our upcoming trip. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you Ellen
Hi Ellen,
I'm available for truffle hunt in June.
You just need to let me know when you will like to come day/date and then we will settle time for tour.
The meeting point is in village Livade 3km away from Motovun.
The cost of the tour is 60Euro total so 30Euro each of you.
You can have also degustation of same meals with truffles and cost of this is 10Euro per person.
Also you can have honey, olive oil and wine tasting and all of this is for free.
My phone +385-91-569-6835
Warm regards from Motovun,
Nikola Tarandek /Truffle
Fletchsc
Delray Beach, FL23 contributions
Do you get to keep the truffles that you find?
SmilingBreeze
Boston, MA52 contributions
No. We got to taste a bit of a fresh truffle, that was fantastic. But no, if the dogs find a large truffle, it goes to market in care of the guide.
Truffle Hunting (Motovun) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Truffle Hunting
- We recommend booking Truffle Hunting tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 3 Truffle Hunting tours on Tripadvisor
- Hotels near Truffle Hunting:
- (1.60 mi) Villa Borgo B&B
- (0.50 mi) Villa Alba in Livade
- (0.50 mi) Villa Aurora in Livade
- (1.62 mi) Hotel Kastel
- (1.03 mi) B&B Zigante
- Restaurants near Truffle Hunting:
- (1.58 mi) Montona Gallery
- (1.60 mi) Konoba Mondo
- (1.60 mi) Pod Napun
- (1.04 mi) Zigante
- (4.58 mi) Agroturizam Nezic