8-Day Isle of Skye, Orkney & North Coast 500 Tour from Edinburgh

We had a wonderful time on our 8 day tour with Highland Explorer Tours. Although we drove over 1100 miles during the trip, we never felt like we were in the van too long, because we stopped every hour or two, and our driver/guide, Ali P., told stories about the places we were visiting, and we also enjoyed listening to and talking about her playlists. The scenery on the Northcoast 500 was stunning. We saw so many beautiful and interesting places each day. Although the van held 16, we had 13 people in the group, so it was very comfortable. Our group got along very well, and it was interesting to talk to people from all over, and we had a lot of laughs. The tour did involve a fair amount of walking. The guest houses we stayed in were a 15-20 minute walk to the restaurants. Also, since we didn’t know where we were staying in advance (and our group was split into two different guest houses in all but one place), and we also didn’t know what time we would get to our lodging each night, we were unable to make reservations in advance. Ali made sure to point out different restaurant recommendations when we arrived in each town, but a few times, they were fully booked, and it sometimes took a few tries to find a place to have dinner. Also, our first night in Kirkwall, we arrived late, so we stopped in Tesco in the afternoon to grab sandwiches, which we ate in our room that night. This was fine with us, and we also liked that we were on our own for lunches and dinners, so we could choose what we liked, rather than having everyone eat at a specific place all together, like many other tour companies do. Others might prefer to know exactly where they are eating each night, but we liked that only breakfasts were included in the tour price. We also appreciated that Ali took us to a few places that were not on the itinerary, like Loch Ness and Eilean Donan Castle. Overall, it was a great trip, and I would recommend Highland Explorer Tours.

Our driver/ guide was excellent. His name is Rich. He was knowledgeable, a great sense of humour, my husband and I learnt so much from him.. the small tour is fantastic. Lovely mix of people..

Packed itinerary showcasing the best of the Scottish Highlands. As a couple, we were part of a group of 14 travelling on a small, comfortable coach. Our driver/guide, Rich, was extremely knowledgeable, and mixed factual narrative with funny stories about family and friends. He really made all the daily journeys thoroughly enjoyable, and helped us all get to know each other as the days passed. The overnight accommodation was generally good overall, and Rich always recommended good places to eat in every location we stayed. In summary, this tour was an excellent overview of the Scottish Highlands, and we would definitely recommend it (particularly if you are lucky enough to have Rich as your tour guide!)

Outstanding. Outstanding driver and guide ( very safe driver and informative and very entertaining guide) called Rich. Outstanding scenery and well chosen and well timed places to stop. Good comfortable accommodation. Really enjoyed ourselves.

Fantastic, well-paced, and beautiful tour of Highlands on a small bus with our fun, experienced, and knowledgeable guide Rich.