Scotland's Wild Highlands & Islands

Day 1: Inverness, Scotland
Our Scotland adventure begins in Inverness on the northeast coast, where the River Ness meets the Moray Firth. With a population of nearly 50,000 people, Inverness is the largest city and cultural capital of the Scottish Highlands. Gather for a welcome dinner with our Expedition Leader this evening.

Day 2: Black Isle / Cromarty Firth Boat Cruise
While the Black Isle is neither an island nor black—it’s actually a small peninsula jutting out into the North Sea—it is an inviting, little-known corner of Scotland that awaits our discovery today. From the village of Cromarty, board a private boat for an excursion into the rich waters of Cromarty Firth, a narrow inlet hemmed in by steep cliffs on both sides. This protected marine area is home to Scotland's best-known pod of bottlenose dolphins, the most northerly such population in the world. Famously inquisitive, they sometimes swim right alongside our boat. Keep an eye out, too, for harbor porpoises, common and gray seals, and the occasional minke whale.

Day 3: Across the Highlands to the West Coast
A scenic drive is in store as we traverse the rugged Highlands to Scotland's wild west coast. These rocky heights, rising above 4,000 feet, divide Scotland's crenellated Atlantic coast from the fertile coastal plain and estuaries on the east. Pass tranquil lochs and glacier-carved glens as we wind westward through mountains cloaked in forest and heather, stopping to admire the misty vistas. Look for resident wildlife with help from our Expedition Leader, a first-rate Scottish naturalist, who knows this terrain intimately. We might spot nesting golden eagles, red deer browsing in the lush meadows, or varied woodland and coastal birds.

Day 4: Handa Island, Inner Hebrides
A short crossing by boat brings us to the Inner Hebridean island of Handa, managed as a nature reserve by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Torridonian sandstone cliffs rise in tall vertical walls from the Atlantic Ocean on the island’s northwest coast, providing some of Europe’s most important seabird breeding grounds. Each summer, some 100,000 seabirds come here to nest, including internationally significant populations of guillemots, razorbills and great skuas. Several families of red grouse and common snipe also inhabit the island, all of which are remarkably approachable. Spend the day walking atop these dramatic cliffs, admiring expansive coastal panoramas and observing the flurry of life in the cacophonous bird colonies. Watch the birds’ daily activities, from nest building to feeding chicks and defending broods from marauding predators such as the great skua. Kittiwakes and fulmars nest on the cliff ledges, and a small number of puffins breed in burrows that line the edges of the clifftops. The sea cliffs also offer a vantage point for whale watching, and we’ll hope for glimpses of common dolphin, Risso's dolphin and minke whale, as well as basking shark. Returning to the mainland, we walk to a viewpoint overlooking the "Old Man of Stoer," a 200-foot-high sandstone sea stack.

Please note: September departures will not visit Handa Island, since seabirds will not be present at this time of year. An alternate activity will be provided. 

Day 5: Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides—Callanish Standing Stones / Isle of Harris
Drive to Ullapool this morning to catch the ferry for Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Here we find one of Scotland's most intriguing archaeological sites, the Callanish Standing Stones. This 5,000-year-old ring of 13 gneiss pillars is arranged in a cruciform pattern around a 14-foot central monolith. Erected on the west coast of Lewis in the late Neolithic era, the stones were a focus for ritual activity during the Bronze Age. Several other stone circles, arcs, alignments and single stones are also visible from the main site. Historians estimate the place was abandoned around 1,000 B.C. and ultimately buried beneath a thick layer of peat turf, not unearthed until 1857. We also visit Dun Carloway broch, an Iron Age drystone structure with a hollow interior, likely built in the 1st century.

Our ultimate destination is the Isle of Harris, a diverse landscape of mountains and moorlands, crofts, lochs, meadows and sandy beaches. Its craggy coast, defined by cliffs and secret coves, offers nesting habitat for myriad seabirds. On beach walks, discover the wildflower meadows on the machair, a sparse veneer of green covering the sand, which bursts into color in summertime. The single-track “Golden Road” winds along the east coast of Harris among miniature fjords and tiny hamlets with Viking and Gaelic names. Along the way, we visit historic rural settlements and stop at a weaving shop to see world-famous Harris tweed produced.

Day 6: Shiant Isles Private Cruise
Today holds one of the premier highlights of our trip: a private cruise to the Shiant Isles, home to one of the world's most famous seabird colonies. Located between Skye and Lewis, these columnar basalt islands are known in Gaelic as Na h-Eileanan Seunta, or the "Enchanted Isles." Though this small island group is uninhabited by humans, it is home to hundreds of thousands of seabirds, including a quarter of a million puffins—2% of the entire global population! Some 7% of all razorbills in the U.K. also breed here, along with colonies of guillemots, cormorants, shags and great skuas. We often see seals lounging on the rocks, too. If the weather is fair, the option exists to extend our 5-hour voyage to include the southern Bays of Harris coastline where we visit some deserted villages. On the return cruise, explore the abandoned crofting community of Bhalamus, once the heart of a 19th-century sheep farm on the coast of Lewis. Continuing into Loch Seaforth, forming the boundary between Lewis and Harris, view several more old settlements and look for golden and white-tailed eagles on the cliffs before returning to Tarbert for tea time.

Please note: September departures will not visit the Shiant Islands, since the seabirds will have departed by this time. The boat cruise will explore more of the coast of Harris instead. 

Day 7:  Isle of Skye / Contin
Returning by ferry from Tarbert to Uig, we drive down the Isle of Skye to reach the mainland. In the village of Contin our hotel awaits, a 19th-century country manor house on the River Blackwater. Surrounded by forest, lochs and salmon streams, this family-run inn offers a serene base from which to explore the Highlands. This afternoon, a walk through the forest to a waterfall offers a chance to look for leaping salmon. Later this evening, we have exclusive access to a wildlife hide at the nearby Aigas Field Center, where we hope to spy badgers and the elusive pine marten. Flanked by remnants of ancient Caledonian pine forest to the west and marine firths to the east, the center is an important educational site in the northern Highlands, dedicated to sharing Scotland’s wild natural heritage. After a thorough immersion in these exhilarating landscapes, return to our cozy inn where a crackling fire in the lounge invites you to settle in with a wee dram of Scotch before dinner.

Day 8: Scottish Wildcat Breeding Project / Canoeing
Visit the Scottish Wildcat Breeding Conservation Program at Aigas Field Center to learn about efforts to conserve the United Kingdom's only native feline and most endangered mammal. Since 2011, the center has participated in a crucial national program to bring this small, muscular tabby cat back from the brink of extinction.  Next, we head deeper into the glen for a canoeing excursion, providing an intimate perspective on the rugged beauty of the Highlands. Depending on weather conditions and the group's composition, we'll either paddle the gentle Beauly River into steep-walled Aigas Gorge, watching for osprey overhead, or canoe on Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin, a tranquil sea inlet with small islands and intimate coves that beckon exploration as we scout for wildlife on the shoreline. The region is home to red deer, pine marten, golden eagles and many more species native to the area. Back at Coul House, we enjoy a festive farewell dinner.

Day 9: Inverness / Depart
After breakfast, return to Inverness this morning to meet departing flights.

Physical Rating: Moderate

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