History & cultural tour of Inishmore, Aran Islands. Galway. Private. 2 ½ hours
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Stop off at the popular Seal Colony viewing point.
- Cultural and historic tour of the island with stops at historical sites.
- Collection by private bus from the ferry terminal or airport.
- Entrance into Dún Aonghus.
- Guided tour of the island by Inis Mór local guide.
- Drop off by private bus to the ferry terminal or airport.
- Gratuities
- Food & drinks.
- Ferry or plane tickets to the island
Itinerary
Perched on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic ocean, Dún Aonghasa is the largest of the prehistoric stone forts of the Aran Islands. The fort consists of three massive dry-stone walls and a chevaux-de-frise, a dense band of jagged, upright stones, surrounding the fort from cliff to cliff, designed to impede attackers. Originally constructed c.1100BC, it was re-fortified around 700-800 AD. Excavations revealed significant evidence of prehistoric metalworking, as well as several houses and burials.
The seal colony is situated on the northern side of the island close to Kilmurvey Beach, on the road to Dún Aonghasa and is clearly signposted with a small cabin selling snacks at the viewing point. At low tide, a dozen seals congregate on the beach and rocks, creating a beautiful sight with the mountains of Connemara as its backdrop.
Aran Island Goat’s Cheese is a family run goat farm on Inish Mór – the largest of the Aran Islands - producing a range of soft cheeses and a barrel aged goats feta. The Island tour that also includes a stop at the cheese factory with people given the chance to meet the goats, watch cheese being made, have an educational commentary and taste the cheese. Aran Goats Cheese produces a soft cheese with or without Dillisk (a seaweed harvested on the island), a Gouda which also comes infused with sea lettuce, or Dillisk, a medium hard cheese that looks like Brie and a Summer Cheese not unlike Feta. Their Dillisk is harvested on the shores of Inis Mór. The pigs on the farm are also fed whey, a by product of cheese making, so nothing goes to waste.
Kilmurvery craft village is located at the foot of Dun Aonghasa and contains a handful of eclectic Irish arts and crafts shops. Many visitors to the island browse or refresh at the cosy cafe before entering Dun Aonghasa.
Meeting point
Start Location
Unknown location
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Stroller Accessible
- Service Animals Allowed
- Easy Public Transport
- Infants Required On Laps
Good to know
- Please note max people per booking is 6 people. Max 3 bookings / up to 18 people
- All baggage is taken off the bus at main stop at Dun Aonghasa fort On request to the driver baggage can be left on the bus at clients own risk.
Traveler reviews
No restaurant near the pier only selling Aran Sweaters....island is now turned to the USA visitors rip off place.
History and culture is good but not with the guides there. They entice you to restaurants in Dun Aengus which is miles away so you have to use the transport provided..horse €50 each, Shared packed minibus €25 each. Ebike €40 each and Bike €30 . I was there for 3 hours and these were the rates.
Local Bus tours
This review concerns the bus tours offered by locals when you arrive rather than anything pre booked. There are literally dozens of minibus drivers trying to get you on board saying " let me show you what we do". We had the misfortune to get on the bright yellow bus with Mike. He turned out to be a most disagreeable and rude individual literally screaming at some passengers as they couldn't get off his bus in time as he had to rush off to do another tour while we were dropped off at the fort for an hour and a half. It was very hot and he couldn't be bothered to open the roof lights so was driving around with the back door open. In addition his driving was abysmal, nearly hitting many cyclists who dared to get in his way. He was a danger on the road and all he was interested in was getting as many people on the bus and as many tours in as he could. He ran out of time with us so we missed the stop at the seal colony. It was a rip off and we refused to pay. AVOID THE BRIGHT YELLOW BUS.
What a Price Point and That’s not in a Good Way.
Gabriel was an entertaining guide and certainly knew the island. Other than that it was the worst value tour I have taken in years and that includes private tours in Italy, Scotland, France, Norway, and Sweden. We prefer private tours but in this case the Hop On Hop Off would have been the better choice.
Not As Advertised
We enjoyed the short hike up to the fort and the beautiful views. We appreciated that Gabriel shared his goats and some goat cheese but would have liked to see how it is made and understand the process better. Gabriel gave us some good insight into island life but not a lot of history of the island. 1 1/2 hours of the trip were spent on our own exploring the fort and the small shopping area and having lunch leaving about an hour of actual time on the tour, which made it a very over priced hour.
Great Customized Tour
We had a great tour of Inishmore with Gabriel. We spoke the day prior and I informed him of my wife's limited mobility and he customized the tour to our needs and threw in a few special stops for us. The tour was a little pricey, but given that we were only on the island for a few hours and may never return, it was worth it to make sure we saw everything we wanted to see. Highly recommend this tour if you're doing a day trip to Inishmore and want to see as much as possible.