Top 5 Isle of Skye Tours: Must-See Sightseeing & Cruises

Okay, so you’re dreaming of a trip to the Isle of Skye? Good choice! This Scottish island, is that, pretty wild, rather dramatic, and seriously beautiful. Actually, Skye is bursting with jaw-dropping scenery, from its craggy mountains, arguably some of the most impressive in the United Kingdom, and the pretty glittering lochs to its super quaint villages. That said, actually seeing all the very best bits means having a solid plan. Or, in some respects, hopping on a cracking tour, which takes care of basically everything. We are going to walk you through some awesome tour choices that make sure you catch Skye’s biggest sights, and maybe a few lesser-known gems as well.

1. The “Essential Skye” Full-Day Tour from Portree

This one kicks off in Portree, seemingly the isle’s biggest town. It’s pretty handy if you’re staying nearby, or coming in by bus. The “Essential Skye” Full-Day Tour does pretty much what it says on the tin: it hits the essential spots. Usually, expect to be packed into a mini-bus and driven to spots such as the Old Man of Storr, Quiraing, Kilt Rock, and the Fairy Pools. Often, these tours are just perfect if you kinda want to tick the main attractions off your list, yet without having to sweat basically all the small stuff about driving narrow roads or where to even park. So too it’s almost worth every penny for a relaxed experience alone, you know? Most tours usually throw in a local guide, so that, they actually pepper your journey with stories and facts, yet in a very personal way.

This is almost an appealing element, like, so you gain some very cool knowledge on the island’s history and geology, not to mention local legends. The upside to this tour tends to be that you see a heck of a lot in one go. The downside, in some respects, sometimes these popular places, at the end of the day, get quite crowded. As a matter of fact, the buses can get a bit cramped. Remember, at the end of the day, you’re on Skye for those absolutely epic landscapes. Do your research, actually, to locate a guide that stops off the main spots if that strikes your fancy, yet allows for getting away from others.

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2. Skye and Loch Ness 3-Day Tour from Edinburgh

Okay, so if you’re based way down south in Edinburgh, it might be kind of nice to treat yourself to something that packs Skye in with even more cool spots from the Highlands. As a matter of fact, this one spreads the adventure over three glorious days, so arguably giving you a pretty deep dive into the area. That’s nice. Day one takes you into the Highlands. Usually expect pit stops at Glencoe, actually a striking glen that comes packed with Scottish history, and also Loch Ness, where basically you can even go Nessie hunting if you want. Pretty good right?

On day two, is that, things begin to move on into Skye, yet expect some utterly incredible driving along the way as well. Places such as the Old Man of Storr and Kilt Rock should appear on the roster, like. As a matter of fact, you could even spend a night somewhere quaint, yet somewhere lovely, somewhere on the island. Day three then loops you, too it’s almost like, back, usually, south. The main pro here usually centers around the super easy convenience factor, because honestly, travel, somewhere to sleep, and your itinerary is sorted for you. You’ll like that! Actually, a mini drawback could be a little bit less time spent right on Skye itself because you’re cramming even more in.

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3. Skye Boat Trips from Elgol

Right then, switching gears from road to water, these trips take off from Elgol, basically a pretty, sleepy village on Skye’s south coast. Okay, so rather than whisking you across the land, this is virtually about seeing the island from a, kind of, unique vantage point out on the waves. Expect very striking views of the Cuillin mountains, dramatically towering straight up from the sea. So, there will usually be opportunities to peep inside otherwise difficult-to-reach sea caves.

Also, there might be, often, sightings of local wildlife, you know, like seals and seabirds and whatever is about. A, sort of, special tour sails across to Loch Coruisk, just a little freshwater loch right smack-bang in the heart of the mountains, at the end of the day. You do a little walk around and take snaps, you know? The upshot truly tends to be seeing a side of Skye that those, like, land tours usually miss out on, because this angle is somewhat refreshing. Downsides? If the water ends up choppy, obviously you should consider it; and Elgol, in general, as a matter of fact, actually it is a little remote if you’re somewhere without transport.

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4. Private Guided Tours of Skye

If group trips actually sound somewhat stressful, especially on the roads, and also if you feel, naturally, it might be just that you are unable to be tied to set itineraries, well, basically look into arranging for your own, very dedicated guide. Okay, so that offers total control of your day. Discuss the places you want to actually see in advance, is that, yet listen to your guide’s local input about off-the-radar bits. Clearly, pricing definitely will jump versus joining up with group travel, like. In fact, so you can pretty much arrange a private tour on foot or with vehicle travel if you would like.

Upsides most often circle back around even more control, so arguably tailor-making everything just to what works best. In other words, and if there ends up being multiple people or some people split the cost it becomes realistic in reality. Clearly, you want to make it worth the time for guides, clearly, and really think about any requirements you might require on top.

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5. Walking and Hiking Tours on Skye

Finally, that’s quite different, actually. Ditch all the vehicles, very dedicated to seeing a couple of amazing walks that, actually, cut straight through the stunning landscape Skye is famous for, you know? In fact, a lot are very focused on getting to those, so-called, Fairy Pools or scaling the Old Man of Storr on two feet, but there tends to be all sorts of routes up for grabs that show a little different bit of the isle. Of course, the skill level goes right through beginner walks up to hardcore treks, because honestly ensuring you have some stuff that works is usually sensible.

Basically, pros almost mean Skye through active seeing and cons obviously will always be all the walking, which could get somewhat tough in any bad weather, in a way. In that case, and depending on who you use, basically factor if this actually does have the added extras of guidance included.

Read our full review: Walking and hiking tours on Skye Full Review and Details. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Book a Hike)