The Great Blasket Island Experience - Premium Tour
5
The Great Blasket Island Experience - Premium Tour
By The Great Blasket Island Experience
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About
The Dingle Peninsula is best seen from the water, so explore all the nooks and crannies of Ireland’s dramatic coastline on a speed boat tour through Dingle Bay. The nimble vessel gets you up close to sea cliffs, rock formations, and the bay’s marine life, including regular sightings of a resident dolphin. Dock at Blasket Island for several hours of free time to explore an abandoned village and hidden coves.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 3-95, max of 12 per group
Duration: 6–7 hours
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
Highlights
- See more of the Dingle Peninsula on a top-rated speed boat tour
- Captain knows the best places to spot sea birds, dolphins, and whales
- A stop at Blasket Island makes it easy to explore this rugged coastal outpost
- Stay warm inside the boat’s cabin with a small group limited to 12
- Binoculars available
What's not included- Please bring own lunch
- Start:
- The Pier, Strand St, Farrannakilla, Dingle, Co. Kerry, IrelandDeparture from the pontoon directly below the Tourist Office.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 85426P1- Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Please be aware passengers must trans-ship into smaller Dinghy upon arrival to Great Blasket Island
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travellers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 85426P1
From
€117.00
per adult
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Itinerary
- The Pier, Strand St, Farrannakilla, Dingle, Co. Kerry, IrelandDeparture from the pontoon directly below the Tourist Office.
- 1• 11.00 am Departure from Dingle Marina - departure time may vary, please confirm day before departure • 1.5 hour Eco Tour in and around the Blasket Islands including Fungi the Dolphin, caves, rock formations, archipelago of Blasket Islands, birds and marine life • 12.30 pm Landing on the Great Blasket Island • 4 pm Depart Great Blasket Island for return to Dingle • 5.30 - 6 pm Arrive to Dingle Approximately 6hour round trip @ €60 per person. Departing Dingle Marina daily at 11am (directly below Dingle Tourist Office, next to the Fungie the Dolphin statue). Visiting Fungie (our residential dolphin), we cruise out the Bay increasing speeds along Dingles beautiful coastline. stopping in many cave and coves, passengers get an upclose tour of the land and rock formations along the peninsula. Taking a wide arch out the bay, we cover deep sea ground where whales, dolphins, porpoises and an abundance of sea birds are likely to fish. Reaching the Great Blasket Island, we tour the Northern shore which is a hot-spot for Grey seal activity. We land passengers for 3.5 to 4 hours on the Great Blasket Island where they can tour the abandoned village provided by the OPW and explore the many wonders the Island has to offer. Please note times may vary depending on weather and sea conditions.
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Q7347SYnicolar0 contributionsThe Blasket IslandsThe most special day! Billie a hero and we saw some incredible wildlife, including dolphin and puffins! I highly recommend this tour!Written 18 May 2024
- michaelcX1918QK0 contributionsStunningVery informative and interesting. Stunning location. Just skip the coffee shop. A great stop along the wild Atlantic way.Written 13 July 2023
- Martin_ob240 contributionsIncredible Day OutBilly & Chris on the boat were brilliant. They were very welcoming, friendly, and informative throughout the day. Would highly recommend this tour and is suitable for all ages. The time on the Island was brilliant, Emily & Dan at the cafe were very welcoming. The OPW tour with Conail was fascinating and his enthusiasm to tell the stories from times gone by was brilliant, would highly recommend doing the this tour.Written 6 June 2023
- V14SVinfo0 contributionsBest day of our tripOur best day in Ireland! Kids and I loved our day on the boat and exploring the island. Highly recommend this!!Written 3 May 2023
- 990maurac0 contributionsAn amazing experienceFirst of all we had great weather sunshine all day .Would advise plenty of layers and make sure your outerwear is water proof .You will want to be on the outside deck to view the magnificent scenery and the wonderful wild life .Billy and Chris are well informed about the area and deliver a commentary on the coastline,the islands and the wild life .Felt very safe on board getting up close to basking sharks ,dolphins and many sea birds.We also spotted a minke whale and the little puffins were another highlight .Of course it was an opportunity to spend time on Blasket Mor so unspoiled with breathtaking views all around.It made for a very special day with family and friends.Written 18 April 2023
- olgabD4276KA0 contributionsA fantastic boat trip to a very special islandI went on a boat tour to the Great Blasket. The boat trip itself was a great experience, we got to see the wildlife up close: dolphins on the way to the island and seals as we were leaving the island. I had a great time on the island as well and did a smaller loop of the Great Blasket as suggested by the boat crew. It was a memorable and inspiring experience. Alice and Billy were great to deal with, and very accommodating. I was booked to go on a day when the weather forecast was bad, and Alice very kindly rescheduled my booking for a better day. If you are not familiar with the history of the Great Blasket, I would recommend doing a bit of background reading before visiting the island.Written 18 October 2021
- frankdH9985QK0 contributionsGreat Blasket TourA really enjoyable experience. Got great history of Slea head on the way out. The Island itself was magical. The return journey was fantastic we were shown plenty of wildlife. The boat staff were really friendly and gave us loads of time, we were in no way rushed. I highly recommend it.Written 18 October 2021
- Otismyman_30 contributionsDingle Bay Speed Boat Tours & Great Blasket Island ExperienceThis was by far the best day of our trip to Ireland. Alice, Billy and Chris the first mate were awesome. The boat ride to Great Blasket Island was great. Billy and Chris were friendly, engaging and very informative. We were shuttled to the island in groups on a zodiac style boat and then were off to explore the island. On the way back Billy received information that there was a pod of humpback whales and off we went in search of them. We spent the next 1 1/2 chasing the pod. This was without a doubt a top ten experience in our lives.Written 16 October 2021
- la-200160 contributionsGreat Time!I did the Great Blasket Island tour and it was great! We had an incredible day as we saw whales, dolphins, seals and more. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly.Written 16 October 2021
- GlobeTrotting5847410 contributionsAmazingWhat a great experience we had with billy and crew amazing trip he had great knowledge of the area beautifully told stories and history it's was such a privilege to walk onto the blaskets a truly unforgettable experience could not rate this high enough a must great valueWritten 16 October 2021
- BillyBoy180919820 contributionsA must do if visiting DingleExcellent boat ride..comfortable and smooth. Staff on board were very friendly, relaxed and informative. Did a short detour on route home to see some visiting dolphins..Nice bonus. ps bring your own food, snacks and drink and a towel....the beach is great.Written 15 October 2021
- maryWidnes0 contributionsExcellent tripWe enjoyed this trip so much. Billy and Chris were great tour guides, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and friendly. Our time on Great Blasket was wonderful, seals, donkeys, a beautiful loop walk around the Island and most of all bright sunshine. We also joined a short tour by a lady whose family originated from the Island, which was so informative. Seeing dolphins and a humpback whale on our return journey just made this trip so special. Couldn’t recommend this company or trip more, well worth the money.Written 15 October 2021
- 627annettec0 contributionsThe best time on The Great BlasketWe had an incredible day on our Great Blasket Excursion. Captain Billy was so skillful with getting us in and out of caves, spotting sea life and keeping us informed and laughing. Highly recommend! The island was beautiful and we loved the hiking, history and beach! Just bring plenty of water and sunscreen!Written 15 October 2021
- markdO8685HZ0 contributionsAmazing day exploring the BlasketsReally informative trip out to the Blaskets. The guys really took their time explaining the local scenery, finding wildlife and chatting with the guests - great experience!Written 15 October 2021
- Klaudy0 contributionsReally great experience for me and my son (11).The tour itself was perfectly organized and executed. Blaskets are beautifull and we had plenty of time to spent there. There were also an adventurous side as you need to change from shipp to the boat and vice versa on the way back and also we got in near touch with a lot of dolphins and a whale. Other passengers were also very nice, ready to have a shared experience.Written 15 October 2021
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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5.0
540 reviews
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Elizabeth B
Clonmany, Ireland1 contribution
Aug 2020 • Couples
Fantastic day on this tour. Our guide Billy was brilliant. He went out of his was on the way back from the Blasket Island to bring us to see whales that were in the area. A great surprise and a fantastic end to our trip. Highly recommended.
Written 12 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aisling B
Dublin, Ireland57 contributions
Jun 2021
We were lucky to go out on the first tour of the season on the Peig Seyers last week. And despite the absolutely awful weather (it rained ALL day), our party of five, including a 9 & 13 year old, absolutely everyone LOVED it. Hands down the highlight of the trip to Dingle for us.
Booking was seamless and Alice was super helpful with any questions we had beforehand. Billy, the skipper, was fantastic. Really informative and fun. He certainly went the extra mile and took us into caves, showed really cool cliff formations, and the beauty of the peninsula from the sea. He even let the 9 year old drive the boat back into the harbour later that afternoon, which he's still talking about...
The Blaskets are amazing, and caretakers Niamh/Jack were on hand to answer any questions even offering tea to warm us up after a very wet hike around the island!
We were lucky to see lots of minke whales, seals & common dolphins on our trip, even spotting a nursing pod of mums/babies which was very special. Billy was so respectful of the wildlife too, which was great to see.
All in all I highly recommend this trip. A must do if in Dingle this summer.
Booking was seamless and Alice was super helpful with any questions we had beforehand. Billy, the skipper, was fantastic. Really informative and fun. He certainly went the extra mile and took us into caves, showed really cool cliff formations, and the beauty of the peninsula from the sea. He even let the 9 year old drive the boat back into the harbour later that afternoon, which he's still talking about...
The Blaskets are amazing, and caretakers Niamh/Jack were on hand to answer any questions even offering tea to warm us up after a very wet hike around the island!
We were lucky to see lots of minke whales, seals & common dolphins on our trip, even spotting a nursing pod of mums/babies which was very special. Billy was so respectful of the wildlife too, which was great to see.
All in all I highly recommend this trip. A must do if in Dingle this summer.
Written 8 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Clodagh B
Dublin, Ireland69 contributions
Jul 2020 • Couples
Seriously, do yourself a favour and book this tour! Billy is a fantastic host . He is very conscious of covid 19 precautions which was very reassuring especially as other boat operators did not appear to be adhering to them. Billy pointed out wildlife geology landmarks and expertly brought us into a cave. We had the best up close viewing of Fungie playing with a tiny boat in the harbour for a long time . We also spent time watching common dolphins out at sea on our way back home as they swam alongside the boat. The time spent on the Blasket Island was just perfect. We spent 4 hours on the island which was just the right amount time needed to explore fully. Rain held off and we walked around the island literally. Eating lunch while watching the seals on the beach beside us will be a forever memory. Wolfie's company in the boat just made the day perfect. Thanks Billy and Wolfie for making a special day of memory making for us.
Written 15 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Valerie M
County Cork, Ireland5 contributions
Jul 2020
Billy was an amazing tour operator he really went above and beyond to show us all the beautiful scenery, coastline and he even found lots of dolphins for us. It was so thrilling to watch the dolphins racing the speedboat!!
Billy had previously had some geologists on board and was able to recount all the information on the rock formations including the riverbed turned rock face, incredible.
Billy is passionate about the Blasket Islands and knows them intimately.
It was a fantastic day out and well worth the money. I would highly recommend it!
Thanks to Billy and his lovely dog Wolfie:)
Billy had previously had some geologists on board and was able to recount all the information on the rock formations including the riverbed turned rock face, incredible.
Billy is passionate about the Blasket Islands and knows them intimately.
It was a fantastic day out and well worth the money. I would highly recommend it!
Thanks to Billy and his lovely dog Wolfie:)
Written 13 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gan.ainm
6 contributions
Jul 2023
We planned to make a day trip to the Great Blasket Island and after scanning several offers, we tried to book a trip on their website. However, the booking page showed only one place left so we tried the next day which failed due to booking problems with the credit card. That certainly needs to be fixed!
A phone call to Alice, however, revealed, that there were still two places left for the day so we booked it!
The trip was really great although the weather could have been brighter, anyway, this is Ireland. On the way out to the island we went into coves full of jellyfish and mussels and Billy told us a lot about the geological stone formations of the cliffs and the animals.
On the island, we took a nice walk around and were lucky to be hit by a short shower only. The stunning views onto the surrounding islands and the mainland are unforgettable. After a short complimentary tea break at the caife we went
down to the beach to watch the gray seal colony.
On the way back, Billy showed us gannets, puffins, and common dolphins swimming along the boat.
At the end of the fantastic trip, we were even granted a ten Euro discount because we did not go around Inis Mhic Aoibhleáin that hosts seabird colonies because of the weather conditions.
All in all a perfect trip (forget the borked web booking), we'll do it again!
A phone call to Alice, however, revealed, that there were still two places left for the day so we booked it!
The trip was really great although the weather could have been brighter, anyway, this is Ireland. On the way out to the island we went into coves full of jellyfish and mussels and Billy told us a lot about the geological stone formations of the cliffs and the animals.
On the island, we took a nice walk around and were lucky to be hit by a short shower only. The stunning views onto the surrounding islands and the mainland are unforgettable. After a short complimentary tea break at the caife we went
down to the beach to watch the gray seal colony.
On the way back, Billy showed us gannets, puffins, and common dolphins swimming along the boat.
At the end of the fantastic trip, we were even granted a ten Euro discount because we did not go around Inis Mhic Aoibhleáin that hosts seabird colonies because of the weather conditions.
All in all a perfect trip (forget the borked web booking), we'll do it again!
Written 15 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for taking the time to review your trip.
We look forward to seeing you again in the near future.
Kind regards,
The Great Blasket Island Experience Team
Written 31 May 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jessica M
Killarney, Ireland27 contributions
Jul 2020 • Couples
We are so glad we booked with the Dingle Bay Speed Boat Tours and Great Blasket Island Experience. It was a fantastic day out and I would 100% recommend!
We had a gorgeous sunny day which definitely topped it off. We met Billy, our host, at Dingle Marina. As we departed early, we got to see Fungi up close and personal. We also saw him on our return trip but there was a load of Fungi boats out in the evening. Billy took us along the coastline, in and out of caves and gave great information about the area.
We landed to the Great Blasket Island around 11am and we got 3 and a half hours there to self explore and take in the amazing views. We did the loop walk which took us about 2 hours. A packed lunch is a must on this trip.
We also listened to the OPW tour guide which was fascinating and definitely worth it.
The Island was so quiet, on our loop walk we only met 2 people. Would love to go back some time and camp on the island - weather permitting!
Would 100% recommend this tour. Although a little expensive, it was a brilliant day out.
We had a gorgeous sunny day which definitely topped it off. We met Billy, our host, at Dingle Marina. As we departed early, we got to see Fungi up close and personal. We also saw him on our return trip but there was a load of Fungi boats out in the evening. Billy took us along the coastline, in and out of caves and gave great information about the area.
We landed to the Great Blasket Island around 11am and we got 3 and a half hours there to self explore and take in the amazing views. We did the loop walk which took us about 2 hours. A packed lunch is a must on this trip.
We also listened to the OPW tour guide which was fascinating and definitely worth it.
The Island was so quiet, on our loop walk we only met 2 people. Would love to go back some time and camp on the island - weather permitting!
Would 100% recommend this tour. Although a little expensive, it was a brilliant day out.
Written 21 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eilish M
4 contributions
Aug 2020
THANK YOU BILLY! We went off on Monday morning on the Peig Seyers out to Blasket Islands, we got a very knowledgeable and interesting talk on the way to the islands. We got to the Island only to see a the gorgeous beach have around 80 seals lying out on it - it was amazing. We had a 6 and 8 yr old with us, and we did the small walk (5km) loop of the island - doable ,had the most gorgeous weather, and got back in time for the boat back to the island leaving at 4pm. On the way back, we spent around 30 minutes enjoying pods of dolphins swimming beside the boat and playing, and spotted some minke whales just finished up feeding. Our smallies had the best time, and Billy kept them very entertained!! Would recommend this to everyone!
Written 21 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FranceauFiles
Sammamish, WA16 contributions
Aug 2023
We spent a fantastic day on the water and hiking on Great Blasket Island. On the way out, we took a short detour to some amazing cliffs and other islands. The transfer from the boat to the zodiac was easy, and, once on the island, we joined a guided tour of the village. We had lots of time to explore and hiked the easy loop down-island. Incredible scenery and views. Back on the boat, we toured around some other Blasket islands; both the captain and the guide were very knowledgeable about history and geology. The highlight was seeing lots of dolphins and at least 2 fin whales on the ride back. The captain and guide made a concerted and extended effort to make those sightings happen. All in all, it was a fantastic day that we will long remember. We highly and enthusiastically recommend The Great Blasket Island Experience!
Written 27 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for taking the time to review your trip.
We look forward to seeing you again in the near future.
Kind regards,
The Great Blasket Island Experience Team
Written 31 May 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mary C
6 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
We had a wonderful day visiting the Great Blasket Island. The day started rainy but cleared and we had beautiful sun and incredible views of the island, ocean and Slea Head across the way. It was also very special to visit the abandoned village and imagine the lives people led in such a beautiful but isolated place. The trip is weather dependent and Alice was proactive about communicating several days in advance about the forecast and options for the trip. The day of our visit the sea was a bit rough but Billy and Chris did a great job getting everyone comfortable and getting us to shore -- while also pointing out some of the wildlife including the seal colony and the geology of the cliffs. We enjoyed tea and a cozy fire on arrival and then explored the island, went down to the beach to see the seals and visit the village. This trip was a highlight of our visit to Ireland - highly recommend.
Written 9 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SNiC
8 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
Great tour, lots of info about local ecology, culture & geology & very informative about sea birds & wildlife. Billy’s wildlife knowledge & experience showed & we got a great view of Funghi & the grey seal colonyi!! Child-friendly, well worth the price. Covid restrictions complied with - had no negative impact on this activity.
Written 11 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It appears so if you go ahead and try to buy tickets for March. I would suggest contacting them directly if you want to be sure.
Written 2 September 2019
Hi there, just wondering is the walk on the blaskets a guided walk? I am travelling on my own and it woulds be good to be guided.
Written 27 August 2019
There are regular guided tours of the village, with good history information by the opw.
The walk around the island isn’t guided though, but once you stick to the paths you won’t have a problem.
Written 27 August 2019
Hi,
Is it possible to make this Tour with chidren? ( 6 years old).
Kathy
Written 19 July 2019
I traveled by myself, but there were two families on the boat over with me and they had a good time. Can plan beach time or hiking time or picnic or whatever, depending on weather I suppose.
Written 2 September 2019
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