Magpie
4.6(235 reviews)

The Gap of Dunloe Full-Day Tour from Killarney

From$60
5h 30m
Killarney, Ireland

Full description

Amazing and best tour to visit the Killarney National Park. Considering a walking, rambling or hiking tour? Look no further as The Gap of Dunloe is 7 miles (11 kilometers) and takes approximately 2 hrs 30 minutes. If visitors are not up for walking or hiking then there is an alternative of the traditional Irish Jaunting Carriage (horse and carriage) to take visitors through the Gap of Dunloe. The extra cost is E 35 per person for the Horse Carriages and payable directly . Boats will be waiting to escort the visitors through the magnificent three Lakes of Killarney to Ross Castle. An amazing adventure tour.

Included / Excluded

  • Bus and Boat trip only
  • Driver/guide
  • Free Car Park at Ross Castle.With prior notice (24 hours) we offer a free pick up at Ross Castle.
  • Transport to Kate Kearneys Cottage and return from Ross Castle.
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Jaunting Cart Ride ( EUR 35.00 pp cash only) 4 pax per Carriage can also be hired privately

Itinerary

1

Considering a walking, rambling or hiking tour along with a fantastic boat ride through the Lakes of Killarney among spectacular scenery? Look no further than a Deros tour to the Gap of Dunloe (from Irish: Dún Lóich, meaning “Lóich’s stronghold”, otherwise known as Bearna an Choimín meaning “gap of the common-land”). The Gap is a narrow mountain pass between Macgillycuddy’s Reeks (west) and Purple Mountain (east) of just under seven miles long and your hike takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. There are daily tours to this magnificent landscape leaving from our office in the centre of Killarney daily at 10.30am

Duration: 1h 30mAdmission: YES
2

Nestled at the entrance to the world famous Gap of Dunloe lies Kate Kearney's Cottage, a 150 year old family-run establishment. The Cottage is now a Restaurant and a typical traditional Pub. Kate's as is know locally is the starting point for the walk or horse carriages to go through the Gap of Dunloe.

Duration: 20 minAdmission: NO
3

Located at the ‘end’ of the gap, if you walk from the Kate Kearny side, Lord Brandon’s Cottage is a welcome site for those that have conquered the first leg of the walk. Once a grand hunting lodge, the cottage has a tale of love and betrayal tide to it, which you’ll discover shortly. Lord Brandon's Cottage, a 19th-century hunting lodge surrounded by lush, green water meadows. There’s a cafe at Lord Brandon’s Cottage now, where you can nip into for a coffee or a small snack. They only take cash, so make sure to hit up an ATM if you plan on visiting. In the summer months there is plenty of space to have a picnic and relax before the boat trip through the Lakes of Killarney. The boatman will meet you at the Cottage and show you the boats that will be waiting to take you through the famous Lakes of Killarney to Ross Castle.

Duration: 30 minAdmission: NOT_APPLICABLE
4

Pass by: The 3 Lakes of Killarney occupy a broad valley stretching south between the mountains that surround them and are all in the National Park Lough Leane (Lower Lake), Muckross Lake ( Middle Lake) and the Upper Lake are threaded together across a quarter of National Park's 25,000 acres The boat trip offers stunning and picturesque views over the MacGillcuddy’s Reeks mountain range At the tip of the Muckross Peninsula is the quaint Brickeen Bridge and Dinis Island further on with its sub-tropical vegetation and views of the 'Meeting of the Waters’. A narrow straight called the Long Range leads to the island-studded Upper Lake The Middle Lake or Muckross Lake holds an excellent stock of spring salmon. Lough Leane is the largest of the 3 lakes. The River Laune flows from the lake into the Dingle Bay to the northwest. Innisfallen is an island in Lough Leane and is home to the ruins of Innisfallen Abbey, one of the most impressive archaeological remains dating from the early Christian period

Admission: NOT_APPLICABLE
5

Pass by: Ross Castle is a 15th-century tower house and keep on the edge of Lough Leane, in Killarney National Park It is the ancestral home of the Chiefs of the Clan O'Donoghue, later associated with the Brownes of Killarney In the early 16th century the English Crown granted the extensive sum of 10 Pounds Sterling for every fortification or tower house erected by their subjects. Accordingly in 1533 Richard Nugent, the 12th Baron of Delvin commenced the construction of a stronghold, which was to become known as the Castle of Ross. Ross Castle was built in the late 15th century by local ruling clan the O'Donoghues Mór (Ross), though ownership changed hands during the Second Desmond Rebellion of the 1580s to the MacCarthy Mór. ... The Irish had a prophecy that Ross could never be taken until a warship could swim on the lake, an unbelievable prospect. The castle is a typical example of the stronghold of an Irish Chieftain during the Middle Ages.

Admission: NOT_APPLICABLE

Meeting point

Start Location

Unknown location

Cancellation policy

Free cancellation up to 1 days before the activity starts

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

  • Jaunting Carriages are paid directly at Kate Kearneys Cottage at a cost of E 35 pp (cash only).There are 4 passengers in each carriage
  • Carriages may be hired privately and the total cost would be E 140 per carriage.There is no pre booking for carriages as the booking may be made on arrival at Kate Kearneys Cottage.
  • There is not enough time to visit Ross Castle before returning to Killarney but visitors may stay at Ross Castle and enjoy a lesisurely walk to Killarney through the National Park (30 to 40 minutes).
  • Tours of the Castle takes 1 hour.Pre booking is advisable and can be done by phoning 353 64 6635851 or visit rosscastle@opw.ie
  • There is free car parking at Ross Castle where the tour terminates and we can certainly collect customers at Ross Castle at 10am but prior notice has to be given by telephoning 00353 64 6631251 the previous evening.
  • Pease advise at the time of booking if you are walking or wish to hire the Horse Carriages at E 35 per person-4 pax per carriage.
  • If the tour operates despite bad weather, cancellations are permitted until 10:00 AM on the day of the tour. No refunds will be given once this deadline has passed or the tour has begun.
  • Deros Tours reserves the right to cancel tours if insufficient numbers book.

Traveler reviews

4.6
235 reviews
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5

Beautiful day out; combination of pony carriage and boat ride through stunning scenery.

This tour was really lovely. The scendry was stunning, and it was a great package of pony carriage and boat. It contained more walking than described, which was a slight problem as one of us is disabled. It's important that the operators are truly honest about that. We had to walk about 100 yards up a very steep slope, about 200 yards from Brandon Cottage to the boat, and about 200 yards from the boat to the bus at the end. Our pony man was rather uninformative, though others clearly had 'chattier' ponymen. Luck of the draw. Our boatman was great - very amusing commentary. Altogether a lovely day and highly recommended.

carolinegS144URMay 11, 2026TRIPADVISOR

Good but could be improved

Beautiful scenery. Nice hike and boat ride. My recommendation is that they provide more information to people before they commit so that they know how long the hike will be. Also, a printed map of the route with detailed instructions would help. We were concerned that we were lost for a little bit. There is one point on the route in which you come to a T. Explicit direction for that point would be good. A printout should also include the times that we need to be at certain points.

Donny_MMay 7, 2026VIATOR

The lake is the best way to see the park

Walking the Gap of Dunloe was great, but the real treat was the boat ride through all 3 lakes. Captain Rory was a friendly skipper and an excellent tour guide. Highly recommend.

Cory_LMay 2, 2026VIATOR

Not your average excursion

Beautiful excursion, both the boat ride and carriage ride

216tedrApr 27, 2026TRIPADVISOR

Solo trip best selection

A completely worthwhile trip! You can experience hiking, carriage and boat trip at the same time. Driver is nice, his name is Fieipo. The scenery is incomparable! I LOVE KILLARNEY

shulil2026Apr 26, 2026TRIPADVISOR

Additional information

Jaunting Carriages are paid directly at Kate Kearneys Cottage at a cost of E 35 pp (cash only).There are 4 passengers in each carriage Carriages may be hired privately and the total cost would be E 140 per carriage.There is no pre booking for carriages as the booking may be made on arrival at Kate Kearneys Cottage. There is not enough time to visit Ross Castle before returning to Killarney but visitors may stay at Ross Castle and enjoy a lesisurely walk to Killarney through the National Park (30 to 40 minutes). Tours of the Castle takes 1 hour.Pre booking is advisable and can be done by phoning 353 64 6635851 or visit rosscastle@opw.ie There is free car parking at Ross Castle where the tour terminates and we can certainly collect customers at Ross Castle at 10am but prior notice has to be given by telephoning 00353 64 6631251 the previous evening. Pease advise at the time of booking if you are walking or wish to hire the Horse Carriages at E 35 per person-4 pax per carriage.
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