3-Day Budget Backpacker Isle of Skye and the Highlands Tour from Edinburgh

Nice saff, but not as advertised.

Cara was great, really looked after everyone. However, I booked this trip planning to see Eilean Donan (the castle in the picture advertising this trip)! And that was taken off the itinerary even though on Viator it said we would spend 1 hr there. Also, the bus really is too big for Isle of Skye (which is beautiful). Again, staff was super super nice.

Stay wild with this tour to Scotlands wild rough nature 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🩵

This tour has been absolutely stunning! Not just a wee bit;) Our amazing guide Tom introduced us to his gorgeous „Haggis playlist“ with not just pipes but lots of Taylor Swift after we had asked for it🩵 The tour itself was perfectly fitted, not too much time in the coach, but time to stop, explore and grab sth to eat or a coffee and then head on - incl two nights on the Isle of Skye 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 so rough, such a wild nature! Haggis‘ hashtag #Staywild absolutely matched this tour and Scotlands beauty! Highly recommended and sure to join again! (but: upgrade your room to the B&B, the Skye Inn, the dinner there is delicious;)

Amazing winter tour to Skye

I did the 3-day tour to Skye; I booked via Haggis Adventures, but we were in a joint group with people who booked the 3-day Skye tour via Highland Explorers company. The only difference was where we stayed on Skye (hostel instead of hotel; great way to save some money). Brodie was a fantastic guide, full of stories and he timed the days really well - never felt rushed at any stop. The Fairy Pools walk and the musical windchime-railings at Kilt Rock were definite highlights. He and his colleagues also made a remarkably smooth recovery in quickly arranging a replacement bus for us, when high winds damaged our original bus while we were on Skye. Brodie's music selections were also a highlight - he played specific songs tied to particular locations we visited, and when not playing those, he had a great mix of Scottish traditional folk classics and contemporary Scottish musicians. I bought a bunch of their songs when I got home!

Great experience, highly recommend

I am so glad I decided to take this tour. There is no better way to see more of the country, especially if it's your first time. Our guide, Sophie, was really great, and passed on lots of knowledge. As a solo traveller, I was in hostel accommodation with 2 other solo travellers on the tour, and we were very happy there. Nothing fancy, but had everything you need! Even a great view :) I would advise anyone going this time of year (or possibly any time of year really) to have some waterproof boots or wellies. Some of the stops require a little bit of a walk, often through some mud or watery ground. So make sure you're prepared for the wet weather!

Wonderful tour of Scottish Highlands

We did the 3-day tour with Paul at the beginning of September, and we could not have been happier. Paul was knowledgeable and charming, with delightful stories throughout the day while traveling in the coach. He also went above and beyond to make sure everyone was taken care of each day and that everyone felt comfortable and welcome. The tour covered excellent locations, with plenty of time at stops without feeling rushed or bored. The lodging on Skye was very charming with a very friendly staff, and the food was shockingly good.

Fantastic Condensed Experience

This was a great, condensed experience exploring the Isle of Skye. As a first-time visitor to Scotland, I thought this trip covered a number of highlights that were a 'must see' when I spoke with other Scotland travelers.

Haggis Adventure Skye High tour

Great experience with Haggis Tours Skye High adventure and our tour guide Dustin. He was friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable about the area and it’s history. He was also a great storyteller! We saw the highlights in a short period of time without the stress of driving which is what we were looking for. Would highly recommend Haggis adventures and the Skye High tour.

Cara is the a legit Wonder Woman Isle of Skye tour guide for a stunning Isle of Skye Experience

Cara is such an inspiration!!! Not only did she drive a massive bus impeccably through hairpin turns and park backwards into tight spots in busy chaotic lots; she guided 30 of us with full commentary and engaging stories throughout. Cara is stunningly beautiful both inside and out. She is kind, compassionate and really cares for her guests. I can’t sing enough praises about this unique Wonder-woman!!! AND The Isle of Skye is absolutely stunning!!!

Great time

We had a absolutely fabulous tour with this company. Mark our Aussie tour guide was very knowledgeable about history in the area. He went above and beyond to help all of us and was very caring and made our trip memorable.

Time of my life in Scotland with Rich Haggis tours!

Had the time of my life!Rich our guide made the trip absolutely amazing with his informative and animated story telling!

One of Those Really Great Times

Tim was a great lad, big fan. Did a great job of making things interesting and definitely took us to some very wonderful views. Would recommend to a friend.

Great Tour!

We had a great time on the three day tour with Steve! This was my friend and mine’s time in Scotland and this was the perfect way to kick off our time! Steve was extremely knowledgeable and did a great job of creating community within the tour. We met some great people on this trip. I would definitely do this tour again!

Fabulous

Tom was Amazeballs. The tour was great. We got to feed highland cows and see lots of rainbows. The tour itself also felt very inclusive and the whole trip felt very safe and comfortable.

Great trip! Thomas was lovely

THOMAS was an excellent guide on the three day Isle of Skye trip! Our group had heaps of fun & Thomas was very entertaining throughout the trip, ensuring that we were comfortable along the way and content with the stops. Also, it was a beautiful time of year to visit with the changing of the seasons. Would highly recommend!

AVOID THIS TOUR AT ALL COST

I wouldn't advise anyone to reserve a spot on this tour through Tourradar. I received a confirmation of my reservation from the trip, but after 9 days they had to cancel it due to a processing problem. They asked me to pay extra money to travel the Jacobite train on the day before it was cancelled. I paid additional money because I made the decision to do so. This raises the question of why they did not even bother to check their system and discover that there were already too many passengers booked into the tour. If they had told me beforehand, I wouldn't have reserved the accommodation and transportation. NOT SURPRISE, they did not reimburse me for the money I had previously spent on it. Since I knew they couldn't cancel the trip after the confirmation, I previously made reservations for a specific day of transportation to get to Edinburgh and a hotel. Haggie Tour and its operations decline any liability for system errors, forcing customers to pay additional fees (for accommodation and transportation) as a result of changing the date. I WOULD SUGGESTS USING A DIFFERENT TOUR OPERATION. DO NOT EVEN FRUSTRATE TO PHONE THEM AND ASK FOR THE CONFIRMATION AS I HAVE ALREADY DONE SO BUT THE RESULT CAME OUT DID NOT LIKE WHAT I EXPECTED

Good tour

I would definitively recommend. It is really worth to go in the Highlands, Scotland has a lot to offer! I would advice to take the option haggis is offering (jacobite train, visit of the castle) as there is not much to do in Portree. For sure, our experience wouldn't have been the same if we didn't have our guide Thomas. He was amazing!!!! We had really a great time thank to him, he tried to entertain the whole group when he could. Thank you for the trip!

Great tour experience with excellent driver-guide

We really enjoyed the drive and verbal skills of our guide Thomas. The tour was an adventure by itself

Beware

Beware of sick people. We returned from a 3 day tour of Isle of Skye a few days ago and had a couple so sick (coughing, sneezing, struggling to sit upright) they were taking medicine on the bus. It would have been nice if something was done to protect the health and safety of others on the tour as we've now tested positive for covid. The hotel package is a scam. We paid significantly more for the hotel accommodation and it was down a steep hill from the town square where we were dropped off (which we have to carry our luggage to & from) while the B&B guests were dropped off at the front door. On top of that our rooms were at the top of 42 tiny steps which made carrying up our luggage difficult & no porter service was available. I googled the room price of the Rosedale hotel & the Skye Inn (B&B) and they're almost exactly the same price.

A great trip and a great guide!

The 3-day Highlands Trip is a convenient but packed whirlwind, I'd thoroughly recommend both it and Haggis Adventures. Our group drove to Skye on the first day, making various stops at locations like Glencoe and the Eilean Donan Castle. The second day, we drove around Skye, and the third day, Loch Ness and Culloden before returning to Edinburgh. Many of the stops were pretty fast, around an hour or two at most, but this allowed us to cover a lot of area in a short amount of time. Our guide, Rich, made the trip a great experience where it might've ordinarily fallen short. He was super friendly and welcoming as well as knowledgeable. He told us bits of history and folk tales, introduced us to his personalized Scottish playlist, and cracked jokes, which made the bus ride an entertaining experience. But it's not so loud that you can't pop some headphones in if you need some quick rest. A highlight of the trip for our whole group was getting to see Rich's home village, it added a really unique and lovely bit of personalization to the experience. I'd definitely recommend this trip for those who don't want the complications that come with driving around the Highlands as a tourist, but still want to thoroughly explore the area. More than anything, I'd recommend requesting Rich as your guide to get the best experience!

One of the best tours to explore Scotland

This tour is definitely going to be one of the top highlights during my trip in Scotland. Our tour guide, Rich, was such a blast. Not only did I feel comfortable and safe in his bus, but his story-telling and jokes are the absolute best. I felt like I learned so much from him and I appreciate the amount of effort he made to make sure everyone was having fun and learning the vast amount of history Scotland has to offer. The three day was perfect for me because it was long enough to enjoy multiple parts of Scotland, but not too long to the point of exhaustion. With the trip came hiking, scenic drives, historical monuments, and more! Also a plus, the bus is not only comfortable but has a hilarious and iconic exterior that I love and appreciate. Definitely would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and educational experience of Scotland!!

Best Tour Experience

This has been one of the best tour experiences that I have gotten to experience. There were a lot of great destinations all over the highlands and the Isle of Skye. You get to see the beauty and essence of these place. Our tour guy, Rich, was absolutely amazing. He knew so much about all the places that were visited and had some interesting stories to tell too. Besides the destinations, he is another feature that made the trip so lively and fun. He has a great sense of humor and is one of the nicest lads. He has a way of telling stories and the history of places that you are just drawn in and absorbing it all. I learned so much on this tour and had the most fun time ever. I definitely recommend it and the tour guide Rich.

Amazing Highlands Tour Experience

Rich was the best tour guide! He kept the trip engaging, played great tunes, and was very informative about historical places in the high lands. Loch Ness was my personal favorite part of my trip and the accommodations provided were very good. Rich pointed out several pop culture spots that we passed by on the bus drive as well, which was super fun to hear about. I now know where Sign of the Times was filmed! I was glad we were able to hit so many iconic and historical spots given the short amount of time we had. I left the trip feeling very fulfilled with everything I got to see!

A breathtaking adventure in the highlands

I loved this tour so much! We were able to see so many iconic locations around the highlands and the Isle of Skye. As other reviewers noted, there is a lot of driving in this tour --- but the bus was very comfortable and we had frequent breaks to stretch our legs. I also loved just looking out the window and taking in the beauty of the highlands, as there was a breathtaking view around every corner. My favorite spots by far were Dun Beag on Skye and the Clava Cairns near Culloden, where our tour guide Rich helped us get Outlander-style photos with the rocks! Rich was a wonderful tour guide, as he told us stories in a funny and engaging way. I loved it when he told us about his experiences around Scotland, because it made the tour much more special and personal. If you are looking for a tour around the highlands, this one is perfect!

Amazing way to see the beautiful highlands of Scotland.

This was an amazing experience. Going into the trip I was a little nervous that we were not going to be able to see much as it was only three days long. However, Haggis Adventures makes sure to pack the schedule with all of the must sees. Both of the accommodations were also great! Saucy Mary Hostel in Kyleakin was a little more old school but was in a beautiful area and was right on the water front. However, be prepared from traditional Scottish dinners and there was haggis available for breakfast. The second night we stayed in Loch Ness Backpackers lodge and it was perfect! It felt like you were living in someones homes and it was only about a 15 minute walk to the Loch. Haggis Adventures did an amazing job planning out all of the locations and hearing the stories behind each location on our way was amazing. Our tour guide was Rich and he was the best! He always had the best attitude, funny jokes, great stories and pieces of information, always willing to answer questions and he had a great playlist. The only thing I would warn about with this trip was that we spent a lot of time driving. To be able to see everything we wanted we ended up driving a lot so there was not a lot of time for hiking. However, in my opinion the driving was worth it to see all of the wonderful place. So if you are looking for a highland trip book with Haggis Adventures they do an amazing job.

Great tour for those on a time crunch

I took this tour during a study abroad program and it was the perfect way to see the highlands without having to keep track of conflicting plans or follow a list of things to do. We stayed at a different hostel each night, and it was nice to sample various different towns across the country. Our tour guide, Rich, was funny and informative. When we stopped he would give us restaurant or cafe recommendations. All of his recommendations that I tried were delicious, and none of my classmates had any complaints either. My only problem was that I wanted more time in the highlands. The scenery was beautiful and some of the stops were shorter than I would have liked. I would definitely book Haggis tours again if I were to come back.

Great tour, but has it's cons!

We loved this tour and it was a great way to see Skye and parts of the highlands. There are some things that you should know before you book: 1. There are loads of stops on the way to Portree, the tiny village you'll stay in, but they are all very short stops. I didn't realize how much driving and how little walking there would be on this tour, so make sure that's what you're looking for. 2. This is also not a youth/student tour so again, if that's what you're looking for, this is not it. 3. The Hostel we stayed in was the Portree independent hostel. It's definitely a lower end hostel so be aware of that. They also do not have many staff and reception closes very early in the evening. 4. Portree is not a very lively village (at least at the time we travelled). Restaurants open late and close very early. There is also not much to do or see in the town so it's weird to me why we had to spend so much time here. If you have time for a longer tour with Haggis and can spend your nights elsewhere, do it! Portree is not a great town. That being said, the trip was worth it! Our tour guide, Tom, was amazing! He is a fantastic storyteller and knows Highland folklore very well.

A must do if in Scotland

RICHIE IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST!! Not only was he hilarious and a great story teller, but he knew so much fun and intriguing info about the history of Scotland. I learned so many things I had never known. I find that sometimes these multi-day tours can become exhausting but Richie was able to keep the energy going every day and keep us engaged during our long drives. I loved that we got to cover so much of Scotland and stop at so many sites. I've never seen so many castles! and cows! Richie was also so great to be around, always asking how we were doing and chatting with students. He even brought a personal aspect to the tour by bringing us to explore his wonderful hometown! He also has a playlist of bangers that he plays throughout the tour! I would 100% recommend him and HAGGIS tours to anyone coming to Scotland. Scotland was wondrous itself but Richie made the tour with his great personality.

Everything I expected and more!

This tour met all of my expectations. I left the trip feeling like I got to see the most important parts of the Scottish Highlands. I recommend this tour to anyone interested in the highlands and its history. My tour group was lucky enough to have the most amazing tour guide - Rich! He answered all our questions and offered so much knowledge. His jokes, while corny, always got everyone to laugh! This is a once in a life time type trip.

Best Way To See the Scottish Highlands.

This 3-day tour was the perfect amount of traveling and exploring. Rich was our tour guide and he was absolutely amazing. His storytelling of each stop was great and filled with information. The timing for each stop was good and we stayed on track pretty well. Rich is very friendly and kind and fun to joke around with! Haggis Adventures made the Highlands a great time!! 100% recommended to anyone looking for a taste of the Highlands without the hassle of renting a car and planning everything.

Beautiful but be wary if looking for a young person tour

Wasn’t sure whether to put this up as the scenery was amazing and the guide was a nice person with good knowledge, but had I known the situation I would be put in, I would’ve reconsidered which company to tour with. I signed up as a solo traveller due to the marketing towards younger people, thinking it would be a good way to meet like minded travellers. What happened was I was put on a tour almost entirely taken up by people who signed up for ‘highland explorer’ tour company which is aimed at a different market. This resulted in me being on a tour with predominantly older people and left me feeling very isolated and often bored and uncomfortable. I was one of two people not staying in private accomodation, and there were more retirees than under 30s. Additionally, the final day felt like an 11 hour journey back to Edinburgh with the train journey thrown in (at additional cost). This was not really at the fault of the company due to a road closure, but a third of the trip ended up feeling wasted sitting in transit. The tour itself has so much promise and I feel like I was just unlucky, but I would be wary as a younger solo traveller due to the potential to be put into a group with the other tour companies with completely different demographic. The sites visited were really lovely but be careful if you’re hoping to meet people.

Amazing guide!

Amazing trip!! Well planned route! But the best part of the trip was our incredible guide Rich!! He was very knowledgeable, funny and an amazing storyteller. We learned a lot about the history and he was also very sweet and shared personal stories. I would absolutely recommend this trip!!!

Super fun!!! Loved Rich our tour guide! He was so personable and worked with our large group.

We had a large tour group with a university. Rich was super kind and worked well with all of us. Played fun music. The hostel was clean and fun. Trivia nights with a fun host.

Rich

Rich was our tour guide and was beyond phenomenal. He knew the history of this beautiful country like the back of his hand and I learned so much from him. He’s patient as well! Thanks Rich!

#RichsBus is the BEST!!!!

Our tour guide was Rich and he is INCREDIBLE! Not only is he fun and exciting, he is also highly knowledgeable when it comes to every area you tour. Someone I was able to build a relationship with in a short 3 days, Rich is kind and made our group tour the best it could be. What is up Rich!!!!

#RichsBus hands down the BEST

Rich was the major highlight here! An amazing tour guide that had the best stories and blended well with us as a bunch of College students!! I would recommend this tour and this guide to anyone that wants a full experience of history, folklore, and fun!!

Exceeded expectations

Amazing trip. Exceeded my expectations. Rich & Sandy were incredible. And the sights were spectacular!! Hairy ‘Coos’ & little baby lambs were frosting on this cake!!

Best first trip to Scotland!

Had the most amazing three days in Scotland, all thanks to our guide Rich! So much was packed into one weekend without it feeling rushed at all. Rich did a great job at teaching all of us about Scotland’s history while making it interesting and always hilarious. Would recommend this tour to anyone whether you’re traveling alone or with friends. Though our group was 16 people, Rich made an effort to get to know everyone, making traveling alone much less intimidating. Both the hostel and bus were great, really no complaints at all! Would come back in a heart beat to do more tours with Haggis and see more of this beautiful country.

Breathtaking views and absolutely cracking guide - Rich, you're a legend!

Easter driving through Scotland was a great idea. Rich, our guide, was a power machine! Never ending energy, smile on his face, all the stories and jokes.... Scotland is lucky to have ya, pal! We were too! The 3 day tour was superbly organised, Rich brought the whole group together, shared many many many gorgeous landscapes with us, loads of entertaining and very informative stories, fab Scottish tunes - what more could you possibly ask? It was just. Well. GREAT AYE! Thank you Rich & Haggis!!!

A very Rich Easter!

Amazing way to spend an Easter long weekend. Our tour guide Rich made the experience one to remember with his incredible knowledge of Scottish history, amazing recommendations and positive welcoming attitude. Rich showed us some incredible sights (some a bit off the beaten track), as well as using his great local knowledge to point out good places for dinner and drinks. Due to the Easter public holidays some things that the tour may have normally done were unavailable however Rich made up for this (and some) with the amount of stops and sights he made sure we saw. My boyfriend and I would recommend this tour to everyone - singles, couples, groups of friends - anyone looking to see the beautiful sights of Scotland. The highlight of the trip for us was just the sheer beauty of the Scottish highlands! Can’t wait to come back already!!

Great tour! Saw SO much and awesome guide Richieeee!

Such a great trip! Packed so much into three days really felt like we saw everything (but would still come back to do it again/more!). Not to mention learnt so much about Scottish history in a fun way thanks to the best tour guide Rich! Hostel stay was good and bus fab too. Good value for money and yeah really no complaints. Thanks for a grrrreat time ya donut! 😜❤️

The BEST Scottish tour! & best tour guide - Rich

I had Rich for the tour and he was honestly the best tour guide I’ve ever had. You legend! Even when hungover and trying my hardest not to be sick 😂 he was so knowledgeable and made such an effort to make sure we saw so many things. I’d recommend this in a heartbeat!

Super fun, beautiful views, great tour guides

This weekend I had an amazing time. Tom, Lorna, Louisa, and Owen were the tour guides and they were absolutely fantastic. Lots of great tales and history plus they were also down for a nice chat at any point. We hit a lot of great places that were beyond beautiful and it was the perfect taster to see the Highlands. Definitely will be doing another longer tour in the near future.

Isle of Skye in all its epicness

I moved to Edinburgh 2 yrs ago and have been waiting to visit Isle of Skye for this long! Steve was an amazing tour guide full of interesting facts and stories about Scottish history and legends. We had a great bunch of people in our tour group and I can honestly say on everyone's behalf, we all had an amazing time! The accommodation was lovely, the staff friendly and accommodating and plenty of gin and whisky at the bar to try after a day out exploring. Would highly recommend this tour and Steve as your guide to anyone wanting a fab tour of Skye and the highlands.

Excellent

This was a lovely tour got to see so much of Scotland. Everyone friendly. I think I had too much whiskey. Love Scotland so much to see. The tour guide was good and wanted everyone to enjoy themselves.

Absolute must do

With only limited time to explore Scotland it was recommended by friends that we do a tour with Haggis Adventures. Our driver Calum was entertaining, knowledgeable and a whole lot of fun his enthusiasm for his beautiful country was contagious along with lots of laughs. Absolute must do! Thanks for having us Haggis Adventures and Calum!

One of the best trips I've ever been on

This was such an incredible tour, covering the most beautiful places in Scotland. I went as a solo traveller, and immediately felt welcome and left with new friends. Our tour guide was Rich (with help from Dan and Rich) and honestly I was laughing from start to finish! If you do one thing, do this tour!

Isle of Skye OMG

Absolutely fab, even though I'm Scottish I come from the south so finally got to see what all the tourists were talking about. The Isle of Skye is beyond words, absolutely breathtaking as is Glencoe. Our guide Rich brought everything alive through stories, folktales and snippets from history. A really well organised and informative trip that packs a lot in without you feeling like you're on a whirlwind. I was a little apprehensive about being on a coach for so long as I can sometimes get a little motion sick (as does my friend who I went with) but not once did we feel like that as there are so many stops along the way.

"Skye High": Best Tour + Best Guides + Scottish Highlands = BEST TIME EVER

Amazing tour which I can highly recommend to anybody who wants to see a glimpse of Scotland and the Highlands but has little time. Our main guide Rich was absolutely fantastic, a wealth of knowledge, entertaining us with cool stories about Scotland without ever boring us. Cool dude! Also the driverguides to be, Jaime and Dan, were great, providing us with even more local insights and were really cool to hang out with. These three are about as Scottish as it gets :) and really made our trip something special. I would do this tour anytime again (or maybe a longer one next time:)). Stunning landscape, lots of cool stops at hidden gems, so every hour we would stop at least once. Even if the weather rainy it's a great tour to da, as you're moving on their yellow busses, you can see the Scottish Highlands pass by outside while being in the warmth - and after the stops your stuff will dry quickly as they have heating next to the seats :) Morag's lodge at Loch Ness was compfy too and they sell superb meals for just under 9 GBP and breakkie for 4GBP. Once Corona-virus allows you to travel again, look for no further than Haggis Adventures if you want to explore Scotland!

If you do anything, do this tour.

The scenery on this 3-day trip is incredible and the history behind it astounding. The big yellow bus has gained a few more followers but other than the occasional refuge from the rain it felt like we were off the bus more than on it. From Bonnie Prince Charlie on Drummossie Moor to the faeries on Skye and William Wallace in Sterling (and many more in between) you are definitely not left wanting. Topped off by the accommodating Morag’s Lodge (try the pie - you won’t regret it), and of course our tour guide Rich and the two trainees Dan D and Jamie Mac who’s knowledge, humour and sound, welcoming personalities brought this tour to life. I couldn’t recommend it more.

Best guides EVER!!!

What a great 3 day tour! The days just flew by and we got to see and experience more that I could have imagined. I can’t say enough positive things about Rich, Jamie Mac and Disco Dan! They were professional, fun and made the 3 day tour super special! Rich is one of the best story tellers I’ve here heard - he makes history fun and interesting. Accommodations were great and the food in the hostel is the best I had on my whole trip. My only regret is not having signed up for the 5 or 7 day tour! Thanks for the amazing trip Rich, Dan and Jamie :-)