In a nutshell

Explore the wild beauty of the Outer Hebrides up and down Lewis and Harris, two names for a single island: amid lunar landscapes, green mountain passes and sheer cliffs. First you stop at Tarbert, the village with colorful houses looking out on the port, and then at Horgabost, one of Scotland’s most beautiful beaches. Have you ever seen so much green so close to the blue of the sea?

Main stops

Sightseeing bus tour: bays of Erisort and Seaforth; Banamhuinneader whaling station; bays of Tarbert and Luskentyre
Tarbert and Horgabost beach: photo stops and free time

The programme

The bus heads south and from the window you photograph the view of the fjords: the Scottish call them “sea-lochs”, because they resemble lakes, but they’re sea straits, blue and calm.
They have been carved out by water and ice over the millennia, together with cliffs and peaks: just think, these are the most ancient rocks in the world.
This is why the mountains of the Outer Hebrides are not very high, though their size is archaic and majestic. Like the iconic Clisham mountain that you photograph as you cross a mountain pass: with its 800 meters it’s the highest of the archipelago.
Your destination is Tarbert, with the romantic castle ruins and colorful houses looking out on the little port. In your free time you wander through the many shops: do you know that the island is famous for 'Harris tweed'? A fabric made from pure Scottish wool dyed with local plants.
In your free time in Horgabost, on the other hand, you relax on the white sand before the turquoise sea: a completely different landscape from the lunar one of the former whaling station. Ask your guide about the interesting facts of its 60-year history from the beginning of the 20th century.

Good to know

Wear comfortable shoes and clothing suitable for the experience.
Bring a waterproof windbreaker jacket with you.