Ukrainian Scent and Taste Adventure Tour

Please join us on an exciting adventure in the spellbindingly beautiful region of Transcarpathia. Located in western Ukraine, Transcarpathia is famous for its mountains, wild flowers, artisanal crafts and food. We are partnering with Victoria Frolova of Bois de Jasmin (https://boisdejasmin.com) to immerse you in Ukrainian scents and tastes. Originally from Ukraine, Victoria is a professionally trained perfumer and a journalist based in Brussels. She conducts fragrance seminars around the world and her writing appears in The New York Times Magazine, ELLE, and The Financial Times.

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Over 8 days, you will learn the basics of perfumery and perfume creation, hone your sense of smell, discover delicious local cuisine, enjoy nature and become immersed in Ukrainian art and culture.

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We will travel from the capital city of Kyiv all the way west to the historical city of Lviv, and along our journey we will cook, eat, smell, have fun and discover Ukraine's many treasures, from UNESCO heritage sites to smoked pears!

Experienced local guides will be on hand to help ensure your holiday runs smoothly and is full of wonderful and unique experiences.

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Dates: 7th  to 14th of June 2023

Cost: from £2300 per person, fully inclusive, excluding flights to Ukraine. The price is based on 2 people sharing a room. Single supplement is £500

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To book a place, or to find out more, please email us at info@experienceukraine.co.uk and put boisdejasmin@yahoo.com in CC.

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Detailed itinerary

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Day 1 Kyiv

We will meet you in Kiev and join the whole group for dinner at the Crimean Tatar restaurant. We will take an overnight train to Mukachevo. Traveling on an overnight train in Ukraine is one of my favorite childhood memories, and I still try to do it whenever I have the chance.

 

Day 2 Mukachevo-Nyzhnie Selyshche

Arriving to Mukachevo, we will have a picnic meal near a beautiful lake. Then we will head to the village of Nyzhnie Selyshche where we will check into the Shargo Rigo guesthouse.

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After settling in and resting, we will start the food part of our adventure by participating in a varenyky masterclass. Varenyky are boiled Ukrainian dumplings, which can be sweet or savory. You can help and learn, or you can watch. Either way, plan on devouring plenty of dumplings.

 

Day 3 Nyzhnie Selyshche

We will start our day with a perfume workshop learning how to smell and how to distinguish aromas. This skill is essential to savor your food better and simply to enjoy life more fully, and yet many people aren't taught to use their noses. Do you know that smelling is a complex workout for the brain? So you'll be given a full session and I guarantee that even after this first workshop, you'll know how to rely on your sense of smell better.

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After lunch, we will explore the village in traditional horse-drawn carriages, visit the local organic cheese farm and see how cheese is made. The local herbalist Lyuba Ivanivna will then teach us about the wild flowers of Transcarpathia and we will have a tisane tasting with her. We will enjoy a traditional Ukrainian village dinner at the guest house.

Day 4  The Mountains

 

Day 4  The Mountains

Transcarpathia is famous for its mountain meadows, and that's where we will head today. We will visit the shepherds who stay with their sheep in the mountains and they will show us how they make traditional salty sheep’s and goat's cheese. You can try your hand at milking too, if you like! We will pick mushrooms, forage for wild flowers and herbs with Lyuba Ivanivna and then we will have an open fire dinner with the shepherds near a Volcanic lake by the village of Lypovets.

 

Day 5 Khust

Today will start with a perfumery workshop. We will study the major perfume families, focusing on the woody, floral and herbal notes (to echo our mountain trip and to understand how nature inspires perfumers). You will have the chance to smell rare essences and vintage perfumes from the classical houses of Guerlain, Chanel, Caron and many others.

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After lunch we will visit the renowned wooden churches of Transcarpathia in Hust. These churches are built entirely out of wood, without using any nails, and you can just imagine their elegant beauty and the scents that fill them--beeswax candles, sweet incense, smoky resin and aged wood.

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Dinner will back in the village. As always, food will be local and fresh.

 

Day 6 Nyzhnie Selyshche

Today will be another perfume workshop where we will continue with the fundamentals of perfumery, teaching you about raw materials and giving you a chance to make your own perfume accord.

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After lunch, we will have a pysanka workshop. Pysanka, the painted Easter egg, is a beloved Ukrainian folk art, and although we will be well past the holiday season, you'll have a chance to learn what its symbols mean and how to make a real pysanka.

This evening's meal will include music and dance. The marvelous Hudaki Village Band will be joining us and it will be party time.

 

Day 7 Lviv

We will depart for Lviv, the regional capital of western Ukraine. We will visit the ancient castle Palanok on the way and enjoy a local lunch. Dinner will be in Lviv, the romantic and enchanting city.

 

Day 8 Lviv

Explore Lviv either by yourself, with your newly made friends or with a local guide. The city is famous for its architecture, museums, cheesecake and coffee, and we will help you decide how to spend your time in order to enjoy Lviv to the fullest. We will have lunch together and wrap up our tour. (While the tour officially ends in Lviv, if you're returning to Kiev, we will be glad to assist you with any necessary arrangements.)

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The tour itinerary might be adjusted depending on the weather, but we guarantee lots of fragrant discoveries, delicious foods, music and fun. Please join us and experience Ukraine!

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