Discover Scotland's splendor on a 7-day private cruise aboard the cozy barge Scottish Highlander. Explore the mysterious battlefield in Glencoe, famed for one of the darkest days in Scottish history. Tour Cawdor Castle and gardens, a forever immortalized setting in Shakespeare's "Scottish Play," Macbeth. Cruise along the mystical Loch Ness and perhaps have a chance of spotting the "Nessie." Take a stop at one of the finest scenery in Scotland and the most photographed castle, Eilean Donan, featured in movies such as "Highlander" and James Bond's "The World Is Not Enough." This tour of the mystical waterways will be long remembered. A four-person crew takes care of your every need as the Master Chef prepares traditional Scottish foods such as salmon, game, and seafood.
Highlights
Cruise Scotland's Lochs including Loch Ness and try to spot "Nessie" with your private group of up to 8 guests
Explore one of Scotland's best known and most photographed castles, Eilean Donan
Visit Glencoe, where the famous battle between the Campbell and MacDonald clans took place
Tour Cawdor Castle and gardens, home of Shakespeare’s Scottish Play Macbeth
Enjoy a private tasting in Tomatin whisky distillery
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 the Glenmoriston Townhouse Hotel in Inverness and transferred by private chauffeured minibus to Scottish Highlander. Champagne welcome and perhaps an early evening stroll to the sea lock with wonderful views over the Moray and Beauly Firths. Dinner on board
Your first cruise takes 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, visit the Glen Ord distillery, founded in 1838 on the Black Isle by the Mackenzies of Ord. An expert gives a fascinating description of whiskeys' maturing and aging process, each with its distinctive characteristics, followed by a special tasting of several single malts, including The Singleton. Dinner on board.
This morning enjoys Cawdor Castle, forever immortalized in Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play,” Macbeth, with picturesque gardens, listed as among the top 100 in the U.K. 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 visit Culloden Moor, the scene of the last major battle on British soil in 1746. If there is time, end your tour at the Clava Cairns, a pre-historic clan chieftain burial site dating to 2,000 B.C. Later, cruise through Loch Dochfour and down Loch Ness, where you visit Urquhart Castle en route, mooring right below its spectacular ruins before continuing your voyage to Fort Augustus. Dinner on board.
After breakfast, there is time to explore the pretty village of Fort Augustus before the cruise takes you up the “flight” and then on to a pretty mooring at Cullochy. After lunch on board, you can take a gentle drive through stunning scenery to see the Falls of Foyers, set in a dramatic gorge leading to Loch Ness and made famous in a 1787 poem by Robbie Burns. This evening has dinner ashore at a local restaurant.
This morning, take in some of the finest scenery Scotland has to offer as you drive to one of its best known and most photographed castles, Eilean Donan, which has been featured in movies such as “Highlander” and James Bond’s “The World Is Not Enough” and overlooks three sea lochs. The afternoon cruise today can be partially walked as you cross the very scenic Loch Oich, perhaps stopping en route for a spot of fishing, and onto the pretty Laggan Avenue. As you approach Laggan, your Highland Piper may greet you with a stirring rendition of traditional Scottish music.
On your final cruise, cross Loch Lochy, passing Gairlochy, where you can visit the Clan Cameron Museum. Continue to Moy Bridge, the last fully hand-operated bridge on the canal to moor at Banavie beneath Ben Nevis and a stroll from Neptune’s Staircase leading down to Loch Eil. After lunch on board, the tour today takes you to the mystical battlefield of Glencoe, famed for one of the darkest days in Scottish history. Alternatively, you can enjoy some breath-taking panoramic views on a cable car ride to the summit of Aonach Mor mountain. If time permits, you can also visit the ruins of Old Inverlochy Castle. Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.
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.
$43,500
or $5,438 per person based on 8 max passengers
Select a Date
Stateroom
Twin/Double bed in 115 sq ft cabin, including en-suite facilities. Hairdryers and toiletries are provided.
Select a Date
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
The trip was terrific with great planning on your part. Most of the adventures were not mainstream and somewhat off the beaten path which made it especially enjoyable!! We felt taken care of and you all were readily available to respond to questions and issues. I would highly recommend your company and friends have already expressed interest based on our pictures and excitement.
Gale Cantor
TrustScore 4.8 | 254 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 254 reviews on
1 day 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
1 day 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
1 day 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
6 days 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.