If you're a Harry Potter fan, this is a must. You don't sit in closed private compartments but…read moreit's a relaxing ride to Mallaig. There you can find a cute little shop called Haggard Alley for all things Harry Potter. Not only do you go over the famous viaduct but you'll also pass the island where scenes were filmed and Dumbledore's grave. A very relaxing day trip.

Worth it. Totally worth it. Especially true if you're a Harry Potter fan as I am, but even if not,…read morethe scenery alone is majestic. There's plenty of info out there on how to book, routes, etc, so I won't go into that here. Tips I'll share: 1) book early - don't even think about trying to arrange this the night before. 2) don't do first class - while it's more comfy and usually our type of travel, we booked on one of the cars toward the back. That way you can see and video/snap pics of the front of the train as it goes over the viaduct. Makes you think lightening struck your forehead. 3) sit on the left side - if you're in the car facing to the front of the train, make sure your seat is on the left side. A much better view of the train going over the viaduct. 4) drink a beer or wine - even if it's 9:30 in the morning, which it was for us, have a brewskie...you're on vacation. 5) eat fast in Mallaig - don't spend a lot of time choosing restaurants. Pick a place the night before. When you arrive at Mallaig, run your happy bum to the restaurant you chose, order (and don't even try to get starters first then mains) and eat. You can take pics afterwards. Restaurants there are small, get slammed with each Twain's arrival, plus the local tourists who come by car. Hope this helps!

Great boat tour with Loch Ness by Jacobite! We enjoyed the views, especially of the Urquhart…read moreCastle! And being able to see the depth of the loch underneath us and the trajectory of the boat on the monitors as the boat moved about the very deep loch was interesting. The narration was informative and helped us learn more about the loch and its history. The legend of Nessie was leaned into, in a fun way!

We took this ride as part of our Highland Tours trip…read more After shopping at the gift shop we made our way under the bridge to the dock. You have some great views from here but it just gets better. The boat has both in and outside seating. We did go outside to the front to take some pictures but spent most of the time inside as it was about 45 degrees. The ride from Inverness to Urquhart castle is 1/2 hour. The boat ride which includes admission to the castle (one way) was 20 GBP & well worth it. The Whisky hot chocolate is a must try! Well worth it given the multiple breathtaking views as well the chance to search for Nessie

Absolutely amazing trip to the Gulf of Corryvreckan and the Corryvreckan maelstrom! With springtide…read moreit was a 'bit more choppy' than usual (imagine churning waters and large waves crashing over the side of the boat), but with our great captain I felt really safe (most of the time, but I'm a scaredy cat ). Apart from the captain we were accompanied by a really good guide who told us interesting stories about how the gulf might have gotten it's name (with a villain and a sea hag and all) and who showed us sea eagles, red dear and a really brave/fearless sheep and her lamb half way up a cliff. Terrific experience, a must see/do as far as I'm concerned

From the owner: Seafari Adventures are Oban's 5* Visit Scotland marine wildlife tour operator. Based in the…read moreconservation area of Easdale, 16 miles south of Oban we have a fleet of powerful RIBs which are purpose designed and built to ensure you maximum viewing opportunities. Our Wildlife Tours depart throughout the day visiting the Gulf of Corryvreckan, home of the World's Third Largest Whirlpool. Porpoise, dolphins and whales feed in these food rich waters along with many seals and the occasional otter. There are deer on the islands and seabirds in the skies which are also home to both the white tailed sea eagle and golden eagle. Our two hour nature spectacular is set amongst the many islands in the area. The scenery is spectacular with both woodlands and cliffs. All Seafari boats are high speed Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats purpose built for wildlife and nature watching. Boats are driven by one of our highly experienced skippers and crewed by a qualified wildlife guide. Using our cabin RIBs we are able to offer tours to the whale feeding grounds in July and August and day tours to Iona, Staffa and the local Puffin colony.

Fun, informative cruise on Loch Ness! Went out on a beautiful day!…read more We started on the upper deck, which was fun with the wind blowing through my hair, but the seats aren't very comfortable. Eventually we made it to the lower deck. The seats are much more comfortable and it's warmer! Short, quick cruise!

Whilst enjoying a day tour on a bus from Edinburgh to Loch Ness, we were given the option of taking…read morea cruise ON Loch Ness. Naturally, there was no way we would pass that up, and it was excellent. The cruise on Loch Ness was aboard the Spirit of Loch Ness. We were able to choose between inside seating or rooftop seats. We started up top and ended the 1-hr cruise inside. During the cruise, we received a lot of extremely fascinating information from one of the guides about the Loch (size, depth, etc), and also some of the creatures that live in Loch Ness. There were televisions and speakers throughout the ship to watch and listen on. Now, I won't tell you whether or not we saw Nessie during our cruise, but I will say I have a video that I show my closest friends and family who ask. I don't know why anyone would visit Loch Ness without going out on the Loch, but if you're on the fence, I absolutely recommend doing it, and Cruise Loch Ness was an excellent company to tour with. Also- the ship had bathrooms and a bar, just FYI.

Their customer service is very poor. They canceled the tour to Staffa that we purchased months in…read moreadvance and only sent an email the day before to say it was canceled The woman at the counter said that they canceled the day before due to weather and swale conditions. Yet other companies took tours to Staffa that same day The woman was short/brusque with us and did not offer to help Us find another provider We were here from the states and only had that one day available before heading to Ireland The only reason we included oban in our vacation was to go to Staffa and fingals cave, so it was very disappointing not only to miss this but to also be treated without empathy was salt in the wound I recommend seeking out other providers for this service

We went on a boat tour of Staffa and Iona, although we had been to Staffa to see the Puffins a…read morecouple of days previously, my husband wanted to walk into Fingal's Cave to take pictures. I am not the outdoor kind of gal, and since we had previously cruised by it on the previous tour- I didn't feel the need to leave the boat. I asked Sean if I could remain on board. He was very kind and said no problem and I was more than welcomed to remain. This hour was absolutely THE BEST PART of the tour! I had the privilege to see some of the Puffins fairly close just floating on the waves, while others were flying very fast in a huge group towards the island. It was a lovely sight to see. Sean was the perfect gentleman and patiently answered all of my questions. He gave me so much insight into various aspects of the tour, like the Puffins habits; fishing for lobster/mussels and the Staffa Boats. Plus, I asked him where I could purchase "local" wool yarn and he told me where to shop. The yarn I purchased was simply perfect and exactly what I was looking for. Sean was friendly, polite and very professional. I was so, so happy that I remained on the boat. Thank you SO MUCH Sean and Staffa Tours. VDC

Yes it is gimicky but a fun one to indulge in. This center is really well designed and organized…read more It was fun and educational and they have a good laugh at the whole "monster" thing themselves.

Oh, the cutest little Nessie that ever lived. The Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition as it existed on my…read morevisit on Tuesday 9 July 2019, focused on the dynamic of in-person reports of a Loch Ness "monster", a big friendly giant named Nessie, and scientists/people armed with technology trying to discredit those accounts. Much of the displays provided helpful historical context both of a supposed "monster" and sea creatures in the area that carried/carry cultural significance before their numbers started to dwindle due to poaching by humans and death by marine technology (like fishing nets and getting hit by motorized boats). Moving forward, scientists these days would probably just mutilate Nessie in the name of discovery if they found it. They would probably even say the original discovery was theirs - an attempt at erasing the voices and consistency of many reports by everyday people that have existed for decades before my writing this on Thursday 8 June 2023. Just kind of the flavor of science these days, take what everyday people have done and say it was science all along. In the name of fairness then, did/does this centre and exhibition really exist or will all those that visit the exhibit and say they did later be discredited... The exhibition is part of a larger centre. I found some fun items in a gift shop including a small book on the origin of the Clan Ogilvie for some family friends. Prices were good. Traffic picked up during my visit (arrived around 10:45 a.m. and departed about an hour later). There was an overflow/larger parking area past the smaller parking area by the entrance to the exhibit. I was fortunate to have a spot in the smaller area free up as I arrived. Though, both parking lots are relatively close to the centre.

This is where our tour guide dropped us off to take an hour cruise on Loch Ness. My friend and I…read moretook a bunch of pictures before our boat arrived. Great views of the lake, the clouds and the hills, but no Nessie in sight. :( There is a small kiosk where you can buy your ticket. There is also a small covered waiting area for the boat. Even if you weren't taking a cruise, this would be a good place to stop and take pictures by the Loch. The last time I was in Loch Ness was 24 years ago, so it's been a while for me. It was nice to be back and see Loch Ness again!

This is probably the highlight of the last two times our family has come to Skye. Even though it's…read morea 90-minute drive from Portree where we normally stay, it's completely worth it to take the boat trip over to Loch Coruisk. The people running the trip are knowledgeable, friendly, and local to the area for generations. They'll tell you a bit about the natural surroundings and local lore without being too, too kitschy, which is nice. The boat trip always gives you the chance to sea seals and we saw harbor porpoises on both the way out and the way back the most recent time. The previous trip a few years ago, we saw sea eagles as well. Once you get to the loch, they let you off and let you explore for about 90 minutes. The loch is stunning and one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. It's really special. It's very hard to get to without backpacking or taking the boat, so it's also somewhat quiet given how gorgeous it is. I'd suggest trying to stay longer than the 90 minutes if you can, but you need to make sure to figure out what boat to come back on. We wound up having to choose between 2 hours and 4.5 hours, when we really would have liked to have stayed 3-3.5 hours because the boat we wanted to take back was full. The 2 hours was nice, but still not quite long enough.

Fantastic trip! We had beautiful weather the day we took our excursion, which included a 40? minute…read moreride out to Lock Coruisk where we were able to spend an hour hiking around the loch sightseeing. It was a lovely spot, we passed many seals and saw dolphins as well! I've heard on occasion you can even spot a whale or eagles, but it's a pot luck on any given day. The staff were very kind and excellent communicators from the beginning of the trip through the end and made us feel right at home. On the way back, they provided us with some hot tea and shortbread, which was a lovely touch! They even let my son steer the boat on the way back. We hope to be back in the future to see more of this lovely spot!

We were looking for a fun Loch Ness boat tour but didn't want to sit through a 3-hour cruise or…read moreextensive history lesson, and we found the perfect option: the Beastie Boats! The Beastie Boat tour is the perfect hour-long tour of the loch. The boat ride was smooth and our captain, Simon, was great! He gave us the history highlights, pointed out the wildlife, and we even saw Nessie. ;) Thanks for a great experience!

There is not a better way to tour Loch Ness than Beastie Boats! If you are interested in exploring…read morethe Loch on a high speed, wind in your face, slightly bumpy ride, then this is the way to go. You can cover more of the Loch in this high speed extra large zodiac boat and get more of a feel for the Loch and Nessy beneath. Our tour was small only 6-7 people total and the boat will hold a maximum of 16 I think. You are right on the water and can reach down and feel the frigid, murky waters. Periodically the driver will stop to give a short talk about what you are seeing or where Nessy was spotted on such and such day. The tour is only an hour which is the right timing for me and my family. Pelase try this tour if you get a cahnce.