Scotland's Orkney Islands
from $3,995per person, price varies by date
Check Price & Availability →Opens the operator's official listing with live dates. You book there, nothing is charged on this site.
Starts in Brae on Shetland, with Jarlshof, Sumburgh Head and Eshaness, then the Lerwick to Kirkwall ferry for the Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae, the Italian Chapel and a day trip to Hoy. Only 10 reviews so far, too few to rate with confidence, worth knowing before you book.
This Intrepid trip links two island groups in one route: it starts in Brae on Shetland, works its way around that archipelago, then crosses by ferry to Kirkwall on Orkney and finishes there. Along the way it takes in Jarlshof, Sumburgh Head, St Ninian's Beach, the Eshaness coast, the Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae, the Italian Chapel and the Churchill Barriers, plus a full day on the island of Hoy. Group size runs from 1 to 12 travellers, guided in English, and the trip is open to ages 18 and above.
The rhythm is a mix of guided visits and walking. Some days are fairly full, with several transfers between stops in Shetland, while others leave room for optional extras at your own cost, such as a distillery visit in Lerwick, a boat tour to Noss Head, or an evening of Orkney storytelling, which is included. Breakfast is provided on most travelling days, and accommodation, transport, a guide and some additional services are all part of the package.
It suits travellers who like their islands prehistoric and windswept, and who are happy on coastal hikes and short ferry crossings. Flights, insurance and optional activities are not covered, so budget for those separately. The listing does not state pickup arrangements, so check the booking page before you travel.
Here is what the listing says you should plan for before booking this trip.
Common issues. The listing itself sets the honest limits. The main ones are practical: flights and insurance are excluded, several appealing activities cost extra, and the trip is restricted to travellers aged 18 or over. The itinerary also involves a fair amount of walking, so it is not a low-effort coach tour. The listing does not state pickup or accessibility provisions, so raise any mobility questions with the operator before booking.
The listing does not state a meeting point or pickup arrangement for this trip, so the exact start location needs confirming on the live booking page before travel. What the listing does confirm is the practical framework: the tour is guided in English, runs with a group of 1 to 12 travellers, and is restricted to ages 18 or above. Departure dates and prices are shown by month on the booking page, which is also where any joining instructions will appear. Being ready ahead of the stated start time matters on a trip of this length, since a late arrival can cost a full day of the itinerary.
The listing does not state which months this departure runs, and the booking page shows departure dates and prices by month, so checking there is the practical way to plan around a preferred window. For context on pricing patterns, Rabbie's, another operator running Orkney itineraries, discounts selected 2026 dates on its 5-day Orkney and Scotland's Northern Coast tour, which suggests shoulder dates on routes of this type can carry lower prices than peak summer. No seasonal wildlife or crowd detail for this specific tour appears in the listing, so treat timing questions as something the booking page answers directly.
This trip is priced from $3,995 USD through the listing. That sits at the premium end of Scotland's multi-day options: the 5-Day Ultimate Highland Adventure from MacBackpackers starts from $509, the 3-Day Loch Ness & Skye Magic from $481, and the 8-Day Scottish Dream from CIE Tours from $4,245 CAD. Flights, insurance, and optional activities are not included, and the listed exclusions also flag some additional services as extra. Cheaper Orkney-style alternatives exist: Rabbie's 5-day Orkney and northern coast route appears in third-party comparisons from around £548, though what each operator bundles differs. Prices move by date, so treat every figure here as a from-price, never a promise.
Against siblings like the 5-Day Ultimate Highland Adventure and the 3-Day Loch Ness & Skye Magic, this trip focuses on Orkney at a much higher price point.
| Tour | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 5-Day Scotland's Orkney Islands | 5 days | from $3,995 |
| 5-Day Ultimate Highland Adventure | 5 days | from $509 |
| 3-Day Loch Ness & Skye Magic | 3 days | from $481 |
| 8-Day Scottish Dream | 8 days / 7 nights | from C$4,245 |
Before committing to a trip at this price, it pays to study what a Scotland tour package costs so the from-price and the exclusions land in context. Travellers weighing alternatives can compare Scotland's best tour packages against this Orkney itinerary. For a sense of what a well-shaped five-day route covers, a good 5-day Scotland itinerary gives a useful benchmark. And if the guided format gives pause, choosing a coach tour or self-drive lays out the trade-offs.
Accommodation, a guide, meals, transport and some additional services are included. Breakfast is provided on the travelling days from Day 2 onward. Optional activities, flights and insurance are not included.
Only breakfast is listed as included on the itinerary days. Lunch at Hoswick Visitor Centre, dinner on the first night, pub visits and other restaurant meals are listed as optional activities at extra cost.
The listing does not state pickup arrangements. Check the live booking page for the meeting point and any transfer details before you travel.
The trip is restricted to ages 18 and above, so children cannot join. The itinerary includes coastal hikes and beach walks, and the listing says nothing about accessibility provisions, so contact the operator directly with any mobility questions.
Group size runs from 1 to 12 travellers, guided in English. The listing caps participation at that range.
The listing does not give a packing list. Given the coastal hikes, beach walk and ferry crossings, sturdy shoes and weather-ready layers are the obvious starting point, plus budget for optional meals and activities.
Yes. The listing states that accommodation, guide, meals, transport and additional services are included. Flights, insurance and optional extras are not, so those need budgeting separately. The from-price is $3,995 USD and varies by departure date.
The from-price of $3,995 USD reflects an itinerary that bundles accommodation, guide, meals and transport with a group capped at 12 and an adult-only policy. Shorter trips such as the 3-Day Loch Ness & Skye Magic from $481 cost less and run over less time. Flights and insurance remain extra on this tour either way, so the final spend depends on how the traveller reaches the start point.
Live dates, times and prices are on the booking page.
Check Price & Availability →5 days · MacBackpackers
Edinburgh to Inverness, over to Skye, down through Oban and the Trossachs, and back to Edinburgh, with hostel stays the whole way. The most-reviewed multi-day package on this site: 1,026 reviews at 4.9 stars.
Check Price & Availability →3 days · MacBackpackers
A budget hostel-style loop out of Edinburgh: the Glenfinnan Viaduct and a ferry to Skye on day one, the Old Man of Storr and Quiraing on day two, then Glen Coe and Loch Ness on the way back. A Platinum Operator with 341 reviews at 4.8 stars.
Check Price & Availability →8 days / 7 nights · CIE Tours
The most complete package on this list: Glasgow, Loch Lomond, Skye, Loch Ness, Culloden, Blair Castle and St Andrews before finishing in Edinburgh, staying in five 4-star hotels along the way. 230 reviews at 4.5 stars.
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