Discover the beauty of Scotland on a 7-day getaway cruise aboard the cozy barge hotel Scottish Highlander. Explore the mysterious battlefield in Glencoe, famed for one of the darkest days in Scottish history. Tour Cawdor Castle and gardens, a setting that is forever immortalized in Shakespeare's "Scottish Play", Macbeth. Cruise along the mystical Loch Ness and perhaps a chance of spotting the "Nessie". Take a stop at one of the finest scenery in Scotland and the most photographed castle, Eilean Donan, which has been featured in movies such as "Highlander" and James Bond's "The World Is Not Enough".
Highlights
Visit Glencoe, where the famous battle between the Campbell and MacDonald clans took place
Cruise Scotland's Lochs including Loch Ness and try to spot "Nessie"
Tour Cawdor Castle and gardens, home of Shakespeare’s Scottish Play Macbeth
Explore one of Scotland's best known and most photographed castles, Eilean Donan
Activity options vary depending on destination and operator. Activity level is determined by the range and intensity of activities you choose to participate in. Discuss with your Trip Planner which options are best for you.
Guests are met at Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness and transferred by private chauffeured minibus to Scottish Highlander. Champagne Welcome and if you wish, an early evening stroll to the sea lock with wonderful views over the Moray and Beauly Firths. Then perhaps savour one of the hotel barge’s many single malts before your first dinner on board.
Your first cruise will take you up the Muirtown lock flight and through Tomnahurich swing bridge, with an option to walk alongside River Ness to the hamlet of Dochgarroch. After lunch on board, you will visit the Glen Ord distillery, founded in 1838 on the Black Isle by the Mackenzies of Ord. You will be given a fascinating description of the maturing and aging process of their whiskeys, each with its distinctive characteristics, followed by a special tasting of several single malts, including The Singleton. Dinner on board.
This morning you will enjoy Cawdor Castle, forever immortalized in Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play”, Macbeth. The picturesque gardens have been listed as being amongst the top 100 in the UK. The castle contains a superb collection of tapestries, pictures and furnishings and the Dowager Countess of Cawdor still lives there for part of the year. Then you will visit Culloden Moor, scene of the last major battle on British soil in 1746. If there is time, you will end your tour at the Clava Cairns, a pre-historic clan chieftain burial site dating back to 2,000 B.C. Later, you will cruise through Loch Dochfour and down Loch Ness, where en route we visit Urquhart Castle, mooring right below its spectacular ruins, before continuing your cruise to Fort Augustus. Dinner on board.
After breakfast, we visit the private Highland Club, a spectacular exclusive set of residences and a former 19th century Benedictine Monastery. Here we are treated to a falconry and birds of prey demonstration** on the banks of Loch Ness, and the majesty of the swooping birds against the backdrop of the sweeping Scottish Highlands is not easily forgotten. There is time to explore the pretty village of Fort Augustus before lunch on board, after which your cruise takes us up the “flight”, as the locals call it, at Fort Augustus and then on to your pretty mooring at Cullochy. This evening we are given a tutored private whisky tasting at charming The Glenmoriston Arms Hotel, followed by dinner in the hotel restaurant.
This morning’s cruise can be partially walked as we cross the very scenic Loch Oich, perhaps stopping en route for a spot of fishing, and onto the pretty Laggan Avenue. As we approach Laggan, your Highland Piper may greet us with a stirring rendition of traditional Scottish music. After lunch on board we take in some of the finest scenery Scotland has to offer as we drive to one of its best known and most photographed castles, Eilean Donan, which has featured in movies such as “Highlander” and James Bond’s “The World Is Not Enough” and overlooks three sea lochs. Dinner on board.
Today, your final cruise will see us pass through Moy Bridge, the last fully hand-operated bridge on the canal, before mooring at Banavie beneath Ben Nevis and a stroll from Neptune’s Staircase leading down to Loch Eil. After lunch on board, your tour today takes us to the Ben Nevis Distillery for a tour and private tasting of several single malts. Captain’s Farewell Dinner and of course, the opportunity to enjoy another wee dram or two.
Day 7: Banavie | Disembark
1 Breakfast
After breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus to their choice of location in Inverness.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$5,6902-3 travelers
Rates are subject to change without notice. Book early to get the best rate.
Stateroom
Twin/Double bed in 115 sq ft cabin, including en-suite facilities. Hairdryers and toiletries are provided.
Suite
Twin/Double bed in 148 sq ft cabin, including en-suite facilities. Hairdryers and toiletries are provided.
Initial deposit is 25%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by Credit card, check, and bank transfer. All final payments by credit card subject to a surcharge of 2.5% and maximum of $20,000 charge
This was my first experience with Adventure Life - and I couldn't have been more pleased with the trip. The guides and local staff in both Buenos Aires and Uruguay were terrific - extremely helpful and accommodating. I really enjoyed meeting the friendly staff in Buenos Aires in person (I left my bags with them for the afternoon).
Karen Snider
TrustScore 4.8 | 254 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 254 reviews on
2 days ago
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
