Scottish Wildlife Cruises

Coronavirus update

Because of the Government interventions and guidance regarding the spread of Covid-19, we are cancelling our cruises departing in April, May and June 2020 to protect our crews, guests, and the remote communities that we visit. We are in touch with our guests individually to discuss their cruise options and are overwhelmed with the understanding and good wishes we have received. We are very sorry not to be operating our cruises as planned this season and regret any inconvenience and disappointment experienced by our guests. We will review the situation as it unfolds and cancel further cruises if required to do so.  At the moment we are hoping to operate our calendar of cruises in the late summer and autumn of 2020, but our overriding concern is always for the health of our crews and guests. We very much look forward to welcoming our guests on board at some point in the future, once it is safe to do so, to enjoy our unique wildlife cruises once more. 

Wildlife cruises with amazing close encounters

We are passionate about the wildlife of the west coast of Scotland and of giving our guests amazing wildlife sightings and experiences. This is why there are four crew on board every cruise allowing our sharp-eyed Wildlife Expert to dedicate their time to scanning the seas, land and skies. A surfacing minke whale, bow riding short-beaked dolphins, an otter playing in the seaweed, porpoise, seals and eagles wheeling overhead are seen on almost every cruise as are around 80 bird species. Rarities such as orca, basking sharks and other types of whales and dolphins appear less often but if they are there, our Crews will spot them.  They know the best habitats, can easily identify species and have lots of knowledge at their fingertips about the wildlife seen .

Wildlife experts and accompanied onshore excursions

Our wildlife cruises are unique amongst small-ship cruises because of the expertise on board and onshore.  The Skipper and Wildlife Expert join guests for dinner to chat about the day's events and discuss the possibilities for itineraries and shore trips the following day. The Wildlife Expert always accompanies the guests on shore excursions to guide them on the route, spot wildlife and provide local information on history and the natural environment. Any guest with a preference to explore alone can do so, safety allowing. 

Get a taste of the fabulous food served on board our cruises

The meals served onboard our vessels by our Chefs are legendary. All food is prepared from fresh, local ingredients, creating delicious dishes that get rave reviews from our guests.  A speciality of Hebrides Cruises is hand-dived scallops, often provided by the Skipper on board actually doing the dive! View our Fabulous Food Gallery>

Read our guest reviews

Trip Advisor don't review cruises, so we have our own review system on our website where guests can leave a review in their own words, unedited. We are delighted at the 100% positive reviews we have received on our website and over 50% of our guests have booked again for 2020.  Read our guest reviews>

Request our 2020 brochure

Our 2020 cruises offer a choice of 4-night, 6-night, 8-night, and 10-night cruise itineraries. Many of the cruises have only one cabin remaining.  View our 2020 cruise calendar

View our gallery of wildlife photos from our 2019 season 

Having the opportunity to see a wide range of rare wildlife is clearly a wonderful experience for our guests and our 2019 season had a fantastic number and variety of sightings. View just some of the wildlife photos taken by our crew and guests on our Wildlife Gallery 2019