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Edinburgh:5-Day Isle of Skye, Inverness & Loch Ness Tour w/Hostel

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Overview

Available languages

English

120 hours

Mobile ticket

An awesome winter adventure through the Highlands and the magical Isle of Skye. Expect stunning scenery, incredible history, and epic Scottish experiences.

Go monster hunting on Loch Ness, hike in one of the last great wildernesses of Europe, and listen to tales of Scotland’s bloody history. By night and enjoy a wee dram after a day’s exploring.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

It is recommended to book transport to the departure point in advance. Please also allow extra time to get to the departure point for check-in. We advise you arrive at least 15 minutes before the tour departure to allow time to check-in for the tour. Unfortunately, we are unable to hold the bus or refund for any late arrivals.

Return times are approximate and subject to road conditions and weather. Please ensure you allocate sufficient time for any onward travel plans, allowing at least 3 hours after the scheduled return time for connections or activities.

This tour may run in conjunction with our sister company, Highland Explorer Tours.

Minimum age to stay in the hostel is 18 years old.

In cases of extreme weather, the Loch Ness boat cruise may be cancelled on short notice. If you have purchased ticket for this you will be refunded.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Whisky Distillery Tour

Culloden Battlefield

Clava Cairns

Air-conditioned vehicle

Local English Speaking Guide

4 Nights Mixed Gender Multi-Shared Hostel Accommodation

Dundreggan Rewilding Centre

Castle Admission Prices

Food & Drink

Loch Ness Cruise

What To Expect

Day 1

Edinburgh to Oban

Accommodations

Multi-shared dorm accommodation in Oban

1

The Kelpies & The Helix

We stop at a stunning spectacle of modern engineering, designed by Scottish artist Andy Scott: The Kelpies. Kelpies are mythological beasts in Scottish folklore, and this epic equine landmark is the largest of its kind in the world.

30 minutes • Admission Not Applicable
2

Stirling Castle

Gaze upon the distant Highlands as we drive past Stirling Castle, a striking stone structure with an insanely interesting history.

Admission Not Applicable
3

National Wallace Monument

Marvel at the stunning National Wallace Monument, Stirling's renowned landmark commemorating the life of Sir William Wallace.

Admission Not Applicable
4

Glencoe

Stretch your legs at Glencoe and gaze at the sprawling peaks and crystal-clear rivers in the area.

15 minutes • Admission Not Applicable
5

Oban

Oban is a bustling seaside town on Scotland’s west coast. Whether it’s fresh sea air or local seafood you’re craving, Oban’s got you covered.

5 hours • Admission Not Applicable
Day 2

Oban to Isle of Skye

Accommodations

Multi-shared dorm accommodation in Portree

1

Glenfinnan Viaduct

Take in views of the world-famous Glenfinnan Viaduct! Whether you’re a fan of the wee wizard Harry Potter or not, this bonnie bridge – with its 21 arches against a scenic Highland backdrop – is an insane sight to behold! For an extra cost you can have the opportunity to travel on the steam train. Please note that that the steam train journey is not included in the tour price.

2 hours • Admission Not Included
2

Eilean Donan Castle

Explore the surroundings of Eilean Donan Castle, where a picturesque stone bridge winds out to the stunning structure. Set upon a wee tidal island, against a backdrop of mountains and lochs, it is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and romantic sights in Scotland.

45 minutes • Admission Not Included
3

Portree

We arrive in pretty Portree, Skye’s main settlement and tourist town. The picturesque harbour with its colourful facades is where Bonnie Prince Charlie finally escaped on a French ship after the Battle of Culloden; never to return to Scotland.

5 hours • Admission Not Applicable
Day 3

Isle of Skye to Inverness

Accommodations

Multi-shared dorm accommodation in Inverness

1

Kilt Rock

Explore the crinkle-cut sea cliff and an epic waterfall Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls and learn how they were formed.

30 minutes • Admission Not Applicable
2

Sligachan Old Bridge

Stop at Sligachan, a small settlement with absolutely stunning views. The Cuillin mountains strike a pose behind the rocky river and picturesque stone bridge. When it comes to bonnie backdrops, it doesn’t get much better!

20 minutes • Admission Not Applicable
3

The Old Man of Storr

Gaze at this rock formation standing tall on Skye’s ancient landslip. Sometimes hidden by mist, this is a popular hangout for mischievous fairies!

45 minutes • Admission Not Applicable
4

Eilean Donan Castle

We visit one of the most iconic - and most photographed - castles in Scotland.

30 minutes • Admission Not Included
5

Dundreggan Rewilding Centre

Learn about the Scottish Caledonian Forest and Trees for Life's rewilding efforts to restore the native pine woodland of the Highlands.

1 hour • Admission Included
Day 4

Inverness

Accommodations

Multi-shared dorm accommodation in Inverness

1

Loch Ness Region

It’s time to tick Loch Ness off your Scotland bucket list, as we head along the shores of the loch. A glimpse of ‘Nessie’ in the background is just an extra bonus!

Admission Not Applicable
2

Beauly

Spend some time exploring picturesque Beauly Priory. Used in the filming of Outlander. Beauly Priory from the French beau lieu meaning ‘beautiful place’ and abbey church which remains today is nestled in a charming, wooded, riverside location.

50 minutes • Admission Not Applicable
3

Culloden Battlefield

Visiting the battlefield is an evocative experience, as you learn about the Jacobite defeat against the Hanoverian army, and the destruction of the highland clan culture in the aftermath.

2 hours • Admission Included
4

Clava Cairns

We stop at the Clava Cairns, prehistoric burial cairns and the modern-day inspiration for Outlander's time travel plot.

15 minutes • Admission Not Applicable
Day 5

Inverness to Edinburgh

1

Highland Folk Museum

We visit the Highland Folk Museum to get a real taste of Highland life from the past centuries. This open-air attraction brings to life the domestic and working conditions of earlier Highland peoples.

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable
2

Dunkeld

Explore the wee town Dunkeld and its beautiful cathedral. Discover all from rom the peaceful countryside setting to the impressive, arched ruins. Look inside the main building for the cursed tomb of the wicked ‘Wolf of Babenoch’, and wander down to the banks of the fast-flowing River Tay to soak up the surroundings.

45 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Edinburgh:5-Day Isle of Skye, Inverness & Loch Ness Tour w/Hostel

Reviews

4.79

47 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

42
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  • Oct 20-25 Fall Trip

    andrew w,

    Oct 27, 2025

    - Review from Viator

    5.00

    My experience with the 5-day tour was worth the booking for Scotland. The Isle of Skye and the highlands were my favorite part of the tour as you saw the autumn colors bloom on mountains and everywhere you drove by, was amazing of the nature scenery. The Haggis Adventure were great on organizing the tour and our driver/tour guide Alister made the trip exciting and well-knowledgeable to keep you entertained with Scottish stories and facts about Scotland.

  • Great group, great guide, great tour.

    Rowena d,

    Feb 15, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    The 5 day winter highland fling was my second Haggis/Highland explorer tour and it topped the last one (in 2016), in fact it topped all tours I’ve done ever (and I’ve been on a lot). Rich was the most amazing guide, he is perfect for this job and even though he was a little under the weather, brought 100% every single day. He knows so much about Scotland, history old and new, nature, sports, food and drink and my favourite was how he knew locals in every town we were in. Rich made Scotland feel like a big country town where everyone knows everyone and the locals are keen to just have a yarn. On the practical side, our bus was clean, we had lots of great stops for food/toilets, Rich knew the more secluded spots to see the sights, we used the whole day really well, Rich planned meals for us as we were travelling through the off season and some places were closed. 11/10, we can’t wait to come back! Great group, great guide, great tour. Thanks team 🤙

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  • 5 days tour of Scotland

    Gaia P,

    Oct 30, 2024

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    It was the first time for me and my mom visiting Scotland. We already knew that it was a beautiful place, but we didn't expect just how beautiful!! And our driver Cara made it even more special, with all her stories and knowledge. I would definitely recommend and probably look for another tour to join!! We visited all the best spots, with plenty of stops along the way, the time passed very quickly!! And it's a company that thinks about the environment and tries to be as environmental friendly as possible, which is something we really appreciated!

  • Best time ever!

    pappys2015,

    Sep 2, 2024

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    This tour was just amazing. Five days jam packed with the most beautiful places and interesting information and wonderful stories. Our guide Paul was fabulous. Nothing was too much trouble and his wit and charm helped the group to feel comfortable together. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone. Thank you Paul for five wonderful days.

  • They've Officially Taken the "Adventure" out of Haggis Adventures

    fleaguit,

    Jul 23, 2024

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    2.00

    First of all, I need to say that my review and rating have nothing to do with my driver/guide Cara or her trainee Lauri. They were both energetic, excellent and professional at their jobs and went out of their way to be informative and take into consideration the needs of the group throughout the trip. There were some things that went wrong on our tour (not being able to get on the ferry and having to drive to Isle of Skye, etc.) but they worked hard to keep everyone's spirits up throughout and overall made the trip enjoyable. The low rating is for the absolute bait and switch that was this tour. Prior to traveling, I looked into every piece of marketing, blog post, and review that I could about Haggis Adventures. I was expecting a Highland Adventure running up and down mountains by day, exploring castles, jumping into lochs, and partying in a tartan toga by night. Although I personally am a bit beyond staying in hostels at this point in my life, I figured it would be worthwhile to stay in inferior accomodations to travel with a fun group. I was fully aware going into this trip that sometimes Haggis Adventures shares buses with their sister company, Highland Explorer Tours, however I (incorrectly) assumed that during high season this would be unlikely as the company should have enough bookings to run seperate trips. I was wrong. Our group was 95% older Highland Explorer passengers and unfortunately the tour (rightly so) mainly catered to them. Our group mainly consisted of retirees and families with young children. Although they were all very nice people and I got along with everyone, it was far from the wild Scottish Adventure I was expecting. The plain truth of it is, I expected a certain type of trip and received another. I could have easily paid for a Highland Explorer Tour and stayed in better accomodations, however the Highland Explorer experience was not the one I was looking for. During the daytime, stops were all geared towards the Highland Explorer passengers. I was really hoping for more "active" stops that I had seen from other Haggis Adventures tours. Wanna tour a castle? How about we stop at some Tchotchke shop across the water for 15 minutes and take pictures instead. Wanna hike up a mountain? You'll see people doing just that from the bus window. Wanna jump in a fairy pool? There may be some puddles as you hop off the bus at the next tourist trap. By nighttime, activities were simply non-existent as our older passengers mainly needed to get their rest. For anyone that wants to know, the hostel accomodations were a mixed bag. The hostel in Oban was very nice, almost like a hotel. I wound up in a private room with a shared bathroom since I was the only guy traveling in our group. In Portree (Isle of Skye) the hostel was OK. 4 bed dorm with ensuite. Overall fairly clean and in a good location. The hostel in Inverness (Black Isle Hostel) wasn't great. 4 bed shared dorm with strangers, (which was fine and expected) however the hostel itself had a number of strange characters hanging around day and night. There was one guy who was always in the bathroom day and night blasting music on his phone while wearing winter clothes in the middle of summer. I didn't have any issues, but could see some people being a little uncomfortable. When I was younger, I had traveled with Contiki across Europe and had an incredible time. From this trip, I was hoping for a group in their 20s, 30s, and early 40s that was active and up for a fun adventure through the Scottish Highlands. Unfortunately it felt more like our small Haggis group was shoehorned into a tour for retirees. I would strongly advise anyone considering booking with Haggis Adventures to maybe consider a more traditional backpacking tour company that won't mix you in with a slower paced group. I don't think Haggis Adventures as a brand really exists anymore the way it did pre-pandemic. I believe they have severely dilluted their product and you won't be having the Adventure that you are hoping for.

  • Ancient cairns to modern Kelpie Horse sculpture, wind swept coasts to Blair Athol distillery.

    Sherpa21787873790,

    Jul 11, 2024

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Alistair was the best tour driver/guide ever (after hosts from Hawaii to European river cruises). We left informed on every aspect of Scottish geography, history, life and lore...including the often difficult to pronounce Gaelic (which he'd spell for us). The group ranging from 19-79 (me) became friends and left the fascinating Highlands with bonnie memories. Awesome!

  • Legendary!

    Storyteller543384,

    Jul 5, 2024

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    This trip was so much fun! The sites were incredible and I guide, Emm, was so sweet and knowledgeable. Her knowledge of the country and stories brought this tour to life!

  • A magical time!

    B2570LJcoletteg,

    May 23, 2024

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    This was my first solo trip and I am SO thankful I went with Haggis Adventures. Our tour guide Rich truly made this experience spectacular. We fit so many amazing sights into 5 days. Rich was hilarious, witty and so knowledgeable. It seemed like every landmark we passed he knew the history, lore and had some sort of personal story, which made time on the bus fly by. The total group was about 30 people - a combination of 2 bus tour bookings, with the Haggis Adventure folks staying in hostels, and the Highland Explorer folks staying in hotels. Rich went out of his way to accommodate the guests, and even helped me get a last minute ticket on the Jacobite steam train, which was a highlight of my time in Scotland. We were usually on our own for lunch and dinners, but Rich always had great recommendations and many of the bus group mingled and ate together for meals. We had a blast at the pubs in the evening and enjoyed much live music. I made lovely friends on this trip and would recommend this company to anyone! Already dreaming of my next visit back to Scotland.

    B2570LJcoletteg's photo 1
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  • Road trip with friends

    K2117ORlisah,

    May 20, 2024

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    I did a combined tour of Haggis Adventures and Highland Explorer. This tour was the perfect combination of history, legends, short hikes, city and picturesque landscape. Thanks to our guide and driver Rich, we quickly build a personal relationship with the country and its people, We heart great (personal) stories, gained knowledge and had many laughs. Rich, you are a marvellous storyteller! Thanks to his numerous tips we enjoyed wonderful food every day (for every budget) and an unforgettable evening in the pub! The very diverse group grew together quickly, so that on day 2 you already have the feeling of a road trip with friends. I couldn't have wished for more, happy to do it again!

  • Like a road trip with friends

    K2117ORlisah,

    May 19, 2024

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    I usually travel individually, but I'm very happy to have joined this tour. I would have never seen and experienced so much in such a short time on my own and certainly wouldn't have discovered some of the spots. The tour was the perfect mix of history, legends, short hikes, city and picturesque landscape. Thanks to our guide and driver Rich, you not only quickly build up a personal relationship with the country and its people, you also hear great (personal) stories, gain knowledge and have a laugh. Rich, you are a marvellous storyteller! Not to forget that thanks to his numerous tips we enjoyed wonderful food every day (for every budget) and an unforgettable evening in the pub! Thanks to him, everyone was in a great mood, open-minded and the very diverse group grew together quickly, so that on day 2 you already have the feeling of a road trip with friends. I couldn't have wished for more, happy to do it again!

From £585.00

4.79
47 reviews
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