Dolphin watching holiday in Scotland
| country: | Scotland |
| departures: | 2010: 28 May, 30 Jul, 14 Aug, 17 Aug, 21 Aug |
| price: | From £450 (4 days) excluding flights. |
| more info: | Children (under 14) from £350. Price includes all transfers and boat trips, 3 nights basic accommodation with shared bathroom facilities at The Old Brewery, all meals |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Moray Firth is a beautiful and unspoilt part of Northern Scotland and home to one of just three populations of bottlenose dolphins around the UK.
This incredibly popular trip offers fantastic opportunities for both boat and land-based dolphin-watching. You’ll get the chance to see and learn about dolphins in their natural habitat, whilst enjoying the hospitality and majestic scenery for which Scotland is rightly famous.
Our base for the trip is the historic, conservation town of Cromarty, known as the jewel of the Black Isle and one of the most beautiful small towns in the Highlands. We stay in a stunning converted 18th century brewery, a stone’s throw from the sea and close to all the town’s amenities including cafes, shops, museums and the picturesque harbour from where our boat departs.
Cromarty is also home to the Lighthouse Field Station and the researchers who study the dolphin population - including the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society's (WDCS) adopted dolphins. A short drive from Cromarty takes us to Chanonry Point where, if conditions are right, it is possible to observe dolphins that come to within a few metres of the shore.
Charlie Phillips, WDCS’s field officer, will be on hand to talk about the dolphins and share photography tips. During our stay we spend a day visiting the WDCS Wildlife Centre at Spey Bay to meet our resident staff and learn more about the dolphins and other wildlife found in this very special area. The Centre is situated right next door to a wildlife reserve where otters, seals and ospreys are often seen. Our day in Spey Bay concludes with a boat trip to explore the south shores of the Moray Firth in search of dolphins.
This incredibly popular trip offers fantastic opportunities for both boat and land-based dolphin-watching. You’ll get the chance to see and learn about dolphins in their natural habitat, whilst enjoying the hospitality and majestic scenery for which Scotland is rightly famous.
Our base for the trip is the historic, conservation town of Cromarty, known as the jewel of the Black Isle and one of the most beautiful small towns in the Highlands. We stay in a stunning converted 18th century brewery, a stone’s throw from the sea and close to all the town’s amenities including cafes, shops, museums and the picturesque harbour from where our boat departs.
Cromarty is also home to the Lighthouse Field Station and the researchers who study the dolphin population - including the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society's (WDCS) adopted dolphins. A short drive from Cromarty takes us to Chanonry Point where, if conditions are right, it is possible to observe dolphins that come to within a few metres of the shore.
Charlie Phillips, WDCS’s field officer, will be on hand to talk about the dolphins and share photography tips. During our stay we spend a day visiting the WDCS Wildlife Centre at Spey Bay to meet our resident staff and learn more about the dolphins and other wildlife found in this very special area. The Centre is situated right next door to a wildlife reserve where otters, seals and ospreys are often seen. Our day in Spey Bay concludes with a boat trip to explore the south shores of the Moray Firth in search of dolphins.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Travel to Inverness to be met by Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) guide. Transfer to Cromarty on the Black Isle. Late afternoon dolphin-watch. Welcome evening meal and slide show. |
| Day 2: | Day trip to visit the WDCS Wildlife Centre in Spey Bay. Afternoon dolphin-watching trip. |
| Day 3: | Coastal walk plus shore and boat based dolphin-watching from Cromarty. |
| Day 4: | Departure to Inverness for return journey. For those travelling home in the late afternoon we will visit Chanonry Point, a great spot for shore-based dolphin-watching, to meet Charlie Phillips, an award winning photographer and WDCS field officer. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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We have been committed from the outset to providing the best possible experience for our passengers whilst ensuring the long term sustainability of the local marine environment. By minimising our impact on the wildlife around us, we hope that it will continue to thrive and be enjoyed by all for years to come. The waters off Cromarty are home to the world’s most Northerly colony of Bottlenose Dolphins, though regular sightings of Harbour Porpoise, Harbour, Grey Seal and Minke Whales also occur.
Over the years we have provided a platform for a variety of organisations collecting photo-id data, conducting seabird surveys, undertaking environmental impact assessments and working with our partners to provide educational holidays. Through showing people wildlife in its natural habitat the experience instils a sense of custodianship of the animals within people and they are then more likely to be motivated to ensure the future welfare of these animals and to do their bit to help. We are an accredited operator both with the WiSe Scheme and the Dolphin Space Programme - a local, voluntary code of conduct designed to safeguard the welfare and future of the cetaceans in the Moray Firth. This unique code encourages collaboration between wildlife tour operators, management agencies, conservation organisations, members of the public and other water users in order to support sustainable marine wildlife watching in the Moray Firth. By participating in this trip you’ll be making a valuable financial contribution to the vital conservation work of WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. |
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