Summer on Shetland

Tour Code: GBR304

A relaxed 9-day holiday on the stunning Shetland Islands, where we will go in search of the region's seabirds and cetaceans (from land and sea).

£2,195

Travel by Ferry

£2,145

Land Only

Book Now Saved Tours

Why Choose Naturetrek?

50+ Trustpilot Reviews

45+ Google Reviews

Click any badge to read more reviews

Tour Itinerary and Reports

View Day by Day Itinerary and Tour Reports

1 Itinerary 3 Tour Reports

Can I Help You?

Alison Steel

Operations Manager

Email Call 1-844-433-9473

Carbon Footprint

173kg CO2e

With International Flights

172.9kg CO2e

Tour Only

What does this mean?

Highlights

A single-centre holiday based next door to Sumburgh's seabird colony
Breeding Red-throated Divers, Arctic Terns and Golden Plover
Possibly, a rare opportunity to see Orca in UK waters
Risso's, White-beaked and Short-beaked Common Dolphins posisible
Spectacular scenery and gentle walks
A boat charter for close encounters with seabirds, and hopefully, cetaceans

Summary

In the UK, Shetland in summer is arguably the most spectacular region to visit. During June and the beginning of July sees its seabird colonies in a hive of activity, with Puffins delivering sand-eels to their chicks; Razorbills, Guillemots and Gannets in their thousands and Arctic Terns being harassed by Arctic Skuas. Mix all of this with the serenading sounds of calling Red-throated Divers, swimming Otters and passing cetaceans, Shetland has it all!

During this single-centre holiday to the UK's most northerly archipelago, as well as enjoying the birds, we will make special efforts to see cetaceans. Shetland is now the place to see Orca in the UK, and although these are far from guaranteed, we are perfectly positioned to encounter a passing pod from one of the many vantage points on mainland.

This tour also includes a privately-chartered boat trip where we aim to have a close encounter with the Gannet colony on Noss and aim to view a range of cetaceans from a safe distance.

Focus

Birds and cetaceans as well as other wildlife

Outline Itinerary

Day

Overnight ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick

Day

Arrive Shetland, excursions on Mainland

Days

3 - 7

Excursions around Shetland

Day

Daily excursion, depart on overnight ferry

Day

Arrive Aberdeen

What's Included?

Food

Breakfasts and evening meals are included, lunches will be at additional cost.

Accommodation

Comfortable hotel with en suite facilities.

Reviews

J.T, Hampshire, Jun25, Jun 2025

Mark Wood is outstanding! Personable, attentive, ambitious to see as much as he could squeeze into the programme, light-hearted and hugely knowledgeable about the islands, the birds, and the wild flowers; very interesting, sensitive person. You are lucky to have him!

Read Full Review

Documents

Itineraries

Itinerary

Download

Tour Reports

June 2025

Download

June 2024

Download

June 2023

Download

Dates & Prices

2027

Travel by Ferry

£2,195

Land Only

£2,145

Single Supplement

£375

Regional Departures

Would you rather depart from an airport closer to you? Give us a call at 1-844-433-9473 and we'll see what we can do.

Book Now

2028

Travel by Ferry

£2,295

Land Only

£2,245

Single Supplement

£395

Regional Departures

Would you rather depart from an airport closer to you? Give us a call at 1-844-433-9473 and we'll see what we can do.

Book Now

Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!