View Shetland, Orkney & Hebridean Islands & regions based tour dates
Island based tour days
All year round on any green/available calendar days we offer our full range of our private Scottish Islands tours with the regular start/pick up and end/drop off from the Scottish mainland (with our full range of pick up locations throughout the Scottish Central belt, including the Stirling, Edinburgh, Dundee/St. Andrews & Glasgow area), which means for many of the more distant island tours, the first tour day is the travel day from the mainland to the island and the last day of the tour is the travel day returning back from the island to the Scottish mainland and back to your drop off/tour end location in the Scottish Central belt.
During our Island based tour days, tours will start & finish on the islands, allowing for more time to explore the islands and reducing the travel times to/from the islands.
During our island based tour days our normal full range of Scottish tours are temporarily suspended, as we only offer the tours for that island group we are at during those days.
Island based tours in the Shetland Isles
Shetland Isles based tours only: dates for 2027 still tba
(tours start & finish =Shetland, unless you arrange to join us on our discounted travel day(s) to/from the Shetland Isles}
Island based tours in the Hebrides
- Outer Hebridean (Barra, the Uists, Lewis & Harris, etc.) based tours only: dates for 2027 still tba
- Inner Hebridean (Mull & Iona / Islay, Jura & Colonsay / Coll & Tiree / the Small Isles, etc.) based tours only: dates for 2027 still tba
Island based tour in the Orkney Isles
Orkney Isles based tours only: dates for 2027 still tba
(tours start & finish = Orkney, unless you arrange to join us on discounted our travel day(s) to/from the Orkney Isles}
Our private & personalised island tours on available green calendar days are available all year round,
except for those which are seasonal (seabird breeding season) only, such as for the Isle of May, Handa, Noss, etc.
Isle of May
Shetland Isles – private 1 – 7 day tours
Orkney Isles – private 1 – 7 day tours
Isle of Coll
&
Isle of Tiree
Shetland Isles – private 1 – 7 day tours
Isle of Lewis & Harris
Isle of Arran based
Islay, Jura, Colonsay & Kintyre
- Islay full day tour
- Jura half-day or full day tour
Harris, Lewis, Mingulay & the Monach Isles
3D#9 – Barra & Vatersay – Hebridean epitome – 3 day tour
1D56/Hebrides/based on Barra# 56 – Barra & Vatersay 1 day island tour from Barra
Isle of Harris & Lewis based private tours
Some of your private tour options in the Lewis (& Great Bernera) & Harris (& Scalpay) region,
including day tour options to Berneray & the Uists (N. & S. Uist, Benbecula & Eriskay)
5D#4 – Harris, Lewis & the Isle of Skye – circuit across the Minch – 5 day tour
Dramatic journey across the Minch and as we approach the spectacular Northwest Highlands and sail into Loch Broom to Ullapool
Ullapool arrival
Wild and dramatic scenery on our journey through the Northwest Highlands, the Cairngorms nationalpark and Perthshire with scenic stops along the way
until we reach our drop off destinations near Stirling, back in the Scottish Central belt
Orkney Isles – private 1 – 7 day tours
Sanday – Orkney North Isles
Sanday & its many glorious beaches, the lighthouse & more
After picking you up from Kirkwall & the Orkney mainland, we will be heading to Kirkwall harbour:
Once we board the ferry, you have a chance to relax inside the lounge or outside with great views as we sail north past many of the Orkney Isles.
Relax and enjoy the views, watch out for wildlife or have your breakfast.
When we arrive on Sanday we head for our beautiful lighthouse coastal walk (tide permitting all the way to the lighthouse)
Sanday has a long coastline and various peninsulas so we have a scenic island tour
Shetland Isles based
Shetland Isles – private 1 – 7 day tours
These are green calendar days, so these days are available for private tours
Hebrides based
2026 rerun of 2025 island tours – 2026 dates will be published during the winter
Hebridean Isles tour
- Isle of Mull accommodation and in Tobermory, the capital of Mull
Short day Isle of Mull tour until 11am
followed by a free time 2 islands landing trip boat excursion to the puffins on the Treshnish Isles & Fingal cave on Staffa
Unicorn Tours offers a pick up from your accommodation in Tobermory/Isle of Mull or upon your ferry arrival in Craignure/Isle of Mull and offers a short day tour with scenic stops on the Isle of Mull, while we offer the transfer to the departure point for the Treshnish Isles & Staffa boat trip.
Please note, the Lunga and Staffa boat trip is not operated by Unicorn Tours, but by Turus Mara
The boat leaves Ulva ferry terminal on the Isle of Mull at 11.40 am and returns back there at 6pm
The cost for this 2 islands landing cruise is £80 per adult, it is most highly recommended and offers some of the best close-up puffin encounters in the UK.
After the boat trip, we could possibly drop you off at your Mull accommodation or you are free to join us to Craignure, from where we are booked at 19.25 pm to catch the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry to Oban.
The ferry will be at an extra cost.
private short day morning tour from Oban:
Barra & Vatersay, we can offer this for you at an extra cost
Later on after our return from Mingulay
Scottish North Coast based
Island based tour days
All year round on any green/available calendar days we offer our whole range of our private Scottish Islands tours with the regular start/pick up and end/drop off from the Scottish mainland (with our full range of pick up locations throughout the Scottish Central belt, including the Stirling, Edinburgh, Dundee/St. Andrews & Glasgow area), which means for many of the more distant island tours, the first tour day is the travel day from the mainland to the island and the last day of the tour is the travel day returning back from the island to the Scottish mainland and back to your drop off/tour end location in the Scottish Central belt.
During our Island based tour days, tours will start & finish on the islands, allowing for more time to explore the islands and reducing the travel times to/from the islands.
During our island based tour days our normal full range of Scottish tours is being suspended, as we only offer the tours for that island group we are in, i.e.:
during Shetland based tour days – we only offer tours exclusively on the Shetland islands
Private & personalised Shetland Isles small group tours
during Orkney based tour days – we only offer tours exclusively on the Orkney islands
Private & personalised Orkney Isles small group tours
during Outer Hebridean tour days – we only offer tours exclusively of Lewis – Harris & Berneray – N. Uist Benbecula – S. Uist – Eriskay & Barra & Vatersay
Private & personalised Outer Hebrides small group tours
during Inner Hebridean tour days – we only offer tours exclusively of either:
Mull & Iona or Islay, Jura & Colonsay or Coll & Tiree or Rum, Eigg, Muck, Canna or Lismore or Luing, Seil & Easdale or Skye & Raasay
Private & personalised Inner Hebridean small group tours
and so on
Available days for private tour = green / Blue = days with a tour joining option on our upcoming scheduled tours with a per person price:
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Fully booked private tour / generally unavailable during the entire day
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Off the beaten track & Scottish Islands - tours for individuals with a per person price
Monthly view
Off the beaten track & Scottish Islands tours
(with a promotional per person price – operating on selected days shown in blue on the tours availability calendar)
Oct Nov Dec
Jan Feb Mar
Apr May Jun
Jul Aug Sep
– Scheduled tours with a per person price (ideal for individual travellers, students & their friends, who prefer to join an existing tour without the need to book a private tour)
– Tailormade private & personalised tours with a daily set price for the mini-bus with the tour-guide-driver:
Private & small group tours of Scotland
Custom-made personalised & flexible private tours
Click here for private & personalised small group tours of Scotland (our main page)
Green coloured calendar days show availability for our wide range of private & small group 7 day, 6 day, 5 day, 4 day, 3 day, 2 day, 1 day, half & short day tours
(with over 100 different sample tour itineraries throughout all of Scotland to choose from)
The private tour price is per mini-bus with driver-tour-guide per day
- November – February £240 (less 15% student discount), so if you are just 1 person – your private winter off-peak 1 day tour will cost you £240 per person, but if you are a group of 8 friends booking together it is £30 per person
– October/March & April £300 (less 10% student discount), so if you are just 1 person – your private standard season 1 day tour will cost you £300 per person, but if you are a group of 8 friends booking together it is £37.50 per person
- May – September £360 (less 5% student discount), so if you are just 1 person – your private peak summer 1 day tour will cost you £45 per person, but if you are a group of 8 friends booking together it is £45 per person
If you are looking for a lower guaranteed per person price,
you need to look out for the calendar days marked in blue –
on those days we offer our “Scottish Islands & off the beaten track scheduled tours for individuals, which also offer an additional early booking & student discount” – for further information, check the blue coloured box below
(best per person prices if you are 8, 7, 6 or 5 travelling together)
less the multi-day tour discount
= 5% off for a 2 day tour, 10% off for a 3 day tour, 15% off a 4 day tour
– up to 30% off for a 7 day tour
less the seasonal 5%/10%/15% student discount)
Pick ups/tour start & drop offs/tour finish for private tours from anywhere in Scotland
plus
Walking, city, activity & special interest tours, A2B transfers, etc.
Private small group day & multi-day tours throughout all of Scotland
Green days are available for your own private tour with over 100+
1-7 day tour routes & itineraries to choose from
If there is no available green day, for the private tour day, you are looking for – on request, you may ask, as occasionally private tour days become available on blue calendar days as well.
Fully booked private & small group tour / generally unavailable during the entire day
The days shown in red are usually fully booked/unavailable.
As sometimes tour guests do change dates or cancel tours or they change a scheduled full day tour to just a morning/afternoon ½ day tour, please feel free to get in touch, even if the calendar shows your preferred day as fully booked.
View some more available times for private tours
You could still request a tour
or
part of the day might still be available
for a few hours
in the morning/mid-day/afternoon/summer long daylight evenings for example for:
for a Private & small group half & short day tours
for an
for a 3 hours Private & small group Edinburgh/City walking tours
or short walks
Scottish Islands & off the beaten track best of Scotland tours
(with a per person price – on selected “blue” days)
On blue coloured calendar days :
- We offer tours with a per person price,
which are ideal for individual travellers or friends travelling together
(without the need to book a private tour).
- We promote places, which we consider to be among Scotland’s best
– off the beaten track Scotland & the many Hebridean, Shetland & Orkney Isles – to showcase the “other spectacular true 99% of Scotland”
beyond over-crowded Loch Ness & Skye.
(Loch Ness is just 1 out of 30000 beautiful Scottish lochs &
the Isle of Skye is just 1 of over 800 stunning & large Scottish Islands.
Unicorn Tours offers tours to over 70 Islands which can be reached by car-ferry. All of these Islands are a lot bigger than you imagine –
the Shetland Isles on their own have a coastline of over 2700 kms)
- Scottish Islands & off the beaten track tours are open to all.
They are budget & student friendly,
as we offer an early booking & various student discounts.
- We travel along breath-taking backroads, where large coaches & tour groups won’t go.
- These tours are for you to explore, discover & experience truly amazing places & spectacular wild nature and less to tick off “must see places/boxes”.
Monthly view of 1 – 7 day Scottish islands & off the beaten track tours
Click here for dates & tours where per person rates (with student & early booking discount options) apply
These are promotional rates on selective days only
Most tours pick up/start & drop off/finish in the Stirling area
We offer many additional pick up/tour joining options – tour & route dependent – throughout the Scottish Central belt between Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee/St. Andrews
On our longer Shetland, Hebrides & Orkney Isles – islands based tours – we also offer the option to join us there (and we pick you up from the air/ferry-port) to join us for the full or partial duration of the tour.
(Fyi, if you are looking for your own private & small group tour of Scotland on a blue day, feel free to get in touch anyway, as sometimes the minimum number for Scottish islands & off the beaten track tours is not reached.)
Accommodation
Choose your own preferred individual accommodation type (hotel, guesthouse or hostel) on multi-day tours
We aim to pre-book & offer budget hostel type accommodation for those who prefer hostels, whenever possible
The tour experience during the day is identical –
no matter if we pick you up from/drop you off at a hotel or hostel at the start/end of each day
Summary of upcoming Scottish Islands & off the beaten track tours:
