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Authentic Europe · Partly guided

Wildlife Cruise in Scotland

14-day Scotland wildlife cruise with rail transfers to and from Oban

Illustration of Wildlife Cruise in Scotland

Authentic Europe runs this 14-day, 13-night trip to the Outer Hebrides, described as partly guided, built around a small-ship wildlife cruise. The trip starts with arrival in Edinburgh, then travels by rail to Oban on day 2 to join the ship for a 10-night cruise around the Hebridean islands, with a local skipper and chef aboard and a maximum of 11 guests. The evidence names St. Kilda, the Monarch Islands and kayaking among the trip's highlights, though it does not say on which specific days these happen, since the itinerary lists the same 'cruise around the Hebridean islands' entry for each of the 10 cruise days. The ship returns to Oban for the final day of the cruise on day 13, and the trip travels back to Edinburgh by rail for departure on day 14. Onboard meals include wine with dinner and fresh seafood and fish, in a shared cabin rather than a private suite. This suits travelers drawn to wildlife and remote Scottish islands more than to rail travel, since rail covers only the two Edinburgh to Oban legs.

What to know before you look closer

  • Rail travel is limited to the Edinburgh to Oban legs at the start and end of the trip. The other 12 days are spent on a small cruise ship (10 nights) or in hotels in Edinburgh and Oban, so this is primarily a cruise trip rather than a rail trip.
  • The 10 cruise days, days 3 to 12, all share the same generic itinerary title, 'Cruise around the Hebridean islands.' The named highlights, St. Kilda, the Monarch Islands and kayaking, are not tied to specific days in the evidence available to us.
  • Onboard accommodation is a shared cabin, and the ship's maximum capacity is 11 guests; this is a small-ship, not a private-cabin, cruise experience.
  • Market Street Hotel is listed with no city given. Since Edinburgh already has a named hotel, Ibis Edinburgh Centre South Bridge, this is presumably the Oban hotel, though the evidence does not say so directly.

Day by day

  1. Day 1overnight: Edinburgh

    Arrival in Edinburgh

  2. Day 2overnight: Oban

    Travel to Oban in the Highlands

  3. Day 3overnight: Onboard ship (Hebridean islands)

    Cruise around the Hebridean islands

  4. Day 4overnight: Onboard ship (Hebridean islands)

    Cruise around the Hebridean islands

  5. Day 5overnight: Onboard ship (Hebridean islands)

    Cruise around the Hebridean islands

  6. Day 6overnight: Onboard ship (Hebridean islands)

    Cruise around the Hebridean islands

  7. Day 7overnight: Onboard ship (Hebridean islands)

    Cruise around the Hebridean islands

  8. Day 8overnight: Onboard ship (Hebridean islands)

    Cruise around the Hebridean islands

  9. Day 9overnight: Onboard ship (Hebridean islands)

    Cruise around the Hebridean islands

  10. Day 10overnight: Onboard ship (Hebridean islands)

    Cruise around the Hebridean islands

  11. Day 11overnight: Onboard ship (Hebridean islands)

    Cruise around the Hebridean islands

  12. Day 12overnight: Onboard ship (Hebridean islands)

    Cruise around the Hebridean islands

  13. Day 13overnight: Oban

    Final day of the cruise

  14. Day 14

    Departure from Edinburgh

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2The trip travels by rail from Edinburgh to Oban in the Highlands to join the ship.
  • Day 13The ship completes its final day of cruising before returning to Oban.
  • Day 14The trip returns to Edinburgh by rail for departure.

Included

  • 3 nights hotel accommodation in a standard room with private shower and or bath/WC, including full Scottish breakfast
  • 10 nights onboard the ship in a shared cabin including breakfast, lunch, and dinner
  • All meals include fruit on demand, coffee breaks, afternoon tea, pre-dinner aperitif, wine with dinner and the services of the crew
  • Rail ticket Edinburgh - Oban - Edinburgh
  • Services onboard of local skipper and chef
  • Electronic travel documentation, including a detailed travel itinerary and travel vouchers
  • 24/7 emergency phone service while travelling

Questions travellers ask

How much of this trip is by train?
Very little. Rail travel covers only the Edinburgh to Oban legs at the start (day 2) and end (day 14) of the trip. The rest is spent cruising or in port.
Is it guided?
Authentic Europe lists it as 'partly guided.' The ship carries a local skipper and chef, and the maximum group size matches the ship's capacity of 11.
What does the cruise include?
10 nights onboard in a shared cabin, with breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus fruit on demand, coffee breaks, afternoon tea, a pre-dinner aperitif and wine with dinner.
What wildlife or islands will I see?
The highlights list St. Kilda and the remote Monarch Islands, though the evidence does not say on which specific days these are visited.
What hotels are used?
Ibis Edinburgh Centre South Bridge in Edinburgh, and Market Street Hotel with no city given, presumably Oban.
How much does it cost?
Prices start from 4,595 EUR per person, about $5,260 USD, roughly $376 per day.

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