Bitti Sardinia Shepherd Experience: Cheese Making & Herding

Milk sheep, cut cork, make cheese, herd a flock through the valleys

A half-day shepherd class in Bitti, Sardinia, where you work alongside an experienced shepherd on an educational farm, learning to milk animals, make cheese, manage the flock and cut cork. The day includes a traditional Sardinian lunch in the meadows and runs 7 hours on Wednesdays and Fridays, with a guide who speaks English and Italian.

The experience

You arrive at the educational farm in Bitti ready to work. The shepherd who runs it chooses the day's activities based on the season and weather: transhumance (moving the flock from one valley to another), milking a sheep or cow, cutting cork from the trees, making cheese from scratch, or cutting grass and wood. You're not watching. You're doing each one, hands-on, learning the rhythms and skills that have shaped Sardinian pastoral life for centuries. The shepherd explains the reasoning behind each task and shares the stories and secrets tied to these ancient traditions.

Midway through, you break for a picnic in the meadows with local cheese, cold cuts, vegetables in oil and a glass of wine. Later comes a full farmhouse lunch: Sardinian fresh pasta with meat sauce, a cheese board with cold cuts and vegetables, a meat course, coffee and a homemade sweet with local liqueur. The food comes from the farm's own production or from nearby producers, grounding the meal in the place itself.

The experience runs 7 hours and is offered on Wednesdays and Fridays. From June to September, the guide speaks English at a basic level. Outside those months, Italian is the working language. If you have food intolerances, notify the guide at least the day before using the number on your reservation voucher.

What’s included

• An aperitif of local products.
• a half-day working as a shepherd on the educational farm.
• all activities related to the pastoral world (milking, cheese-making, cork cutting, herding).
• a picnic lunch in the meadows with local cheese, cold cuts, vegetables and wine.
• a full farmhouse lunch with Sardinian pasta, cheese board, meat course, coffee and homemade sweet with local liqueur.

Before you book

Book up to16h before

AgesAdult (11 and older) · Child (4 to 10 years) · Infant (under 4)

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglish and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Good to know

Infants must sit on laps

Operated by Escursì

Is this one for you?Book this if you have a free Wednesday or Friday afternoon and want to learn by doing rather than by watching. You'll handle the animals, make the cheese and move the flock yourself, guided by someone who does this work every day.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 10 years); Infant (under 4).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly do you do during the transhumance part of the day?

Transhumance is when you govern the sheep and move them from one valley to another, following the seasonal grazing patterns the shepherd uses to manage the flock. You walk with the animals and learn how the shepherd reads the land and the herd to decide where to move them.

Is the cheese-making something you do from start to finish, or do you watch the shepherd make it?

You participate in the different stages of cheese-making yourself, learning the process hands-on rather than observing. The shepherd guides you through each step.

What is included in the lunch, and where do you eat it?

The picnic in the meadows includes local cheese, cold cuts, vegetables in oil and a glass of wine. Later, the farmhouse lunch consists of Sardinian fresh pasta with meat sauce, a cheese board with cold cuts and vegetables, a meat course, coffee and a homemade sweet with local liqueur.