Discover the Central Highlands at your own pace, your way.
Experience the breathtaking Scottish Highlands with your own local guide, travelling in luxury aboard an air-conditioned Mercedes V-Class. With a flexible itinerary and a relaxed pace, this is Scotland on your terms.
Whether you wish to explore historic castles, enjoy scenic walks and spectacular mountain views, follow in the footsteps of the legendary Rob Roy, savour authentic local food in a pub or a bakery, maybe even visit a whisky distillery. We'll tailor the day to your interests, helping you discover the Highlands beyond the usual tourist trail.
Enjoy convenient pickup and drop-off at your Edinburgh hotel or B&B, with the freedom to stop, explore and make the most of your day.
As this is a private tour, we're happy to customise your itinerary within the Central Highlands region covered by this tour. Destinations far outside this area would require a different tour itinerary.
Schedule & prices
Runs
Every day
Start times
9:00 AM
Next available
Fri, Oct 23
Group price
$1,062 per vehicle, up to 7 people
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 22.
Tour Options
Private Central Highlands Driving Tour
Pickup included
Itinerary
Stirling Castle
30 min
We will stop for the best view of the castle where you can learn all about it's more interesting history. If you like, we can arrange for you to go inside and you can skip something else.
Callander Visitor Information Cantre
45 min
Stop to wander through the streets of quaint town on the the "entrance to the Highlands."
10 min
Meet some Highland Cows if they are out and about. Usually we can do this from April-October, outwith these months they are inside for the winter.
Loch Lubnaig
30 min
Take a stroll by an extremely pretty loch with the Highland hills rising by it's sides.
Falls of Dochart
30 min
Time permitting we can visit the picturesque Falls of Dochart in Killin. The falls are wide rather than high, but set around gorgeous rock formations and an ancient bridge worh views over to Ben Lawers, the 10th highest mountain in the UK. Nearby there is an excellent smokehouse if anyone wants to try some very local smoked salmon.
Deanston Distillery & Visitor Centre
Admission not included60 min
If you like the idea of a distillery tour or whisky tasting, let us know and we can suggest times and experiences to book. Please note this is not included in the tour cost as not everyone wants to do this.
Rob Roy's Grave
30 min
Visit the grave of one of Scotland's most infamous heroes...or was he a villain?
The Kelpies & The Helix
20 min
Although the rest of the tour is about ancient Scotland, if you wish we can stop to see the amazing Kelpies sculptures in Falkirk on the way to, or from, the Highlands. These modern sculptures are huge and everyone who seems them are in awe. You will also find out about the mythology behind their name.
What's included
Included
Local guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Booster seats for up to 2 children.
Transport by air-conditioned minivan
All guiding fees and vehicle costs.
Transport by private vehicle
Not included
Entrance fees for castles/distillery
Food and drinks
Gratuities
Pickup Locations & Times
We will pick up from any Edinburgh hotel, BnB or Port. Pick up in locations outwith Edinburgh will require and additional fee if it is possible for us to get there.
Traveller Ratings
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
5.0
108 reviews
5
107
4
1
3
0
2
0
1
0
How it compares in Edinburgh
Rated higher than 78% of 450 reviewed tours in Edinburgh
Excurgo comparison of 1,247 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
Important Information
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
1+ days before100% refund
0–1 days before0% refund
Frequently asked questions
How long does Private Central Highlands Driving Tour take?
Private Central Highlands Driving Tour lasts about 7–8 hours. The itinerary has 8 stops.
How much does Private Central Highlands Driving Tour cost?
Prices start at $1,062 per person for this Edinburgh experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
What days does Private Central Highlands Driving Tour run?
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 9:00 AM.
Can I cancel Private Central Highlands Driving Tour for free?
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, pickup is offered. We will pick up from any Edinburgh hotel, BnB or Port. Pick up in locations outwith Edinburgh will require and additional fee if it is possible for us to get there. Pickup points include Westfield, Ocean Mist Leith.
What languages is Private Central Highlands Driving Tour offered in?
The experience is available in EN.
Is this a private or a group tour?
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 7 travellers can book together.
Is the tour suitable for children?
Specialized infant seats are available
Will my booking be confirmed immediately?
Confirmation is sent by the operator within 24 hours of booking.
Is Private Central Highlands Driving Tour worth it?
Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 108 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Iconic Tours.
Reviews(108)
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
J
John_D
August 21, 2026 · via Viator
Exceptional Highland Experience.
Will is an exceptional tour guide. Very knowledgeable and engaging. The tour was perfect and he was able to gauge our interest and modify the plans as the day progressed to make sure we have the optimal experience. Highly recommend!!!
Operator response
Dear John,
Many thanks for the kind review.
I am always happy to change up tours to suit everyone's interests and I am glad I could include things to keep everyone happy.
I hope to tour with you all again one day.
Will
I
I6308HZdianec
June 9, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Don’t hesitate – you will want to book this tour!
We were very fortunate to have Will be our guide for our day trip to the Highlands and he went above and beyond to make it an absolutely special day for us. Will was very communicative well before the trip and, although I’m sure he has a standard tour itinerary, he planned ahead and tailored our trip to what we were interested in seeing and doing to make it a truly bespoke experience. For example, we really had a keen interest in seeing working sheepdogs and Will went out of his way to research this and was able to book us a tour at Lurgan Farms which ended up being the highlight of our two-week trip to England, Scotland, and Ireland (and we did a lot!). Will has such a deep history of Scotland and was able to share so much of his knowledge throughout the day so we knew the significance of what we were seeing. He also gave us some excellent recommendations for local eateries, coffee shops, pubs, etc. beforehand so we had time to check them out online and see what we could work into our schedule. This is not a tour bus type of thing with 50 of your closest friends you don’t know but a private tour in a nice unmarked Mercedes van with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Will was an excellent driver and a pro at navigating the small winding roads of Scotland. My only disappointment was that I didn’t book a second day with him to see other sites as Scotland is absolutely beautiful. Without a doubt, 5 stars and more!
Operator response
Dear Diane,
Thank you very much for your kind and thoughtful review, it really is appreciated.
When people book a tour with me I want them to have the best possible experience, so I am always happy to recommend local places to eat and drink in Edinburgh and I am glad you found places you like before we met for the tour.
I always pick up directly from hotels for tours and when you said you wanted to see working sheepdogs I was delighted to be able to take you to Lurgen Farm and I am so happy it was the highlight of your whole UK trip.
I do have "regular tours" where we will visit the best areas away from the tourists as well as some must see spots with tourists that helps people get a true understanding of Scottish history and culture, but I do love tours like yours the most where I get a request I can fulfill to make some wishes come true.
I hope we get to meet again some day.
Will
M
Melissa_B
October 3, 2025 · via Viator
Best tour guide!!
I wish I could give 10 stars!! Top notch - the BEST tour guide EVER! Scott was the most incredible tour guide we have ever had. He truly loves his country and loves to share it with his clients. We were absolutely captivated by his stories and knowledge (and jokes or course) - we learned so much about Scotland. We will be back! And we will contact Scott!
Operator response
Dear Melissa B,
Many thanks for taking the time to write a review for your private tour to the Scottish Highlands with Scott.
Scott is a brilliant person to spend the day with, he is an expert in Scottish history and culture as well as having a great sense of humour.
All of our team want to make your private tours of Scotland, so we are always happy to adjust the tours to suit your needs when we can and we always like a good mix of history, fun facts, stories and laughs. We are not a "read from a script" type of company, we love what we do and that's why we get so many great reviews 😀
R
rrznk
September 30, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Must do tour! Highly recommend!
Perfect way to see The Highlands without the worry of driving. Our driver, Scott was the perfect guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable and a great story teller of Scottish history. We made lots of stops along the route and saw some amazing things that I’m not sure you would see if you were driving on your own. We stopped for a great lunch at such a quaint restaurant with delicious food. The stop at an award winning chocolate factory was a lot of fun. It rained midway through our tour but Scott made sure that did not hinder our trip. We would highly recommend this tour if you’re in Edinburgh!
R
randykeeling
September 28, 2025 · via Viator
Must do tour! Highly recommend!
Perfect way to see The Highlands without the worry of driving. Our driver, Scott was the perfect guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable and a great story teller of Scottish history. We made lots of stops along the route and saw some amazing things that I’m not sure you would see if you were driving on your own. We stopped for a great lunch at such a quaint restaurant with delicious food. The stop at an award winning chocolate factory was a lot of fun. It rained midway through our tour but Scott made sure that did not hinder our trip. We would highly recommend this tour if you’re in Edinburgh!
1 people found this helpful
Operator response
Dear RandyKeeling,
Thank you so muchbfor taking the time to write a review of your tour with Scott.
Scott is an amazing guide, historian, story teller and all round great guy to spend time with.
Here at Iconic Tours we always want to get people away from the crowds, show them local spots they wouldn't find on their own and introduce some great local places to eat and drink. We always make sure everyone experiences Scotland like a local.
We hope you can come tour with us again one day.
Kind regards
Will
J
Jim_U
August 28, 2025 · via Viator
A great time rain or...
A great time rain or shine! We hiked to the most spectacular view and ate a delicious local lunch. Who know Steak and haggis pie was so good!
Operator response
Thanks for the review Jim,
I thoroughly enjoyed our day together and I am glad you managed to enjoy the delights of both our great views and our amazing haggis. A true Scottish experience for you.
N
Nicole L
June 22, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Family visit
We had an amazing tour with Scott today! We are traveling with our 3 kids (9,13,16). Scott was great at talking to each kid in just the right way, keeping them engaged and entertained, not easy with the varied ages. Scott answered my 9 year old's endless questions with humor and patience. Scott was fun, informative, and entertaining, while always being professional. He was prepared with water and plenty of umbrellas, whenever needed. I highly recommend this tour with Scott!
Operator response
Dear Nicole L,
We are so happy you enjoyed your tour with us so much.
Although many companies do t allow children on tour, we are always happy to have families with children, Scotland has so much to offer for people of all ages and we always want to make sure everyone with us is included.
Scott is a great guide, he knows how to make sure each tour suits everyone's different needs perfectly.
We hope you can come tour with us again one day.
Kind regards,
Will
L
loveyoutoo_NJ
June 21, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Great day visiting central highlands from Edinburgh
Had an amazing day with Will from iconic tours.
Will customized our itinerary based on our needs and we were able to see everything we wanted. He provided us with history lessons, whisky information and tasting as well as great pictures. Highly recommend this private tour of central Highlands.
Operator response
Dear Loveyoutoo NJ,
It was a real pleasure to meet you both and show you some of the Highlands.
We are always happy to make the day suit in the area you a tour is booked for, there are so many options for great things to do and we like to make sure everyone has the day they want rather been taken to places on a checklist.
I was more than happy to make sure you got to some great photo spots too.
Hope to see you again.
Will
A
abunsow
May 26, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Best Experience in Scotland with the Best Guide and Tour Company
If you want to have the best experience and explore Edinburgh and Scotland, Iconic Tours is the best company to do it, Will is the most attentive person, looking and adjusting any single detail to give the best experience. This tailor-made experience was above and beyond our expectations. Will responded and helped arrange a great day in the highlands, to provide us with a historic overview, while having a true Scottish experience visiting landmarks and great spots, and providing a super extra service around whisky, visiting distilleries, and at the same time sharing his knowledge and even a tasting from his private collection. Don't hesitate and go with the best.
Operator response
Dear abunsow,
Many thanks for taking the time to write a review for your tour with me.
It was a real pleasure to meet you and I, as well as the other guides at Iconic Tours, are always happy to adjust tours to suit.
Like you, I am a big whisky fan and as well as distillery visits I was happy to bring along some whisky I thought you wouldn't have tried to get a fuller experience on the day.
Scotland is amazing, we have so much to offer and I hope you can come visit again.
Until next we meet,
Will
L
Laurie_M
May 20, 2025 · via Viator
Wonderful 9 hour day trip to experience mid-highlands Scotland-for those not wanting 12+ long drive to high country
Wonderful, private 9 hour experience led by our very friendly and knowledgeable tour guide Bryan. He asked us what we wanted to see and also made fantastic recommendations. He was impeccably dressed, professional, and very interactive with our family. He made advanced reservations for us at a lovely restaurant with amazing views. We saw everything we wanted to see - Kelpies, Stirling Castle/Wallace monument (from a distance on the bridge where Bryan told us the history of the battle that occurred there), highland cows, hike to a scenic overlook, Rob Roy grave, and walked down to the Loch. Plenty of stops to use restrooms along the way. We knew this tour only went to the mid-part of the Highlands which we were fine with since we had limited time. If you want high country, you will spend a lot of time in the car and need a much longer tour. We were so inspired by Bryan's historical talk, we watched Braveheart that evening ha ha
Operator response
Dear Laurie,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review for your tour with Bryan from Iconic Tours.
Bryan is always impeccable in every way and is a great person to spend a day with to get an amazing insight into Scottish history and culture whilst exploring the Highlands.
The Highlands is a huge area and we feel we can give a great taste of the lower and Central Highlands without having to do huge drives that involve just whizzing by places without many chances to stop. We love to get people away from the crowds and see the Highlands in it's natural beauty.
We hope you can come tour with us again.
Will
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