Private Isle of Skye tours put your party alone in the vehicle, from Inverness, Portree, Edinburgh or Glasgow. Most collect you from your hotel and let you choose how long each stop lasts.
Pickup anywhere on the island and the parking fees paid, in a Volvo or a Ford minibus sized to your party. Seven to eight hours, for ages 16 and over. Non-refundable, and no changes once booked.
From $398 per person
Non-refundable: this fare cannot be cancelled or changed once booked.
Collection from your hotel in the Inverness area, for a party of at least four aged ten and up. Twelve hours, with an hour at Eilean Donan, then the Fairy Glen and the Quiraing on the island. Priced per person.
From $486 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Collection from the port or your Portree hotel, with Dunvegan Castle and Gardens tickets in the fare. Six and a half hours, and up to 15 in the party. Read the refund terms carefully at checkout before you pay.
From $532 per person
The listing gives two different refund terms: read the cancellation terms at checkout before you pay.
About six and a half hours on Skye, the most of any day from Inverness, with close to two hours at the Storr. Pickup in Inverness or on the way, bookings from two people, children from five.
From $744 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Priced per vehicle, not per head: one fare for up to three people, with an option for larger groups. Collection from your Inverness accommodation or on the route, a kilted guide, and nine hours, the shortest private day from the city.
From $1,062 per group, up to 3
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Three days with your own driver, collected from your accommodation in Edinburgh or Glasgow and over to Skye by ferry when the weather allows. A full island day in the middle. Rooms are not in the fare; six days to cancel.
From $1,737 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 6 days before the start.
Four days with your own driver-guide and two full days on Skye, reaching Loch Coruisk and Neist Point on the second. Collection from your accommodation in Edinburgh or Glasgow. You book and pay for the rooms.
From $2,180 per person
Full refund only if you cancel at least 6 days before the start.
Aye Tours gives the island about six and a half hours, for $744 a person, with pickup in Inverness and close to two hours at the Storr.
Check availabilityA private tour puts your party, and nobody else, in the vehicle with a driver or a driver-guide. The route is the same island, but the stops are yours to shape, and most private tours collect you from your hotel.
They come in three lengths. Day tours leave Inverness for twelve hours, or Portree for six and a half to eight. The Macleod tours run three or four days from Edinburgh or Glasgow.
The shared days give the Storr ten minutes at a viewpoint, where they stop at all. The Aye Tours day gives it close to two hours, and the Explore Skye day two hours. That is enough to walk the path.
Most private tours collect you from your accommodation, in Inverness, Edinburgh, Glasgow or anywhere on Skye. You are spared the early walk to a coach stop.
The private day from Portree includes Dunvegan Castle and Gardens. On the shared tours a castle ticket is at best a fare option.
No one else's timetable. Children, slow walkers and photographers set the pace.
How a private day compares with a shared one, from the operators' own figures.
| A private tour | A small-group tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is aboard | Your party only | Up to 12 to 32 people |
| Fare, per person (day) | $398 to $744, or $1,062 per group of three | $94 to $162 |
| Pickup | From your hotel on most | A meeting point in town |
| Stops | Longer, and shaped by you | Fixed by the timetable |
| Refund window | 24 hours, six days, none, or unclear | 24 hours on every shared day |
For a couple, the shared day is far cheaper. For a family of four, a private day priced per person costs four times its fare, so compare the total with the per-group fare of the Happy Tours day.
The Happy Tours day from Inverness costs $1,062 for the vehicle, with a kilted guide and pickup from your accommodation. Nine hours, refundable up to 24 hours ahead.
Check availabilityWhat a private fare costs per head, set against the shared fares, is in our guide to Isle of Skye tour prices.
Not sure a private tour is worth it? Compare every tour side by side on Isle of Skye Day Tours.