Scotland: Highlands and Islands

August 05 - 16, 2024

Length: 12 days

Region(s): Europe

Activity Level: Activity indicator paw

Type: Land, Small Group Tours

“My heart’s in the Highlands,” said Robert Burns – as will you, as we travel from city to country, mainland to island, on this sweet journey. From loch to loch and glen to glen, we encounter stunning natural beauty and welcoming clans, while city life serves up the colorful past – and cosmopolitan present.

Operated by Odysseys Unlimited

Tour Highlights

Discover vibrant Glasgow during a two-night stay, including a tour highlighting the city’s distinct architecture.
Join a private tour of the Edwardian Pollok House, now a museum featuring Spanish art.
Stop by storied Loch Lomond’s bonnie banks on the way to Fort Williams.
Visit one of Scotland’s most beautiful spots—dramatic Glencoe—with its deep valleys, steep mountains, rushing rivers, and dramatic waterfalls.
Enjoy a full-day excursion to the stunning Isle of Skye.
Take a boat ride in fabled Loch Ness, best known for its rumored inhabitant, and see Urquhart Castle’s evocative ruins.
Continue to the hallowed ground of Culloden Moor, site of the last battle of the Jacobite Rising.
Further explore the Highlands with an excursion along the ancient Pictish Trail.
Attend a falconry demonstration at striking Dunrobin Castle and Gardens.
Sample handcrafted single malt whisky at a small local distillery.
Watch a sheepdog demonstration en route to legendary Saint Andrews, considered golf’s birthplace, for an overnight stay and touring.
In stately Edinburgh tour its “New Town” and its atmospheric “Old Town,” visiting Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood on the renowned Royal Mile.
As a special treat, attend a performance of the famed Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, an entertainment extravaganza set against the evocative backdrop of flood-lit Edinburgh Castle.
If you would like to receive a PDF copy of this trip’s brochure, please click on the “Brochure Request Link” under Additional Resources on this webpage.

* Cal lecturer’s participation cannot be guaranteed and is contingent upon a minimum number of paying travelers.

Activity Level 3

What to expect: These trips feature long touring days with travel via motor coach, ship, zodiac, all-terrain vehicle, or train. Travelers are required to board transportation without assistance as well as stand and walk over uneven terrain for extended periods of time. Some tours may include optional higher-intensity activities and travel at higher altitudes with steep ascents and descents. Outings last four to six hours most days.

Suitable for: Travelers who are able to comfortably walk four to six miles, or 6,900–9,200 steps, each day.