Our first stop will be to the Clava cairns. Clava Cairns are a well-preserved Bronze Age cemetery complex of passage graves; ring cairns, kerb cairns and standing stones in a beautiful setting. Clava Cairns or the Prehistoric Burial Cairns of Bulnuaran of Clava are a group of three Bronze Age cairns located near Inverness. A hugely significant and exceptionally well preserved prehistoric site, Clava Cairns is a fantastic example of the distant history of Highland Scotland, dating back about 4,000 years.
Our second stop... is a visit to the powerfully moving site of the final Jacobite Rising – the last and most harrowing pitched battle to be fought on British soil between Scotland and England. Explore the interactive visitor centre, view fascinating artefacts from both sides of the confrontation, and experience the battle in the immersive surround cinema. (Entry to this adventure is included in your ticket price) On 16 April 1746, the final Jacobite Rising came to a brutal head. Jacobite supporters, seeking to restore the Stuart monarchy to the British thrones, gathered to fight the Duke of Cumberland's government troops. It was the last pitched battle on British soil and, in less than an hour, around 1,500 men were slain – more than 1,000 of them Jacobites.
a new visitor attraction in the centre of Inverness, celebrating the 'Spirit of the Highlands' through its stories of past, present and future. The Inverness Castle Experience, a must-see visitor attraction opening in 2025.
Lets stop at the entry stairway down to the shoreline of the most famous Loch in the world. If you have no fear of the monster that may lurk below the water then why not dip a toe or two into the deceptively warm water.
Step into the smallest Gin distillery in Scotland and sample their world award winning Gin, while you listen to the incredible story of their local adventure leading up to the opening of this amazing Gin. NOTE: The Distillery will be closed during the winter months
Alistair was a great tour guide. So informative and knowledgeable of the areas he took us too. Because it was a small group it was like having a personal tour guide. Definitely recommend their tours. He even made stops so we could see goats, sheep and coos! Great guide!
Sarah was amazing! It was such a fun day visiting the different sites. She provided a wealth of information. She was warm and personal.
Great tour and fun surprises along the way! It was narrated in such a way to bring you back to what it was like many, many years ago. Yet, you appreciate the current way of life, what has changed, and what has not with all areas visited.
We were able to take the tour in tandem with the other part of our family as we were a large group. Alastair and Sarah were wonderful. Both very knowledgeable and very friendly!
Alistair was a wonderful tour guide who provided so much historical and interesting information at each location we visited. We had a small group, which allowed for plenty of room in the van and lots of individual attention. We stopped for lunch at the castle and never felt rushed. Somehow we were together for seven hours, but the day flew by. Highly recommend.
Apparently the organization we originally booked with was unable to provide the tour so Avril's Travels stepped in to run our tour. The tour was absolutely fantastic. They met us at the port and took our small group to the minibus. Avril was very informative and entertaining. I'm amazed at how much was included and we were back at the port in plenty of time.
We had a great time! Our travel companions Laura and Dillion were great. Roger our guide was the absolute best!! We couldn't have asked for better. He made the entire experience fun. The time passed so quickly but was so fun and fact filled. Roger showed up exactly on time to begin I highly recommend!!
Our guide was engaging and very knowledgeable. Excellent tour! He paced the tour according to the group needs and kept our small group together even with the huge festival crowds in the town.
We had a great time, our driver/guide was the best. She was fun and informative. Would recommend to anyone visiting Scotland
Great weather and sights. Continual anti-English comments wore thin but otherwise a pleasant day with a knowledgeable guide with entertaining stories.
This tour covers a lot of sights and note that you will need pay for some entrances if you so desire. Also, if you are an Outlander fan, you will not cover the filming sights. However, this is an excellent tour putting you in that period of history. Sara our guide was extremely knowledgeable and was very good with the pacing of the tour. It ended on a great note, by Loch Ness with a "wee dram".
This was an absolutely fantastic day where we visited the Culloden Battlefield and Cawdrey Castle. Our tour guide Alistair was incredibly knowledgeable and gave us so many interesting facts. He carefully prepared us on our way to Culloden with the history surrounding the events leading up to the conflict so we could fully understand and visualise how the battle took place. He made sure we knew where he would meet us and was ready to take us on a walk around the battlefield where he pointed out important strategic manoeuvres by the English and the catastrophic failings of the clans which led to such tragic consequences. We then went to Cawdrey Castle where he left us to enjoy the audio commentary and met us afterwards in the Castle Cafeteria. His timings were meticulous which relieved any stress of having to find him. He was so considerate to his approach both with us and a few people who found him highly engaging along the tour. He dealt with us and other members of the public in a very kind and respectful way. He took us for a lovely walk around the gardens and had brought along umbrellas just in case the weather became inclement. Our final stop was at Loch Ness where he took us to a spectacular viewing point and explained all the information about the Loch and we ended up in an adorable bar which has a very comprehensive range of whiskey. I can honestly say that Alistair was the best tour guide we have ever had and his incredible attention to detail, kindness, detailed knowledge of area we visited was amazing. We loved the trip and thoroughly enjoyed the whole day. The highlight by far for me was when he took us to see the Clydesdale Horses and we got and fed them grass which they couldn’t reach from the side of the road. Another family stopped in a car and he took time to show the children who were timid of the huge animals how to feed them. I would wholeheartedly recommend this tour and think it is exceptional value for money.
The van was so crammed with no a/c that we were ready to pass out! We had to go back for people that were late by 39 minutes which wasted an hour of our tour and did not get to finish the full itinerary and only got to spent 5 minutes at Inverness Loch after driving one hour and 45 minutes! This was by far the worst tour ever ! I would not recommend this tour to anyone
Sarah took amazing care of us and gave us a great tour experience! Highly recommended! All the places we visited were interesting and easy to traverse. Sarah had a depth of knowledge about all things Scotland and made each place visited come alive. We really enjoyed our time on this tour and would recommend it to anyone!
This was a great experience and excursion. The driver was great, friendly and even played his bagpipes for us at the end of the tour. He picked us up at the cruise ship terminal. I have been on many excursions and this was one of the best experiences we have had in the last 30 years. Highly recommend. Gregory and Laurel Martin
This entire day was fantastic! George was a great tour guide and gave us a wonderful overview of Highland history and scenery. He customized the tour to meet our interests and included a couple of surprise add-ons that we loved. Highly recommend George at Go Highlands. We will be looking him up on our next trip to the Highlands.
We had a great tour in a small group of 8 folks. Sarah the tour leader was excellent. The tour included clava cairns, culledon battlefield, loch ness, gin tasting, urquhart castle, coos with a chance to pet and feed, as well as a drive by of inverness castle. Had time for lunch in loch ness. No sightins of nessie. Worth your time. Highly recommended.
Alistair Kennedy was an absolutely wonderful guide: knowledgeable, friendly and flexible — we thoroughly enjoyed our day and would heartily recommend this tour to snyone interested in Scottish history, culture, and awe-inspiring places!
George is very knowledgeable & entertaining - a true Scotsman. He rearranged our tour to see the best sites and gave detailed information about each of them. A fun tour guide and a son of Scotland.
We had a wonderful day with Sarah! She was very knowledgeable about the history of the Highlands and the local area, and even treated us to a few special places more known to locals :) We loved learning the real history behind the Outlander locations and events + just getting to know more about Scotland and the Highlands in general — would highly recommend!
Our tour with George was the best! He was extremely knowledgeable about every place we visited, and his passion for his homeland shone throughout the day. Delightful day - highly recommended!
Culloden-loch ness tour was great! Alastair the best tour guide. He went way beyond expectations and it was like getting a tour from a history professor. Finally got to Loch Ness!
Alister was a remarkable historian and storyteller. His knowledge made the excursion very memorable.
Fantastic tour from start to finish. Very friendly and knowledgeable guide. Clava Cairns and Culloden were very interesting. We had a really great time.
Our guide Sarah was super knowledgeable about the history and culture of the Highlands! She grew up locally in Inverness and is a wealth of knowledge. Her storytelling about the stone formations at Clava Cairns was so engaging, and she brought us to a local castle with the most beautiful gardens that most tourists don’t know about (Cawdor Castle; way better than Inverness Castle). I would take another tour with her in a heartbeat!
George picked us up at the port terminal. His vehicle was large and comfortable and he asked about our expectations for the day before we started. He suggested one change to the itinerary to make the experience more interesting and we we agreed with his suggestion. George is really knowledgeable about Highlands history. It was a full day and we learned so much about the area. Thank you George for providing a memorable experience.
Small intimate groups. Local guide - passionate about their home area and history.Great variety of places visited. Lots of stops but non for too long.
Pickup on time. Lots of interesting information at a number of stops. Flexible and listened to our preferences. Did not rush us but we got back exactly when he said we would. Heartily recommended.
George took us to numerous locations that a standard large tour bus wouldn't typically accommodate. We were delighted and impressed that he served as our guide. We observed many attractions that weren't included in the standard tour itinerary or our original experience. However, we were thrilled that he incorporated so many additional elements. He shared extensive insights and historical context with our group.
Wonderful experience! Loved the small group, the amount of information, level of fun and our wonderful tour guide (George). We went to a different castle which was probably better than Inverness. Beautiful Gardens and great lunch. Thanks so much!!
Go highlands and George provided an excellent and personable tour. His knowledge of the area and history made the trip!I would highly recommend Go Highlands for a day well spent!
Great tour guide. Loved the small group size very informative and enjoyable. Highly recommended this tour
Very well done - worth the money. We went to crowder castle instead, very nice. Gin distillery at th end was top notch. George and daughter Sarah were fun and knowledgeable.
The tour was amazing, everything we were hoping for and even more. Our guide, George, with his knowledge of history and storytelling ability, made us feel like we were watching history unfold.
Fantastic tour with George. His knowledge, his passion for his heritage, and his flexibility was all very appreciated. Highly recommend this tour.
I do not have the words to describe how fabulous this experience was. Alastair was wonderful! He had stories and information about Scotland that were engaging and entertaining. The tour was perfectly timed - not rushed as some day long tours can be. I would highly recommend this company and plan on using them again in the future.
Sarah had great knowledge and enthusiasm, she's the best!! We left the tour much smarter than we began.
George was very flexible with my wife and me. He talked briefly with us when he picked us up and quickly determined our interest. From our conversation, he suggested a game plan for events which turned out to be wonderful. We very much appreciated his depth of knowledge, wiliness to field questions and relaxed attitude. George was so knowledgeable and gave us so much background and historical information it made the tour truly unforgettable!
Sarah was an outstanding guide! She took us to places off the beaten path and ensured we saw everything important to us especially the Highland cows! She was extremely knowledgeable of the history of the highlands and it was a pleasure to spend the day learning from her! We highly recommend this tour!!
Exceptional tour! Engaging, fun and we learned so much the time flew by and the 6 hours was well worth it! George was warm and insightful with a passion for Scotland that is contagious! You will not get a better history of Scotland. The group is small which gives you more time at the stops or to make adjustments due to weather and interest.
George was terrific. He balanced the weather with the tour to ensure a great experience. He also shared wonderful personal stories and historical facts to bring things alive. We appreciated the day very much and recommend this tour. A very worthwhile day.
Visited very interesting sites. Guide-George was fantastic Culodden battleground interactive museum was informative
George made a miserable rainy day the most fun we had anywhere in Scotland! He changed the sites around to suit the weather. He has the BEST stories.
Our guide George was one of the top tour guides we have ever experienced. Extremely knowledgeable and provided a terrific history behind all the sites we visited. He grew up on the area and made the entire trip fun
Best tour great tour guide so much knowledge all day very entertaining time went to quick. Value for money
Roger, our tour guide was fantastic. He made the entire experience both informative and entertaining.
We had an incredible private tour with Sarah from GoHighland, visiting Inverness, Clava Cairns, Loch Ness, Culloden, and Cawdor Castle. From start to finish, Sarah was attentive, personable, and highly informative. She kept the tour engaging and interactive for everyone—including the kids—which made the experience all the more special. Her passion for the Highlands shines through in every story and detail she shares, and it truly brought the history and beauty of the area to life. If you’re considering a tour in the Highlands, you won’t regret booking with GoHighland and asking for Sarah—we couldn’t recommend her more!
Awesome trip. Our small van was just 7 of us and a guide. Lots of excellent stops and stories from George our excellent guide.
Awesome. Great. Fun. Enjoyable. Easygoing. Thorough. Stayed on track. Your guide offered flexibility. A really great time filled with Scottish history
Best tour I’ve taken. Small group. Comfortable ride and our guide Alastair was phenomenal. So knowledgeable about all aspects of The Highlands.
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