Scottish Highlands Tour Companies

Amazing organization by Highland Express Tours! The driver was as professional as expected, very nice, prudent. The car was in perfect condition. The tour very well organized!

Guides were excellent. 8 day tour should have remained with one guide/group. Was not expecting a split tour. Check in was confusing as not advised properly of guide/bus that we were travelling with. Travelled with other couple and both were told different guide names of which were both wrong.

Tour guide and bus driver were both excellent. Starting hotel was terrible and no where near the main area of Edinburgh. Breakfast there was a granola bar, croissant in a plastic wrap, a yogurt, and a juice box. Our hotel room in Inverness had a leaky ceiling which we reported to the front desk right away. They said they sent maintenance to fix the issue, but that evening it was leaking again. G Adventures itinerary is not reflective of the actual tour and for many extra activities listed there was no time to do them even if we had wanted to. Isle of Skye was a real highlight along with Inverness. We only received our tour vouchers the night before we left Canada and we had to call to get it. We will not consider G Adventures for any of our future travel needs.

This was my second G Adventures tour and it proved to be as enjoyable as the first one, which was the main reason my wife and I booked it. The small size of the tour group and the variety of people made it all the better. The tour offered a good balance between structured visits of major attractions and free time to explore on our own. I would not hesitate to recommend a G Adventures tour to anyone seeking a guided travel experience in the company of other like-minded travelers.

Winter conditions restricted some activities, but otherwise a good trip.

Alistair was a brilliant guide-

Was an amazing tour through Highlands. Stopped at some amazing locations. Fairy pools and visiting Lake to spot Loch Ness were highlights. Our Tour Guide Micheal was great, told cool stories about Fairies and Giants, talked about Queens and Kings and History. Also had a cool playlist with Scottish music. Had a great time. Would recommend this Tour!!

This tour exceeded my expectations. I was overwhelmed at the beautiful rolling hills, Lochs, waterfalls, winding roads, leaves falling from the colourful autumn trees abd castles.

Friendly, humorous and informative guide. Pretty basic accommodation but they are pretty remote places. Spectacular scenery, interesting places and history.

The 6 day Isle of Skye Outer Hebrides tour was fascinating, fabulous and a lot f fun. Our guide/driver Sophie was amazing and the ride in the blue bus smooth and comfortable. Sophie kept us in thrall of all things Scottish. Sophie is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and extremely entertaining. Destinations were very interesting and every day a big day out and a lot of fun. Would highly recommend this tour.

I would suggest this tour and company to absolutely anyone who wants to see as much of Scotland and doesn't want to go alone. Our Guide/Driver Sophie was by far the best tour guide I've ever had. She was able to fit in so much in to the tour and squeeze some sites in that I hadn't heard of or didn't think we were gonna get to see but without any if us feeling run off our feet or rushed. She also had tonnes of local stories and myth about where we were and was even quick with a joke either getting laughs or groans. Absolutely fantastic. I would go another tour from them in a heart beat and would recommend it to anyone

The tour leader was excellent. There is nothing to complain about and I would recommend the trip.

Our guise Sean was great. The accommodations were very clean and tidy with a good location to town.

Very interesting trip, excellently led by our competent tour guide Tony, who didn't let himself be put off, even when something didn't work out at the beginning of the trip through no fault of his own (train only had 2 carriages instead of 5). We learned a lot about the country, its people and history without stress and experienced a different way of traveling, which we really enjoyed (small group/participants from 3 continents/5 countries). Lots of interesting conversations among the tour participants. We are thrilled!

I recently traveled with a friend to Scotland. We included a week long tour with Intrepid, booked through Tour Radar. We paid a very healthy sum for the tour, $3,460 each. The description said the trip was appropriate for ages 15-99. It also described two nights in Portree on Isle of Skye with a private van tour on the full day on Isle of Sky. My friend and I chose this tour because of the time spent in Portree and on Isle of Skye, the small group size, and that if it was okay for ages 15-99 then I’d be fine six months post a major knee surgery. What wasn’t included in the description and what happened: -No where did it say that we’d be expected to walk/transport our luggage on foot from Points of transportation to our lodging ranging from 10-20 minutes. My 94 year old father-in-law lives with us and is able bodied, but there’s no way he could have done these distances While also carrying/pulling luggage. My 87 year old mother could not accomplish this either. I could do it with my recovering knee, but I was slower and it also used up some of the energy I needed for enjoying walking portions of the tour. I didn’t anticipate having to schlep my suitcase for 15 minutes at a time over uneven sidewalks, etc. I would have packed differently had I known or we would have looked for a different tour. -My friend and I still wonder why Fort Williams was included on the itinerary as a place to stay?
The only thing Intrepid provided was a walk to a castle that wasn’t open for visitors. The rest was on our own and there really wasn’t much happening other than a nice, little museum. We would have preferred more time on Isle of Skye. -We were notified prior to departure that our time on Isle of Skye would be at Kyleakin - not in Portree- and we’d have to arrange our own tour. Phone numbers were provided but no one on the tour had any luck booking anything prior to arriving, calls not returned, no availability, etc. So, 3-4 of our tour group spent 2 FULL hours or more on their phones while we were in Fort Williams trying to come up with some options for us. They pieced together a public bus ride to/from Kyleakin to Portree and a private taxi tour at our own expense! (After paying for it in the cost of our tour.) This should have been done by Intrepid!! Not once were we offered reimbursement. We didn’t have any time in Portree. We’d hoped to have lunch before our taxi tour, but all the restaurants were full. I found a to-go cup of tea and scone at a bike shop, then time in cue to use a bathroom. I’d looked forward to staying in Portree and had many places I had planned to walk to when not on the private van tour we were sold but didn’t get. Also, While staying in Kyleakin, the guest house did not provide a cooked breakfast, just light snacks in our rooms. Breakfast was provided, but we had to walk to/from the restaurant that was a mile each way. This used up time we could have been site seeing. Also, it would use up my knee energy for the days site-seeing. My friend went to breakfast but I skipped the walk to reserve my energy for site-seeing. Oh, and the whiskey tasting…we passed distilleries but we Were given a private lesson on tasting with our tour guide. While he did a fine job, the setting was not the same as a distillery setting. The room was bare, we used wine glasses, we were Supposed to take notes but no hard surfaces to write on, etc. Just wasn’t what any of us were expecting. I found Intrepid’s disregard for the changes and the misleading descriptions as to be very unprofessional. I use tours so that I don’t have to do all of the arranging. Why pay you if I’m going to have to do it myself? Next time I book a tour, I’ll be sure to avoid Intrepid. Many friends have asked about my trip. Unfortunately, the biggest disappointment was the tour. I’ve shared that multiple times now. I’m not the only member of the group that walked away Disappointed. We didn’t want to “blame” the tour guide, I don’t think he was responsible, he was just trying to keep us happy as he could sense how displeased we were. His answers too our questions were not satisfying at all. He seemed to be trying to cover for the company best he could.

The Spirit of Outlander tour was great! This tour is geared for Outlander fans but you don't have to be a fan to enjoy all the locations visited. Our tour guide, Paul, was fantastic! His knowledge, enthusiasm, and professionalism was 5-star! It was very exciting to visit the filming sites of Outlander and to be walking in the footsteps of the actors! There were a variety of locations to visit daily from castles to churches and gardens. There were also unscheduled photo stops to capture the scenic beauty on the way to visiting various locations. My husband and I waited over 2 years to take this trip (due to Covid) and it was worth the wait! The hotels were top notch and the meals provided were good! A thoroughly exciting trip!

Overall our experience with our tour was good. Our guide was very knowledgeable and fun.

We had an excellent experience, Angela the guide was super (safe driving, clear communication, kind willingness to adjust, in my case recommending alternate walks when the group was embarked on a hike a bit above my level), hotels comfortable, food very good. Another lovely trip purchased from Tour Radar!

Tour was great. Angela is amazing. She’s so knowledgeable and looked after the group at all times.

Ciaran was an excellent guide. However, guide doesn't cover everything he did for our trip. We were wanting someone to help take out the stress of driving and finding activities, Ciaran went above and brought the entire experience of visiting Scotland to a personal level. My wife and I never had a care about what we were going to do and were never rushed at sites. Every stop/side trip felt like living another chapter in the story of Scotland. There was time to experience the places we visited, but never so long that we felt we had seen it all. Ciaran even made the 'adventure' of a rail strike feel like an opportunity to see more things off the beaten path. We wanted to take him home with us, to meet the rest of our family. Whenever I think of Scotland, I will also remember Ciaran as the man who's love for his country is too big not to share.

Tour guide Ciaran and bus driver Karen were both great!!! All the sites were well planned and various. The places we stayed were very nice and the food was delicious.

Very enjoyable tour and a unique chance to live on an active sailing ship for a week. Expert guides, captain and crew who were very friendly and helpful. The scenery is as beautiful as expected. Pleasant fellow travellers. Highly recommended.

This is an all inclusive tour. We were well fed, excellent meals, fantastic itinerary, and thoughtful crew and guides. Biking is an excellent way to see the country.

Festive, Dramatic Tattoo performance! Highly recommended. Our guide was witty, personable, intelligent, fully capable, and a complete delight! This trip was a memory for my lifetime.

The trip was wonderful with a great tour guide. It allowed us for a little extra excursions throughout the trip. Accommodations were great.