Inverness: Loch Ness & The Highlands
Description
Spend a day Nessie-hunting, take a cruise on the mysterious Loch Ness, explore the village of Fort Augustus, visit the ruined loch-side Urquhart Castle, admire the Falls of Foyers and wander along Dores Beach on this fantastic one day Loch Ness tour from Inverness!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your one day Loch Ness tour from Inverness departs at 08:45 and follows the beautiful Caledonian Canal to the source at Loch Ness. 24 miles long and over 700 feet deep, the loch is the largest by volume in the British Isles and is most famous for its sightings of the Loch Ness Monster, affectionately known as “Nessie”. We spend most of the morning at Loch Ness, allowing you plenty of time to go Nessie-hunting! Our first stop is Urquhart Castle (optional extra), here you will have the option of visiting the 13th century structure, with plenty of time explore the ruin, enjoy the visitor centre, and take in the views and atmosphere of Scotland’s most famous loch.
Afterwards, we journey through to Fort Augustus, the furthermost point of your Loch Ness tour. We have time here to stop and enjoy a relaxing hour-long boat cruise (optional extra) across Loch Ness with Cruise Loch Ness. Afterwards, enjoy lunch in the small town; with a population of only 650 people, it's a perfect spot to relax and watch boats passing through the Caledonian Canal.
After lunch, our Loch Ness tour will begin its journey back to Inverness, stopping at the Falls of Foyers. The majestic 165ft waterfall was a favourite retreat for poet Rabbie Burns, and is truly breath-taking. Enjoy plenty of time here to soak up the atmosphere before the tour continues on to the village of Dores for a visit to Dores Beach on the east shores of Loch Ness.
Spend a short while wandering the pebble-dotted shoreline before boarding the coach for a final return journey to Inverness where your Loch Ness day tour ends.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum age is 4 years old.
- Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark.
- The castle & cruise currently need to be pre-booked, details will be provided on the ticket.
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or a full refund.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- Digital translations in English, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian & Mandarin available on request.
- Please arrive a minimum of 15 minutes before your tour's departure time.
- If you are driving, we recommend parking at the Old Town Rose Street Multi-Storey Car Park, 24 Rose St, IV1 1NQ, conveniently located next to our departure point.
- Please note: the Loch Ness cruise will not be operating on the 20th and 24th December 2024. On those dates, we will stop at Fort Augustus for lunch where you will have the opportunity to view and enjoy Loch Ness.
Reviews(368)
A very nice experience. Brendon, the guide, is very kind and explain very well. We had an excellent day.
We had a fantastic tour with Brendon, who was an incredible guide and explained everything so thoroughly and engagingly. The itinerary was absolutely beautiful, showcasing breathtaking stops throughout the entire trip. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a memorable and seamless experience!
Travelled from London to Inverness for a short (and last minute) weekend trip to see the Highlands. Booked this trip the night before the tour. Fiona Campbell was our tour guide and she was absolutely brilliant from beginning to end. She was approachable, friendly, informative, but most importantly clear on expectations (i.e. time to return to bus at each stop, and conduct on bus) which meant that everyone was able to make the most of their time at each location and be considerate of each others enjoyment. It was me and my mother's first time visiting the Highlands and staying in Scotland. Pickup and dropoff was easy to find, many destinations were visited that would never happen if we arranged it independently. Would definitely recommend to get the highlights around Loch Ness, and you'll be well looked after if you have Fiona as your guide!
I’ll start with one of the last things our amazing guide, Fiona, asked us: “Please give us your honest feedback about anything we did wrong or anything you didn’t like, as this will help us improve our services.” Well, my answer is simple: we loved everything about this tour! And the best part was definitely Fiona herself. She was incredibly friendly, clear, always smiling, and also a very, very good driver - touch wood! I actually had a rental car in Inverness, but I wanted a hassle-free day trip without worrying about narrow roads, parking, navigation, or driving on the left side of the road. This tour was exactly what I was looking for. It covered all the main spots without ever feeling rushed, and everything was very well organized. Having Fiona as our guide made the experience even better. Her tips, advice, and knowledge throughout the day were really valuable and added a lot to the trip. And by the way, the mini tour buses are very comfortable and clean! Thank you for an amazing day. Highly recommended and a special thank you to Fiona!
I loved our tour! Plenty of stops, beautiful views and plenty of places to have a snack. Fiona was great, I enjoyed her storytelling and she provided clear instructions on stops and times.
This daytrip was fantastic for many reasons not only to do with beautiful sights. Out tourguide and driver Liall was truly amazing: a 100percent both highlander and „educator“ of highland history and culture (in the best sense) eager to show us more than renowned highlights, including insider knowledge! Great sense of humor, safe and calm driver, super playlist on board, all very well balanced! We are thrilled and thankful!
Our day with Fiona was perfect. A beautiful, well-organized excursion and a guide who listened to us.
Our guide Fiona was not less than brilliant, and the sitings was lovely as hoped. The wife and I were even blessed by nice weather and was it a glimse of Nessie…. I think it was
I was traveling around Scotland this week with my daughter who really wanted to go to the Isle. Being an American who was finding some of the driving a challenge, we decided that a tour would be the perfect way to go. Our hotel recommended Timberbush and we were not disappointed! What a great day! It’s a really good way to see a lot of that area in one day! Ben was an amazing driver, and had great weight and knowledge of the area! He loved, sharing the history, the challenges, and the trials of the people of the Scottish Highlands. And all without the stress of driving on the left side and on one lane roads! He even let me drive the bus, lol! Just kidding! A great trip and great people! I highly recommend this company when you’re in Scotland!
Doreen eas a fantastic guide, and an a very capable and competent driver of our bus. Unfortunately, she had to back-track about an hour to pick up a foursome of guests who couldn't manage to get to the departure point in Inverness on time, but despite how tshe obviously felt, managed to maintain a professional demeanor. Her skills behind the wheel were as impressive as any I’ve met, and far superior to my own skills in nation where you all drive on the wrong side of the road. That's a joke, btw.... given how many people are rolling on UK roads at any given time, the road system is FAR superior to our in Canada, and Doreen navigated it skillfully. Her knowledge of the area and local custom was also spot on. I would happily entrust my family and I to her skills again. Cheers!
