Shetland holidays: 6-day wildlife & geology tour of epic shores

Highlights

• Experience life on the UK’s northern edge, where wild coastlines, expansive horizons and a deep-rooted island heritage come together to create Shetland’s famously welcoming, off-the-beaten-track atmosphere. 
• Hop between islands teeming with North Atlantic wildlife as you sail beneath the bird-filled soaring cliffs of Noss, look for seals and storm petrels near Mousa and join a local otter tracker on the pristine beaches of Yell. 
• See for yourself why Shetland deserves UNESCO Global Geopark status as you stand on the cross-section of a prehistoric volcano, walk across basalt headlands shaped by shifting continents and cross the UK’s largest active sand tombolo. 
• Step back in time while marvelling at Mousa Broch, a perfectly preserved Iron Age tower, and following in the footsteps of a young schoolboy who unearthed ancient Pictish treasure beneath an old chapel. 
• Immerse yourself in island life as you feast on hearty local fare (all meals included), snack from the famous Shetland ‘cake fridge’ and swap stories with the friendly folk who call these islands home. 
• Group size 6 to 12.

Overview

Time has been busy in Shetland. Over three billion years, volcanic surges have shaped basalt headlands. Towering sea stacks have formed and fallen. Ancient continents have crashed and fused, leaving behind the highest sheer cliffs in Britain – so tall they seem to hold up the sky. No wonder the archipelago is a UNESCO Global Geopark. 

Closer to the Arctic Circle than to London, the UK’s northernmost isles exist in the meeting place of wild seas and big horizons. Every shoreline brims with drama. This is a world where Europe’s highest density of otters slinks through kelp forests and seabird colonies wheel in the wind. You might even spot an orca fin slicing through the waves. 

Yet nature’s story is only half the tale. Shetland’s landscapes also hold centuries-old treasure beneath a medieval chapel, towers that have stood for 2,000 years and famous cake fridge that are well worth a detour.  

On this leisurely 6-day Shetland holiday, you’ll sail to uninhabited shores guarded by ancient towers. Trace the planet’s deep-time story in a basalt cliff face, learn to spot elusive otters. And hear about the colossal tectonic forces that once roiled beneath your feet.  

We’ve worked closely with local guides and experts to curate this immersive small-group tour of the Shetland Islands. Each day promises a new chapter of nature and earth science, woven together into a northern Scotland adventure that’s as unforgettable as the northern summer light. 

What emerges is Shetland’s unique soul – starkly beautiful, warmly welcoming and alive with birdsong and folklore. Our Shetland holidays give you a taste of life at the edge of the map that will stay with you forever. 

Transport to the Shetland Islands is not included. We’re happy to offer advice, based on the hints and tips of our island partners in Shetland.

The best options from the Scottish mainland is Loganair flights from Aberdeen (most popular with locals as more flights per day and cheaper), and also Edinburgh or Glasgow. Loganair also operates four flights a day from Bergen in Norway. Check out the Loganair website to see other airport departure points.

The NorthLink ferries operate overnight sailings daily in the main season, from Aberdeen to Lerwick. Our friends in Shetland say “You must book a cabin”! There is still time to book for 2025, but we recommend you book early with NorthLink if this is your preference. 

We recommend you consider ariving a day before the tour starts, especially if arriving by plane. We have pre-booked a few rooms at Alder Lodge Guest House in Lerwick, so these can be added at checkout when booking your choice of tour.

Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Shetland’s ancient shores

Your Shetland holiday begins in the dramatic southern reaches of the archipelago. We’ll pick you up – from the ferry terminal, the airport or your accommodation if you arrived earlier – and head to St Ninian’s Isle. Connected to the mainland by the UK’s largest active sand tombolo, this sweep of golden beach is the perfect place to stretch your legs and soak up your first glimpse of Shetland’s wild beauty. 

A guided walk leads you to the ruins of a 12th-century chapel, where a schoolboy famously discovered glittering Pictish treasure in 1958. 

Next, we dive deeper into the past at Jarlshof, a layered archaeological site showcasing over 4,000 years of human habitation, from Bronze Age dwellings and Norse longhouses to a 16th-century laird’s house. Take in the sweeping views across Sumburgh Head, where puffins nest from spring to late summer. Here, the rocks tell stories of continental collision some 400 million years ago, when Shetland ‘enjoyed’ being close to the equator.  

We’ll stop for lunch at the Sumburgh Hotel, then return to Lerwick to check in at your accommodation for the next two nights. If you like, you spend the afternoon with a local guide on a short guided tour of Lerwick’s quirky, historic lanes with a local guide.

In the evening, have a proper chat with your fellow travellers over dinner at a Lerwick restaurant, a short walk from your accommodation. 

Hotel: Alder Lodge – July & September; Busta House – August

Group dinner

Day 2: Mousa wildlife and Shetland artisans

Today, set sail for one of Shetland’s finest gems: the atmospheric, uninhabited island of Mousa, where you can spend a couple of hours exploring with your local guide.

You can’t miss Mousa Broch standing tall on its shores. The best-preserved broch in Scotland is a 13-metre-tall, 2,000-year-old tower that has stood the test of time so well you can still climb the winding staircase to the top. It’s even mentioned in the old Norse sagas – twice! The views from up here stretch far along the east coast of the South Mainland.

(There may be an alternative option to take a one-hour cruise without going ashore.)

The reddish rocks in the cliffs and used to build the Broch have their own story. They were formed in hot, arid environments with seasonal lakes and rivers millions of years ago – a place very different to the present Shetland climate.

As you eat your picnic lunch, watch for seals hauling themselves out on the shore and (until the end of July) storm petrels darting among the rocks – Mousa is also an RSPB reserve, home to one of Britain’s largest breeding colonies of these remarkable birds.

(There may be an opportunity of an alternative one hour cruise without going ashore). 

In the afternoon we’ll visit Hoswick and explore the village’s thriving artisan scene, with traditional knitwear at Shetland Woollen Company and Nialenall and contemporary jewellery at designer Karlin Anderson’s studio.

Shopping not your thing? Strike out for a peaceful stroll along Hoswick’s pebbled shore and perhaps get close to the local folded rock layers – another of Shetland’s many geological gems. 

Return to your accommodation with time to freshen up before we gather for another relaxed dinner and swap stories from the day’s adventures. 

Hotel: Alder Lodge – July & September; Busta House – August

Group dinner

Day 3: Noss seabirds and Scalloway stories

This morning, we embark on a spectacular wildlife boat tour to Noss National Nature Reserve. You’ll skirt towering cliffs that host thousands of nesting seabirds, including gannets, fulmars, guillemots and, from mid-April to mid-August, puffins. With luck, you may also spot porpoises, dolphins or orcas offshore.

After lunch, we’ll visit the excellent Scalloway Museum. Here, you’ll hear the powerful story of the Shetland Bus – a secret World War II operation that ferried agents, refugees and supplies between Shetland and Nazi-occupied Norway, often in extreme conditions. 

There’s also time to see the ruins of Scalloway Castle, a tower house with an eventful past, before the drive to your next hotel, where we’ll digest the day’s blend of wildlife, history and seafaring stories together over dinner in the hotel. 

Hotel: St Magnus Bay hotel – July & September; Busta House – August

Group dinner

Day 4: “The Ashy Headland” of Eshaness

Today, we journey west to the brooding headlands and ash-black lava-formed landscapes of Eshaness. It’s said to be the UK’s best example of a section through the flank of a volcano, and one of the best places in Shetland to understand the islands’ deep-time origins – but don’t worry, there’s no danger. The volcano was last active around 400 million years ago! 

Our day centres on a gentle, guided 4-mile walk along one of Shetland’s most spectacular coastlines. Expect sheer cliffs, sea stacks, blowholes and Britain’s largest sea cave. If luck is on our side, you might glimpse seals or even whales and dolphins bobbing in the surf below, too. 

We’ll pause to admire Eshaness Lighthouse – the last of the lighthouses built in Scotland by the famed Stevenson family – and learn about its vital role in Shetland’s maritime history.  

After a hearty carvery-style Sunday lunch, we visit the Tangwick Haa Museum, a lovingly preserved 19th-century laird’s house, and, if time allows, call in at Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary to meet some of Shetland’s rescued otters and seals. 

A light supper awaits back at our accommodation, rounding off another unforgettable day. 

Hotel: St Magnus Bay hotel – July & September; Alder Lodge – August

Group dinner

Day 5: Otters at Shetland’s wild northern edge

Today we set off on an island-hopping adventure to Yell and Unst – a duo of islands land steeped in fascinating folklore, geology and some of the most beautiful beaches in Shetland – but we’re mostly here for the wildlife. 

Hear how the Unst and Yell landscapes and coastlines have been shaped by geological faults – large crustal breaks that shook the earth’s crust sideways. Small earthquakes still occur on these ancient faults, which can be linked back to mainland Scotland and the Great Glen, to the fault zone that hosts Loch Ness – if you’d been here in 2010, there’s a good chance you’d have felt a magnitude 3.3 quake.  

Today, Unst is the UK’s northernmost inhabited island. The 600 people who live here share its shores with thriving wildlife, including otters and vast colonies of seabirds.  

We’ll visit Unst’s dramatic Hermaness National Nature Reserve where gannets, puffins and great skuas fill the skies above rugged cliffs. 

Stop off for a light lunch. 

On Yell, a local otter whisperer with decades of experience tracking these elusive creatures will take you, in small groups, for relaxed walks along Yell’s secluded beaches, sharing secrets of the local wildlife, flora and tides along the way.  

Tonight’s final group dinner offers a chance to swap memories, raise a glass and celebrate the many wonders seen – and stories made – over the past few days. 

Hotel: St Magnus Bay hotel – July & September; Alder Lodge – August

Group dinner

Day 6: A sweet farewell

For your final day, we explore Shetland’s greener side with a gentle morning visit to the Weisdale Valley – known locally as the “Alps of Shetland” thanks to its surprising pockets of lushness and rugged hills. You might even spot the occasional curious Shetland pony. Enjoy a relaxed stroll, perhaps sampling a sweet treat from the quirky ‘Cake Fridge’ – a local institution where honesty-box baking awaits.  

Then it’s back to Lerwick for lunch and a final farewell, with transfers available to Sumburgh Airport or the ferry terminal in time for afternoon departures. 

We’ll part ways with full hearts and unforgettable memories of ancient shores, lava cliffs, seabird cities and the quiet magic of the Shetland Isles forever lodged in our souls. 

Activity Level and Transport

The activity level is rated as LEISURELY to MODERATE, requiring an average level of fitness (view our activity level definitions). The tour will involve walking in generally easy terrain, but will require good walking boots and a moderate level of fitness (please note, some paths may be uneven and loose underfoot). Walks are 1-3 miles long. This tour also involves boarding a passenger boat to reach Loch Coruisk, from a ramped pier.

If walking is an issue, alternative arrangements can be made during the scheduled longer walks, so please let GeoCultura know in advance.

The Tour Includes:

• The services of your expert guide and tour host who will be with the group throughout the tour, staying at the same hotels.
• Local experts who will accompany the group on selected days.
• All transportation costs when travelling on Shetland, as a group, including drop off at the airport or ferry terminal on the final day.
• Entry fees, local guide fees and activity fees, where arranged as part of the tour.
• All accommodation costs for the nights stated, assuming two people sharing a double room. Single occupancy rooms are available for a surcharge. See Single Supplement in ‘Need to Know’ tab.
• All breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
• All service charges and most gratuities.

The Tour Excludes:

• Travel insurance. Guests should carry their own health and travel insurance.
• Extra or optional activities not described in the tour.
• Alcoholic drinks with meals are not included.
• Personal expenditures, including bar bills, and extras at hotels such as laundry bills.
• Transportation to and from Shetland.
• Passport and visa fees.
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