Dolphin & Whale Watching (4hrs) + Blasket Island Landing (3hrs)
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Cultural and historical tour of deserted village on Great Blasket Island by OPW guides
- Snacks
Itinerary
Our tour boat leaves from Ventry pier at 10am. We head out into Dingle Bay towards the Blasket Islands keeping an eye out for common dolphins and Minke whales along the way. We also sometimes see bottlenose dolphins, Risso's dolphins and basking shark (in season). We arrive at Great Blasket Island at approx. 11 am and tie up to our mooring off the White Strand. We disembark passengers by licenced Zodiac dinghy / tender to the Great Blasket Island slipway. Passengers have 3 hrs. to enjoy the island either hiking the loop walk (1.5 hrs), swimming in the pristine waters off the beach or just relaxing and watching the seals off the rocks. There is a small island tea room and access to toilets. We pick up passengers again at 2pm and continue on our marine eco tour around some of the outer Blasket islands where you can see puffins, lots of other sea birds, fantastic landscapes and seascapes and hopefully pods of dolphins and the occasional humpback whale as they migrate past our shores.
Cathedral Rocks on Inish na Bró, which is one of the outer Blasket islands, is a fantastical rock formation on the north east promontory of the island and is so called because it looks like a vast, naturally- formed gothic cathedral with "windows", "doors" and buttresses. You can wonder at the power of the ocean and sea that carved out this imposing natural structure in winter storms, as you pass close underneath
In order to see puffins on the Blaskets you have to travel out to the outer islands like Inishvickilaun and inish na Bró as there is too much (marine) traffic off the main island of the Great Blasket. The puffins can be seen near Inishvickillaun as they congregate in "rafts" on the water. They are smaller than you expect but their bright coloured beaks are apparent when viewed through binoculars. As you pass by the cliffs on Inishvickillaun look up towards the tops of the cliffs and you might see some of the native red deer stags silhouetted against the skyline!
Pass by: Depending on the course that your skipper decides to do for the day we may travel northabout towards Inish Tuaisceart which is another of the (7) Blasket Islands. It is best viewed from a distance from a point just off Slea head and it is then very obvious why the island is more commonly known as "The Dead Man" and / or "The Sleeping Giant". If you have a good imagination it looks very like old Abe [Lincoln]!
Pass by: Tearaght is the most westerly of the Blasket Islands and has a lighthouse on the westerly end which is the most westerly lighthouse in (mainland) Europe. Due west from here is St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada which is the same N latitude as the Blaskets. The tour boat only goes around Tearaght island in fine settled weather and light swell, which is rare around the Blaskets.
Meeting point
Start Location
Ventry pier, Ventry Harbour, Co. Kerry, Ceantra, Ventry, County Kerry, Ireland
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Service Animals Allowed
Good to know
- Passengers must arrive at the departure point 15 to 20 minutes before departure time of 10:00 am in order to park car on pier
- The boat departs at 10 am and under no circumstances will the boat wait for passengers
- Put on suitable warm, windproof clothing and for Safety meeting.
Traveler reviews
Best boat tour
Exeelent tour, must be in your holiday list in West kerry, dingle# ventry
Poor customer service, only 1-star ratings for the tour itself as we did not participate.
Unfortunately, we had to cancel at short notice in the morning due to illness and also sent an email regarding this early in the morning. Of course, the organizer could not do anything about that. No response to the email, and the personal interaction on-site at the harbor was very sparse, impersonal, and not Irish friendly. For the 190€ from which we received nothing back in terms of goodwill, we would have at least wished for a friendly interaction like with the customers who could participate in the tour. They simply left us standing. Sorry, that was unfortunately nothing.
Do it!
Great day on the water. Full 7 hour experience if you get off boat to see Blasket. Walking Blasket makes you realize how hard life was. Blasket is an uphill walk so wear proper footwear and be prepared for weather to change. Hot and sunny turned to brief light rain and overcast skies. You’ll walk, hike, maybe take a swim on the beautiful beach, watch the seals, wonder how the sheep climb so high without falling off the side of the hill, take in the views and let your imagination roam. Little canteen offers window service. Toilets are around the corner from canteen. Some picnic tables and chairs. Pack a lunch but remember your trash leaves the island with you. Terrific seating to view the scenery and enjoy a sandwich. Ruins are interesting and remind you that people used to work themselves to death just to put food on the table. Nothing was easy for these residents, especially the women. Boat journey back is slow and allows lots of viewing of land and nature. You’ll see puffins, other birds, and perhaps a whale and pods of dolphins. Jon and Vincent ran the boat and were great, especially kind to a couple of little kids on board. Explained the vulnerability of the ecosystem and the problems of increasing temperatures. Food for thought, for sure. Highly recommend.
Amazing daytrip out of Dingle
What an amazing day. John and Vincent were so kind and knowledgeable. We learned so much about the area and the blasketts were beautiful. We also saw dolphins and minke whales! Highlight of our trip to Dingle.
Superb trip to Blasket island
Excellent trip. The crew on board were very knowledgeable and professional. Blanket Island was stunning and we saw plenty of wildlife throughout the day. I’d definitely recommend this trip if you are in the area.