This single-centre wildlife tour in the Outer Hebrides, in the company of expert naturalists takes you through stunning scenery in search of otters, minke whales, dolphins, corncrakes, skuas, red-necked phalaropes and raptors galore.
Join expert naturalists and good friends Mike Dilger and Alexa Kershaw on one of Britain's most remote and beautiful corners. This is an archipelago where waders still breed in abundance, divers in full breeding plumage haunt the lochs, corncrakes can still be heard around the crofts and golden eagles soar at their highest densities in Britain.
On this 7-day tour of the Outer Hebrides, we focus on exploring the diverse wildlife of North and South Uist, renowned for their wild, windswept beauty, with glorious white shell-sand beaches on the Atlantic coast, and rugged moorland indented with numerous lochs to the east.
North Uist is home to one of the densest populations of golden eagles in Europe, and here without persecution they can be encountered almost anywhere across both islands. White-tailed eagles are another target and the vole-rich heather moorlands and crofted machair support an excellent population of hen harrier, short-eared owl and merlin too. At locations such as Balranald Nature Reserve we can admire the nationally rare machair habitats at their very best, with a kaleidoscope of colourful flowers, breeding waders, rare insects and melodious skylarks serenading us from above. We also have great opportunities to hear and see the secretive corncrake and other rare northerly birds such as red-necked phalarope, red-throated diver and whooper swan. The nutrient-rich waters surrounding these islands are home to resident bottlenose dolphins and attract minke whales, basking sharks and many seabirds in the summer, which we seek for on a dedicated boat trip. While in the tranquil sea lochs, we search for otters and both common and grey seals.
This is a perfect tour to discover the wild side of the Western Isles.
Typical Itinerary
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Day 1:
Meet Inverness & transfer to Benbecula
We meet Mike and Alexa early in Inverness to transfer west, travelling along the north shore of scenic Loch Ness, through Glen Shiel and Kyle of Lochalsh, and over the Skye Bridge towards Uig on the Isle of Skye. After a break on Skye, we then take the ferry from Uig to Lochmaddy on North Uist.
During the crossing, we keep an eye out for seabirds including auks and skuas, in addition to possible sightings of cetaceans. Arriving in North Uist, we enjoy a short drive through the expansive moorland and numerous lochans, before settling into our hotel for an evening meal.
Accommodation: Hamarsay House Hotel, 6-nights
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Day 2:
Explore North Uist & Balranald Nature Reserve
We begin our exploration of these islands with a visit to some of North Uist’s best birdwatching sites, including the renowned Balranald Nature Reserve. We take in sites such as Clachan, Bayhead and Sandaray Lochs and drive the remote committee road through open moorland. All these sites are perfect locations to find hen harrier, short-eared owl and merlin, and we hope to enjoy our first sightings of golden eagles too.
Our visit to Balranald Nature Reserve provides a superb introduction to the crofting agriculture of the Hebrides and this beautiful site is a haven of wildflowers, insects, breeding waders and scarce farmland birds. Amongst the haze of white, pink and yellow flowers we hope to spot corncrake, twite and resplendent summer plumaged waders. A final visit to Aird an Runair taking the lovely circular walk may offer views of any late passing skuas and even a glimpse of distant St Kilda, on a clear day.
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Day 3:
Explore Benbecula
Today we explore Benbecula, an island rich in birdlife and varied habitats. At sites such as Culla Bay and Poll na crann we hope to find a selection of waders in their finest breeding plumage with greenshank, turnstone, sanderling, knot and bar-tailed godwit among the possibilities. We also look for otter in the sheltered bays around the island and again enjoy the riot of colour and birds breeding within areas of machair. One of the highlights will hopefully be finding the dazzling red-necked phalarope and a pair of red-throated divers at one of the small lochans.
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Day 4:
Berneray & the Sound of Harris
Our route today takes us through the serene beauty of Berneray, a small island connected to North Uist by a causeway. We visit sites such as stunning Clachan sands, where the huge expanse of broken shells forms a picturesque white beach that extends into the distance. The surrounding machair will be alive with insects, and we have further opportunities to spot the elusive corncrake here, plus a colony of nesting little and Arctic terns.
After lunch, we visit sites such as Loch Bhrusda and the eastern beaches, where diving gannets and passing arctic skuas and fulmars may be joined by cetaceans further out in the Sound of Harris.
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Day 5:
Discover South Uist
Continuing our journey, we next visit South Uist, a more mountainous island and another wildlife haven. We discover a range of habitats across the island and visit locations such as Loch Druidibeg Nature Reserve in search of whooper swan, red-breasted merganser and merlin and short-eared owl hunting over the marshes. We may even head as far south as the tiny island of Eriskay to look for otters along the coast and eagles soaring over Beinn Stac.
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Day 6:
Wildlife Boat Trip & Walks
Today we start with a dedicated wildlife boat tour from the small island of Eriskay.
Our 3-hour boat excursion (on an RIB) takes us into the nutrient rich waters of the sound of Barra where we hope to encounter the resident pod of bottlenose dolphins in addition to feeding minke whales, hunting white-tailed eagles, hauled out common and grey seals and filter feeding basking sharks. Seabirds are another feature of our excursion with both great and Arctic skuas, kittiwakes and hopefully a few passing auks and shearwaters.
Returning to land in Eriskay, we explore the southern tip of the island for otter, black guillemot, peregrine and golden eagle. As we make our way back north, we explore habitats for red deer and visit some of the fascinating historical sites along our route.
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Day 7:
Return to Inverness
Today we must sadly begin our journey back to Inverness as we take the ferry from Lochmaddy across to Skye. The journey again provides the opportunity to spot seabirds such as Manx shearwater, great and Arctic skua and possibly a pod of common dolphins or porpoises. We then transfer back through the highlands to Inverness, arriving in the late afternoon.
Please note: Depending on weather conditions, the exact itinerary may vary, ensuring that we make the most of the preferable weather for boat trips.
