Following your flight into Inverness airport, you'll be met by your tour manager and make the short transfer to Carrbridge. Depending on your flight time, you might be able to explore Inverness before checking into your hotel.

Spend the rest of the day relaxing at your hotel or in the pretty village. Opposite your hotel, you'll find the famous Packhorse Bridge, which dates back to 1717 and is reputed to be one of the oldest bridges in Scotland.

Today, you’ll travel to Dunrobin Castle, set on cliffs, overlooking the North Sea, and serving as the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland. Dating back to the early 1300s, this stately medieval structure also resembles a French chateau with spiralling towers and turrets. This castle was used as a naval hospital during WWI and as a boy’s boarding school. Surrounding the property, beautiful walled gardens, which were inspired by the Palace of Versailles in Paris, can be found. 

A self-guided tour of the estate will reveal that it’s one of the oldest inhabited houses in Scotland, and you can wander the lavish interior, viewing the fine art, historical artefacts, and collection of antique furnishings. During your time here, you can also see a falconry display, the museum, and pay a visit to the cosy tearoom and gift shop, too.  

(2024 itinerary: Brodie Castle and Moray Coast tour)

Explore the capital of the Highlands today as we visit Inverness. This thriving city is home to a delightful Victorian Market, an excellent museum and art gallery, and some attractive riverside walks. We'll also enjoy a short tour of the Black Isle, which is neither black nor an island, but rather a delightful scenic peninsula surrounded by three bodies of water. We'll stop at Fortrose and the charming nautical town of Cromarty.

Your day ends as you board the Spirit cruiser to enjoy a cruise around the inner Moray Firth to try to spot a variety of marine wildlife and birds, hopefully including seals, otters or porpoise. A specialist guide will give a full commentary, so that you don’t miss anything.

No holiday to the Highlands would be complete without visiting beautiful, mysterious Loch Ness. We'll head to Fort Augustus, at the southern tip of the loch, where a series of locks join it to the Caledonian Canal, and the Caledonian Canal Heritage Centre gives a fascinating insight into the history and operation of the canal. From here, we'll head past the dramatic ruins of Urquhart Castle to Drumnadrochit, where you may like to visit the Loch Ness Exhibition Centre, which is packed with information about the loch, or perhaps take a boat trip (payable locally) to go monster hunting. Nature lovers are in for a treat as the wooded shores of the Loch are home to an abundance of wildlife, including cormorants and ospreys.

(2024 itinerary: Included Strathspey Steam Railway ride and visit to a distillery)

We head west today, following the evocatively named Road to the Isles from Fort William to Mallaig. On this wonderfully scenic day, we'll pass landscapes ranging from sandy beaches to flowering heather moors and dense woodland. We'll stop at the Glenfinnan Visitor Centre, from where you can see the lone Highlander atop the Glenfinnan Monument looking out over Loch Shiel. Take the short uphill walk from the centre to get a wonderful view of the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct. 

The Isle of Skye is another highlight of today, and you’ll be able to take in its quaint fishing villages, ancient castles, and dramatic landscapes. The Quiraing and the Storr are both distinctive rock formations and also unmissable are the Fairy Pools, a set of cascading waterfalls that switch from aquamarine to an emerald shimmer depending on the light. You can’t miss Black Cuillin either, the highest of the Cuillin Hills Mountain Range in which Loch Coruisk is nestled.  

The road ends at the thriving fishing port of Mallaig, where you can explore the town’s heritage centre. If you’re fond of kippers, you’ll go a long way to find any that taste better than those found here. 

At the end of a long but incredibly scenic day, you'll return to the hotel. 

Today, you'll travel back to Inverness airport to catch your flight home at the end of a wonderful break in the Highlands. Those not flying until the afternoon will also enjoy a short visit to the Victorian seaside town of Nairn, where pretty walking trails run alongside the river, and a seafront promenade overlooks the Moray Firth.