The no. 1 day tour in Killarney... for 250 years!

The no. 1 day tour in Killarney… for 250 years!

The tour has a number of variations. The day can be tailored to the needs of the passengers involved. These options include taking the tour in reverse order (taking the boat part of the tour from Ross Castle in the morning). Passengers may also choose to walk the Gap of Dunloe rather than take the pony and carriage or rent bikes in Killarney and cycle the tour. The following are the options which can be chosen:

Bus, Boat, Walk or Carriage

This is the most popular and is the traditional way to see the Gap of Dunloe and National Park.

The tour starts at 10.15am at our office in the Old Weir Lodge on the Muckross Road (12 minutes walk from the centre of Killarney, free parking is provided). The tour has the following itinerary:

Download our Walking & Cycling map of the Gap of Dunloe

A coach leaves from the Old Weir Lodge at 10.15am (you can leave your car there for the duration of the tour, and go into the reception where you will get your tickets) to bring passengers to Kate Kearney’s Cottage at the start of the Gap of Dunloe (14 kilometres).

At Kate Kearney’s Cottage, passengers may choose whether to walk through the Gap of Dunloe or to take the pony and carriage. The distance is 11 kilometres (7 miles), the road is sealed and hiking boots are not required but comfortable shoes are! The walk generally takes 2 – 2.5 hours. The pony and carriage ride is paid for upon arrival at Kate Kearney’s Cottage and is not included in the online booking price. Please note: Due to the remote location, please be prepared to pay cash rather than using credit cards. This part of the tour generally takes 1.5 hours and a commentary is provided by the driver.

The pony and carriage/walk ends at Lord Brandon’s Cottage which is at the end of the Gap of Dunloe, here, passengers may have tea/coffee, soup and sandwiches at a little cafe (not included in the price and cash only).At 2pm the boats leave to bring all passengers through the 3 lakes and 2 rivers of the National Park. The boat section is often considered to be the highlight of the tour with folklore and legends delivered by the local boat drivers while passing through scenery which hasn’t changed since the last ice age; 10,000 years ago. Note: depending on water levels on the day of the tour, there may be a short woodland walk. This walk is a maximum of 10 minutes and is to allow the boat to traverse a particularly shallow area.

The boat tour finishes at Ross Castle at roughly 3.30pm. Passengers disembark at the castle and go straight to the waiting coach. This is the same coach that dropped everybody at Kate Kearney’s Cottage. The coach transports all passengers back to the Old Weir Lodge (2 Kilometres).

Enjoy a pony and carriage ride through the Gap of Dunloe

The boats leaving Lord Brandon's Cottage

Travelling along Killarney's Upper Lake with the McGillycuddy Reeks in the background

The Eagle's Nest area of the Long Range river connecting Killarney's Upper and Middle lakes

Old Weir Bridge and the Meeting of the waters at Dinis

Cycle

Another way to do the tour, would be to hire bicycles in one of the local bike rentals in Killarney on the morning of the tour.

Cyclists then travel down to Ross Castle where the bikes are put in the boats for transport to Lord Brandon’s Cottage. Note: The boats leave Ross Castle at 10.30am.

Bikes are taken from Ross Castle to Lord Brandon’s Cottage only as this allows passengers the rest of the day to cycle the 11km through the Gap of Dunloe and the 14km from Kate Kearney’s Cottage to Killarney at their leisure. Bike rental is not included in the price of the tour.

Walk

For those that wish to take the boat from Ross Castle in the morning but are not interested in the horse and carriage, there is the option to walk the Gap of Dunloe. Transport from Kate Kearney’s Cottage to Killarney would need to be organised separately or can be arranged on request. Note: The boats leave Ross Castle at 10.30am.

Boat only

Another option would be to leave your car at Ross Castle, take the boat ride up the Lakes to Lord Brandon’s Cottage (leaving Ross Castle at 10.30am), where passengers may have a snack at the little café. Passengers may take a little stroll around this peaceful and scenic area which is on the shores of the Upper Lake, and at 2.15pm, return again to Ross Castle by boat, and back to your car. Note: depending on water levels on the day of the tour, there may be a short woodland walk. This walk is a maximum of 10 minutes and is to allow the boat to traverse a particularly shallow area.

All tours must be pre-booked, as we only send the number of boats for the amount of people we know are doing the trip. All tours are subject to a 24 hour cancellation policy.

What people have to say…

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 59 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Gavin O'Neill 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Amazing boat trip from Ross Castle to Lard Brandon's Cottage on Sunday 6th October. Our guide/boat man was very informative, friendly and skilled at handling the boat. The scenery was stunning and we were lucky with the weather after all the rain the previous day.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Gerald O'Donoghue 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. A must-do day trip for anyone visiting Killarney!!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Ollie Wright 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Fantastic 2 hr boat ride, with our bikes on board. Pick up at Ross castle, drop off at lord b’s quick drink then cycled back anticlockwise.
Guide was Cahill (?) laid back welcoming and informative
Boated through 3 lakes with stunning scenery
A must do!!!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Herman Tkach 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Fantastic tour! The 7 mile home was picturesque and beautiful! Rory was great on the boat ride.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   E “Perigrinator” B 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Gap of Dunloe was oneof the best day tours I experienced in Ireland. The bus picks you up from accessible hotels, and you can walk over the Gap of Dunloe or ride in a horse and carriage which is quite a treat. Then it is onto the boats through the Killarney Lakes, a view of Ross Castle before getting back on a bus to tour end. Romantic and varied scenery. Knowledgeable, local guides.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Cathal o connor Roam Killarney walking tours 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great day out! Cathal was very funny and new so much about the local area and wildlife,he even spotted  two eagles and a chic for us ! 10/10 recommend.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Nitro Nitroniuim 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Me and my girlfriend went for the boat trip from Ross Castle to Lord Brandon's cottage with our bikes so we could cycle through the gap of dunloe afterwards. We never imagined such beautiful scenery on our boat tour and our guide was a top notch lad who made our trip better, clearly a local who is passionate about Killarney's unique nature and very knowledgeable with a great sense of humor.
Definitely our best part of this trip.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Robyn S 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The scenery is stunning and well worth the hike and boat trip. The actual tour organisation was very shoddy, having to first meet at a hotel just out of town and then change buses back in town anyway!
Would have liked more time to undertake the hike so as to savour the beautiful views rather than feeling rushed to get to the boats on time - maybe we could have started an hour earlier ?
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Andrei 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. They allowed us to cancel mere hours before the tour was supposed to start, because of a medical emergency on our side. The man on the phone was kind and understanding, and just for that, they deserve five stars. Thank you again.
  
 
  
  
 
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RSDL O’Donoghue Limited t/a Killarney Boat Tours,
Lahard, Beaufort, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland • Tel: +353 87 261 7967
Email: info@killarneyboattours.com