After breakfast, meet your private tour guide and enjoy your private tour of the Beara Peninsula, including a private boat trip through Bantry Bay and entry to Garnish Island. Alternatively, you can experience a local tour of Killarney National Park and Muckross House.
The Beara Peninsula lies to the south-west of Kenmare, and the 92-mile circuit of the peninsula begins and ends in Kenmare. The main tourist attractions on the peninsula are the ruins of Dunboy Castle, the Copper Mines Museum in the village of Allihies, Garnish of course. The main towns on the route are Castletownbere, Kenmare and Glengarriff - the latter is the starting point for your boat trip around Bantry Bay and to Garnish Island.
You will meet your skipper, Brendan O' Sullivan, at the pier and enjoy a boat trip through the bay, which takes about an hour. Your entrance fee is included at Garnish Island, your pick-up time can be arranged locally with Brendan. Your private boat trip includes a wonderful visit to Seal Island where you will visit the very tame seal colony. Garnish Island is known for its gardens laid out in beautiful walks and has some stunning specimen plants that are rare in this climate. The island was granted to the Irish people in 1953 and subsequently entrusted to the Commissioners of Public Works. The island dates back to the Napoleonic Wars and has a Martello Tower on its southern shore, which has been restored by the Department of Public Works. From the battlements of the tower you have a breathtaking view of the bay.
Killarney National Park was the first national park in Ireland when the entire Muckross Estate was donated to the Irish Free State in 1932. The park has since expanded considerably and covers over 103 km2 (25,425 hectares) of diverse ecologies, including the Lakes of Killarney and of course the highest mountain peaks on the island of Ireland. It has Ireland's only native herd of red deer and the largest cover of native woodland remaining in Ireland. The park was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1981 and is part of a Special Area of Conservation.
Muckross House was built in 1843 for Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife Mary Balfour Herbert. It is considered one of the most beautiful manor houses in Ireland, not least because of its location in the heart of Kil-larney National Park. Herbert himself was a senior politician and Member of Parliament for Kerry.
In the 1850s, the Herberts undertook extensive gardening work in preparation for the visit of Queen Victoria in 1861 - an event that almost bankrupted the Herberts. However, the Royal Visit of 1861 is generally associated with the kick-start of Killarney tourism. More recently, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visited Muckross House during their official visit to the Irish Republic in June 2018.
Ring of Kerry: This is one of the most breathtaking coastal tours in Europe, encircling the Iveragh Peninsula and starting and finishing in Kenmare. We recommend a shorter tour of the most scenic part between Kenmare and Killarney, including the famous Lakes of Killarney and through the Oakwood's of Killarney's magnificent National Park. There are also many opportunities to take remote walks in the mountains on one of the many nature trails.
Optional private excursion: Private landing tour on Skellig Michael
Today you will discover the Ring of Kerry with your private guide. About halfway round, you will come to the town of Portmagee, where you will stop and take a private charter boat that will take you on a private tour of the Skellig Islands.
The boat trip starts with a journey to the Kerry Cliffs from below, from here you head to the Skellig Islands, a series of islands made famous by the Star Wars franchise, you get the chance to go ashore at the larger of the two islands, an opportunity not many people will get in their lifetime.
After spending some time on the island, make your way back to the mainland to complete your journey around the Ring of Kerry. Enjoy the evening in peace and quiet at your hotel.