About this tour
A 3-hour truffle hunting experience on a Provençal plantation where you'll learn to spot, train dogs to find, and harvest France's prized black truffles alongside professional hunters. You'll discover how to distinguish authentic Provençal truffles from cheaper Chinese varieties, handle storage and cooking techniques, and take home a bottle of Pastras olive and truffle oil. Combines practical field work with the backstory of one of France's most guarded agricultural trades.
Highlights
- Hunt for black truffles with experienced professionals in a working plantation
- Learn truffle dog training methods and watch them locate buried truffles
- Taste and compare real Provençal truffles against inferior Chinese counterparts
- Hear stories of truffle market competition, theft and industry secrets
- Receive instruction on cleaning, storing and cooking with fresh truffles
- Take home a bottle of Pastras olive and truffle oil
- Fully wheelchair accessible grounds and surfaces throughout
What to expect
You'll start at the Pastras plantation with an introduction to truffle cultivation and the role of trained hunting dogs in locating buried truffles underground. The group then moves into the fields to search for truffles with professional hunters, learning to read soil conditions and recognise signs of truffle presence. Handlers will demonstrate how their dogs signal finds, and you'll see the careful extraction process.
Back at the property, you'll examine and taste fresh truffles alongside lower-grade alternatives to understand quality differences. The session concludes with practical guidance on cleaning, preserving and using truffles in the kitchen, plus you'll receive your complimentary bottle of Pastras oil to take away.
What travellers say
- Hands-on hunting experience with working dogs and professional guides
- Insider knowledge of truffle authentication, sourcing and market dynamics
- Learn practical skills—cleaning, storage and cooking techniques included
- Bottle of Pastras oil included; tangible souvenir of the experience
- Accessible design accommodates wheelchair users throughout grounds
- Field work on outdoor terrain may challenge those with limited mobility
- Not suitable if you have poor cardiovascular fitness or health concerns
- Weather-dependent activity; conditions can affect comfort and finds
Themes summarised by our team from public information about this tour. Verify specifics on the operator's page before booking.
Good to know
This suits anyone curious about French gastronomy, agricultural heritage or the mechanics of truffle farming—no cooking or hunting experience required. The experience involves walking across uneven plantation soil; while wheelchair accessible facilities are available, the actual hunting involves outdoor terrain. Not suitable for people with significant cardiovascular concerns due to the physical nature of the field work. The tour is weather-dependent; Provence can be hot and dry or muddy depending on season. Infants and small children are welcome, though the pace may not suit very young travellers. The 3-hour duration includes both field and indoor instruction. Group sizes aren't specified; peak season may affect availability.
Tour sold and operated by Viator via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BookNow summaries written by our team — not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.