Isle of Mull wildlife vacation in Scotland

Planet

We are continually increasing our range of public transport vacations for those who actively choose low-carbon transport. This vacation has been carefully-designed to allow you to experience the wildlife of Mull without a car, by linking up with two small group wildlife tours - one on land and one at sea, plus a boat trip to the Treshnish Isles. There are two days at leisure to explore the island - we recommend you do this on foot or by local bus and we will provide recommendations for what to do and where to go.

On our wildlife vacations, we carefully select our partners to ensure the highest standards in wildlife viewing and conservation. Established over thirty years ago, our whale-watching partner is the most experienced in the UK, and their trips have featured on many TV programmes, including BBC's Coast and recently Ray Mears' "Wild Britain" on ITV. There are always expert local guides onboard who continue to actively conduct a research programme focused on the minke whale, contributing directly to marine conservation. Through this survey, there is now much greater awareness and knowledge about the behaviour of cetaceans off the west coast of Scotland. Of course, it is illegal to hunt whales and sharks in the waters around Britain, which is sadly not the case in some other whalewatching destinations.

White-tailed eagles were reintroduced to the West of Scotland three or four decades ago, after serious persecution and trophy-hunting in Victorian times had decimated the once-thriving British population of these magnificent birds. They are now a frequent and impressive sight, soaring over the Isle of Mull. They are successfully breeding and re-establishing themselves in their natural habitat, and are no longer threatened here, as their economic value in bringing visitors to the island is greatly appreciated.

Otters are elusive and rare mammals, but the Isle of Mull has the highest density anywhere in the UK, so there are reasonable chances of spotting them at play or at rest, especially when accompanied by our knowledgeable guide.

People

We take the utmost care to choose local business partners who share our values and commitment to sustainable travel, preferring to work with locally-owned and managed businesses wherever possible. We build long-term relationships based on mutual trust with our business partners, with a joint commitment to excellent customer satisfaction and care for the environment. We directly employ a small team of local people in Glasgow. We offer part-time and flexible working. We ensure staff take undertake at least two recce visits in a year so that they have first-hand experience and knowledge of our products throughout Scotland and Ireland. All staff share our values of environmental and sustainable responsibility.

All of our vacation packs include "Robert's Recommendations" - our personally-researched tips on where to visit, where to eat and where to shop, focussing on local businesses, which are often off-the-beaten track. In this way, we encourage our customers to spread the tourist pound and thus sustain communities in the more remote and fragile corners of Scotland.

We are corporate supporters of the John Muir Trust, an organisation committed to protecting the wild land of the Scottish highlands and islands.