Scotland wildlife travel guide



Our Scotland wildlife Vacations
Orkney & Shetland self drive vacation, Scotland
Self-drive island-hopping through the Northern Isles
Wildlife vacation in the Isle of Mull, Scotland
Spot whales, otters and eagles on Isle of Mull, Scotland
Isle of Mull wildlife vacation in Scotland
Ultimate week of wildlife spotting on the Isle of Mull
Hebrides cruise, The Sounds of Mull, Luing, Shuna and Jura
Cruise the Sounds of the Hebrides: Mull, Luing, Jura, Shuna
Isle of Mull and Small Isles explorer
An extraordinary voyage exploring Mull & the Small Isles.
Whisky and wildlife sailing vacation in Scotland
Malt Whisky and Wildlife Cruise to Mull, Jura and Islay
St Kilda, Outer Hebrides Cruise, Scotland
Cruise to St Kilda, Monachs, Outer Hebrides and Small Isles
Caledonian Canal cruise, Scotland
Cruise the Caledonian Canal in a wee ship
Inner Hebrides Wildlife Cruise
A great introduction to the breath-taking Scottish Highlands
Scotland West Coast cruise, Skye and the Small Isles
Scottish Vacation to Skye and the Small Isles | Cruise
Outer Hebrides and Shiant Isles cruise, Scotland
A magical cruise wandering through the Outer Hebrides
Autumn Scotland cruise
Enjoy an idyllic Autumn adventure in our Captain's Cruise
Scotland family cruises vacations
Join a unique small ship cruise in Scotland
Hebridean island hopping cruise in Scotland
Epic Scottish Island Hopping Cruise, through Western Isles
Lewis and Harris Outer Hebrides cruise, Scotland
A cruise to the Outer Hebrides, the edge of the Atlantic.
Wildlife tour of St Kilda and the Shiants, Scotland
Cruise the Outer Hebrides & St Kilda with a wildlife guide
Mull circumnavigation cruise, Scotland
Staffa, Iona and Ross of Mull from our small cruise ships
Isle of Mull and west coast of Scotland cruise
Cruise the idyllic coast around the Scottish Island of Mull
Scotland whale and wildlife vacation
Marine & land wildlife tours in Scottish Highlands & Islands
Scotland tour and cruise
A combined land and sea tour to the West coast of Scotland
South Argyll wildlife cruises in Scotland
Idyllic wildlife cruise to the West Coast of Scotland Isles
Wildlife sailing vacation in Scotland
Extraordinary wildlife above and below the waves
Isle of Mull wildlife cruise in Scotland
Idyllic wildlife cruise exploring the Hebridean Isle of Mull
Scotland's wildlife map & highlights
2. Inner Hebrides
3. Isle of Mull
4. Orkney Islands
5. Outer Hebrides
6. Shetland Islands
1. Cairngorms National Park
2. Inner Hebrides
3. Isle of Mull
4. Orkney Islands
5. Outer Hebrides
6. Shetland Islands
Our top Scotland wildlife Vacation
Orkney & Shetland self drive vacation, Scotland
Self-drive island-hopping through the Northern Isles
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
What does a Scotland wildlife vacation entail?


You'll be invited to meet local folk, too. People who've lived in the Highlands or around the islands of Scotland all their lives. These are the skippers and their crew, who know where and when to watch out for basking sharks, grey seals and bottlenose dolphins in the Outer Hebrides; they're the hiking companions who can help you spot a red or fallow deer on the mountain slopes of Mull or find capercaillie, Scottish crossbills and reindeer on a hike through the Cairngorms; they're the accommodation hosts who'll bring you grilled kippers and salted porridge for breakfast and ask if you'd like to borrow their binoculars or well-thumbed birding book.
This is a wild experience in every sense and your interest in seeing animals in their natural, untamed element is just the start of the adventure.
Small group sailing safaris
The small group wildlife watching vacations in Scotland that we recommend are mainly on liveaboard small cruise ships. These ships are designed to withstand the Atlantic extremes, as well as being built for comfort and cosiness. A converted Norwegian ferry boat, for example, or a traditional wooden tall sailing ship, or an ex-cruising lifeboat.Maximum capacity is from six to 12 passengers. There's a minimum age of five or seven – depending on the boat – which means families are welcome aboard. Safety always comes first and only top class equipment and procedures are in place to ensure peace of mind so you can focus on finding wildlife.
Taking a small ship cruise around the Inner or Outer Hebrides, for instance, really gets you away from it all. You'll be in the company of other like-minded passengers as well as an experienced skipper who also serves as a conservationist, naturalist and just genuinely lovely, caring person.
An on board chef takes care of meal times and locally sourced, sustainable produce will be the order of the day. This also benefits local food stockists and the environment. For example, free range eggs are considered just as important as line caught kippers from the local fishmonger.
Professional wildlife guides and marine biologists will also be on board to share their knowledge of island ecosystems and the animals you can expect to find above and below the water. Discovering the preferred places for puffin and seal colonies, for example, as well as where you can expect to see dolphins and basking sharks, is not always just down to luck.
It's up to the skipper where you sail, and they will also help you understand the best way to observe animals from a perspective that doesn't disturb natural behaviour or the environment. You'll be able to walk on land, visit fishing villages and meet the islanders. You might also be invited to take out a sea kayak or dive into the water with mask, flippers and snorkel. There are many ways to watch wildlife in Scotland and our tours will ensure you do it from the most responsible position possible.
Camping safaris
Self-drive safaris
Driving up through Scotland feels like you’re casting off the shackles of the modern world and allowing nature to take control. Senses become heightened as you head into the heather-strewn Highlands and there's nothing like an early morning mist to send imaginations soaring like an eagle. However, driving north on the mainland is just the start of the adventure. The real fun begins when you embark on a self-drive safari around the Scottish islands of Orkney and Shetland.The car ferry from Scrabster to Kirkwall opens up Orkney first, from where you're free to explore and watch wildlife until your heart's content. Accommodation is all sorted out in advance alongside opportunities to observe animals in the company of a local expert who is certain to be on first-name terms with many of the local seabirds and seals.
After a few days on Orkney it's off to Lerwick in Shetland on the overnight car ferry. A much more scenic experience than it may at first sound. Noss Nature Reserve on Shetland is an absolute must with knowledgeable wildlife guides on hand to point you in the direction of gannets, guillemots, kittiwakes and seals in their hundreds.
The car ferry from Lerwick to Aberdeen allows for a restful end to a week away, as you wave au revoir to Orkney and Shetland whilst flicking through your animal snaps and trying to decide which to enlarge, frame and hang on the wall. Spoiler alert: otter or seal pups usually win.
Robert Kidd, founder and director of our UK & Ireland specialists McKinlay Kidd, shares his thoughts on self-drive safaris in Scotland: “Scotland not only offers some superb scenery but also pretty empty roads, certainly compared to much of England. Even in high summer it's perfectly possible to find an open road, whether it's on the coast or through the Highlands. Within less than an hour from the central belt – either north or south – you are able to find open spaces.”
What wildlife will I always see in Scotland?
None. It’s wild for a reason. Okay, okay, there are animals in Scotland than you can hope to see. Bottlenose and common dolphins, minke and killer whales, basking sharks, harbour porpoise, sea otters, grey seals and harbour seals can all be seen in Scottish waters. Puffins populate burrows on tufted tiered slopes whilst white-tailed eagles wheel overhead and seabirds, such as gannets, storm petrels, Arctic terns, skuas, kittiwakes and guillemots, cluster in shoreline colonies or take to the skies above.Larger islands such as Mull and Skye also boast their fair share of feathers, with marshlands making ideal habitat for hen harriers just the same as remote rural hedgerows create an excellent opportunity to keep your ears open for cuckoos, mistle thrush and skylarks.
Scottish wildcats and pine martens are also known to inhabit the mainland, although you can count yourself lucky if you see signs of scat or spoor rather than actually catching sight of the beasts themselves.