Discover Naramata, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the community of Naramata in British Columbia’s South Okanagan, has introduced a series of twelve GPS-guided audio tours, including three that have been translated into multiple languages. These new audio guides are a welcome addition to the Okanagan Valley’s tourism offerings. They create accessible opportunities to explore Naramata’s wine region, enriching the visitor experience and encouraging travellers to learn about the area — from agriculture and gardens to impactful residents and local wildlife — in addition to its renowned wine scene.
Travellers can stroll a Night Time Magic Walking Tour of Naramata’s dramatic dark skies, or learn about the unique climatic, geological and cultural factors contributing to local wines during the Wine Geeks Only: Naramata Bench Terroir Driving Tour. Families can follow the Wonderland: Children’s Village Walking Tour or Farm to Plate Agri-tourism Trail Tour — proof that wine country holds adventures accessible to everyone.
The GPS-activated audio tours are free mobile-device downloads through the VoiceMap app. Visitors just select, download, head to the starting point, and press play — satellite GPS technology does the rest. A virtual tour option in the VoiceMap app plays the tours as podcasts, for “armchair” virtual travellers.
Since slightly less than 70 per cent of British Columbians call English their mother tongue (67.1 per cent, according to 2021 StatsCan data), Enns says that enabling tourists to participate in active tours in multiple languages was a priority. Three of the audio tours have been translated into the following languages: Cantonese, French, German, Mandarin and Punjabi.
The English audio tours are delightfully narrated by two popular local voices: retired CBC Radio veteran Marion Barschel, and Peach City Community Radio host and local historian Craig Henderson. Penticton-based Roche wine owner and winemaker Penelope Roche recorded the French guides. Other Okanagan residents translated and recorded the multilingual versions, including Lily Jin (Mandarin), Faye Wai (Cantonese), Arnica Rowan (German) and Saira Sangha (Punjabi).
Community groups and expert voices pitched in to help create and verify tour content: a wildlife biologist advised on the Wild Things Biking Tour, a local landscaper reviewed the Secret Gardens Tour and Naramata Bench Wineries Association provided vineyard data for tours such as the Wine Geeks Only Tour of the Bench.
To view the full list of audio tours, which range in duration from 30 to 60 minutes each, visit discovernaramata.com/audio-tours.