John Alasdair Macdonald, owner of The Hebridean Explorer, guides all tours.
I do not sell individual or separate group tickets for people to join tours. The prices quoted are for your private and exclusive group only (of up to 3 people) where your private group collectively hires the vehicle as a whole for a tour. Advertised tour prices still apply if your group is less than 3.
The current tour vehicle is a Honda CRV accommodating up to 3 passengers with window seats. While there is a 4th passenger seat in the vehicle, it is a smaller middle seat with limited width and without a window view and as such I do not take three adults in the back.
I try and be as flexible as possible so if you would like to visit other sites or take out stops then I will do my best to adapt a tour for you.
All private tours need to be booked in advance. For all bookings a 50% non-refundable deposit is required. Full payment for a tour booking is required 60 days before the tour start date.
I take advance bookings up to 24 months before a tour date. Many dates in the popular summer months will fill up quite far in advance.
I have an online Secure Payment System for deposit and balance payments which accepts Visa, MasterCard and American Express credit cards. After confirmation of availability and tour details you will be sent a link to our Secure Payment page.
Tours leave from your Inverness City Centre accommodation (or within 5 miles of Inverness City Centre) or I can pick you up from Inverness train station.
All tours have plenty of viewpoint and photo stops. Along with lunch and refreshment breaks, we also have regular restroom stops throughout the day. For tours with ferry trips I plan tour days that work best with travel and mealtimes. If you want to stop outside of our regular stops, just ask — flexibility is key.
I try and get off the beaten track on our tours so some stops give you the opportunity to walk over peat land or along the side of a loch. Good footwear is recommended, and a light waterproof jacket is always useful as Highland weather can be very changeable.
For groups of 3 the tour vehicle can accommodate 1 medium-sized piece of luggage per person plus a small day bag each.
The weather can be a significant issue during this period (along with limited daylight hours). I generally do not offer Outer Hebrides, Orkney & Shetland tours over these months. However, for those with an adventurous spirit and a flexible itinerary, please feel free to get in touch to discuss options.
