Scotland wildlife holidays


Read on to find out what to expect from a Scottish wildlife holiday.
Our Scotland Holidays
Orkney & Shetland self drive holiday, Scotland
Island hop the wild Scottish Northern Isles on this week's holiday to Orkney and Shetland
Wildlife holiday in the Isle of Mull, Scotland
Spot whales, otters and eagles on Isle of Mull, Scotland
Hebrides cruise, The Sounds of Mull, Luing, Shuna and Jura
Cruise the Sounds of the Hebrides: Mull, Luing, Jura, Shuna
Mull wildlife holiday in Scotland
Ultimate week of wildlife spotting on the Isle of Mull
Isle of Mull and Small Isles explorer
An extraordinary voyage exploring Mull & the Small Isles.
Outer Hebrides and Shiant Isles cruise, Scotland
A magical cruise wandering through the Outer Hebrides
Inner Hebrides Wildlife Cruise
A great introduction to the breath-taking Scottish Highlands
Whisky and wildlife sailing holiday in Scotland
Malt Whisky and Wildlife Cruise to Mull, Jura and Islay
Scottish Hebrides guided wildlife tour
On this cruise you will be accompanied by a wildlife guide
Scotland West Coast cruise, Skye and the small isles
Scottish Holiday to Skye and the Small Isles | Cruise
Caledonian Canal cruise, Scotland
Cruise the Caledonian Canal in a wee ship
St Kilda, Outer Hebrides Cruise, Scotland
Cruise to St Kilda, Monachs, Outer Hebrides and Small Isles
Scotland family cruises holidays
Join a unique small ship cruise in Scotland
South Argyll wildlife cruises in Scotland
Idyllic wildlife cruise to the West Coast of Scotland Isles
Whale and wildlife holiday in Scotland
Marine & land wildlife tours in Scottish Highlands & Islands
Mull circumnavigation cruise, Scotland
Staffa, Iona and Ross of Mull from our small cruise ships
Autumn Scotland cruise
Enjoy an idyllic Autumn adventure in our Captain's Cruise
Hebridean island hopping cruise in Scotland
Epic Scottish Island Hopping Cruise, through Western Isles
Wildlife sailing holiday in Scotland
Extraordinary wildlife above and below the waves
Wildlife tour of St Kilda and the Shiants, Scotland
Cruise the Outer Hebrides & St Kilda with a wildlife guide
Scotland tour and cruise
A combined land and sea tour to the West coast of Scotland
Lewis and Harris Outer Hebrides cruise, Scotland
A cruise to the Outer Hebrides, the edge of the Atlantic.
Isle of Mull wildlife cruise in Scotland
Idyllic wildlife cruise exploring the Hebridean Isle of Mull
Isle of Mull and west coast of Scotland cruise
Cruise the idyllic coast around the Scottish Island of Mull
Top 5 wildlife spots in Scotland
1. Shetland Islands
The Shetland Islands shelter thousands of seabirds. Many nest and feed at Noss National Nature Reserve, where gannets, guillemots, kittiwakes and fulmars crowd the cliffs in the summer. Sail to the base of the 180m cliffs to peer up at the chaotic colonies; you’ll usually be in the company of some very curious seals. You can also take a boat ride to Mousa, where an Iron Age broch – a prehistoric circular stone tower – looms over the storm petrels and Arctic terns.Tessa O'Hara, from our Travel Team, was lucky enough to spot orcas in the Shetlands: "Nothing compares to seeing orcas wild and free in their natural environment. We had the privilege of watching them for five hours: hunting porpoise, milling about, and travelling along the Shetland coastline with their pod, so close that we could hear their blow everytime they surfaced. It was just the most thrilling wildlife encounter I’ve experienced in my life."
2. St Kilda archipelago
The four islands in the St Kilda archipelago are some of the most remote islands in the UK. While technically part of the Outer Hebrides, they are a good 60km west of them. The last permanent residents left Hirta Island in 1930 and you’re more likely to hear gannets, puffins and fulmars than people. You’ll need eagle eyes to spot the tiny St Kilda wrens and giant field mice that are evolutionary enigmas.3. Outer Hebrides
4. Cairngorms National Park
Everything from reindeer, red squirrels and mountain hares, to golden eagles, capercaillie and osprey raise their heads above the parapet outside of winter in the Cairngorms. But things really crank up a notch at the end of September, when the forests turn auburn, heather shades the hills purple and the red deer start rutting. You’ll hear the bellow of antlered stags echoing over the mountains before you see them, usually too busy defending their herd of does from interlopers to blink an eye at you.5. Inner Hebrides
Wildlife and whisky are the watchwords of the Inner Hebrides; the peat-heavy landscapes are stellar for both. On Skye, otters paddle around crystal-clear Loch Scavaig, while at Sgeir Doigich there’s a large beach bum seal colony. The Isle of Mull has sea eagles and golden eagles in its rocky bays, hen harriers in the marshlands, and mistle thrush and skylarks in the pindrop-peaceful rural lanes.The waters around the Inner Hebrides are alive with minke whales, dolphins and basking sharks in the summer, along with the occasional orca, but it’s the white-tailed eagle, or sea eagle, that’s the conservation success story. They were hunted to extinction by the Victorians, but a reintroduction programme has placed them firmly as a species of least concern. You can’t miss them: they have a two-metre wingspan and are the biggest bird of prey in the UK.
Our top Scotland Holiday
Orkney & Shetland self drive holiday, Scotland
Island hop the wild Scottish Northern Isles on this week's holiday to Orkney and Shetland
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Practicalities
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