About this tour
When Charlie from our team tried this with Miro Tartufi, we got the full truffle-hunting experience in Motovun's Istrian woods—led by local hunters and their trained dogs, sniffing out the region's prized fungi. The two-hour adventure takes you through quiet forest, then straight to a 3-course brunch heavy on truffle specialties: homemade cheese, scrambled eggs topped with shaved truffles, fresh bread. You're fed malvazija and rakija alongside. It's genuinely small-scale and family-run, set in a picturesque hilltop town that draws serious food people and walkers keen to see how truffles actually get found.
Highlights
- Dogs do the real work—you watch, learn their technique, spot truffles being unearthed
- Homemade truffle cheese and shaved truffle eggs tasted nothing like shop versions
- Local hunters share Istrian truffle history and why dogs beat technology here
- Quiet forest walk, not a tourist factory—felt like joining mates on their hunt
- Brunch arrived promptly post-hunt, while you're still buzzing from the find
- Malvazija and rakija hits different when you've just found what it pairs with
What to expect
You'll turn up in Motovun (get there yourself, or arrange transport ahead for extra cost) and meet your guide and the working dogs—usually two or three keen animals trained to nose out truffles buried beneath leaf litter. The hunt itself takes about 90 minutes through gentle Istrian woodland; there's walking but it's not arduous, more amble than hike. Expect the guides to explain soil conditions, seasonal timing, and how the dogs signal a find. It's hands-on but unhurried—nobody rushes you to move faster than the dogs need.
After the woods, you head straight to brunch. That's where it pays off: scrambled eggs crowned with fresh truffle shavings, house-made truffle cheese on warm bread, a small cured-meat spread, and glasses of local white wine or rakija to cut through the rich flavours. The whole thing wraps in about two hours fifteen minutes, but the brunch alone justifies showing up hungry.
Good to know
If you love food and want to see where truffles actually come from (not just eat them blind), this is proper value. The hunts are small—no cattle-herded groups—and the hosts genuinely know their craft. Brunch is generous and taps into real Istrian cooking, not tourist-fied versions. Walking is gentle enough for most fitness levels.
You need your own wheels to Motovun, which isn't trivial if you're based elsewhere in Croatia—arrange transport in advance if you don't drive. Weather matters (muddy after rain, cold in winter), so pack layers and shoes with grip. Service dogs are a complication—the truffle dogs can spook them or vice versa, so confirm in advance rather than hoping it'll work. Kids are okay, but success relies on their patience during the hunt; the walk isn't long but stopping often for sniffs might bore younger ones. Peak season is autumn and winter (truffle season), so book early if you're visiting October–February. Brunch is included; drinks beyond the welcome serve cost extra.
Tour sold and operated by Viator via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BugBitten summaries written by our team — not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.