Day 1 | Edinburgh

Arrive Edinburgh and transfer to your pre-booked accommodations. Spend your day independently exploring Edinburgh on your own. (Please note: check-in time at most hotel's is from 2 pm). Overnight in Edinburgh.

Day 2 | Inverness

Make your way to the Edinburgh departure point by 8:15 am (If you booked a departure point transfer at time of booking, your driver will collect you as noted on your voucher). Depart Edinburgh at 8:30 am, heading west past Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. You also pass Doune Castle (set of Monty Python's "Holy Grail") before stopping in the small town of Callander for a refreshment stop. You now cross over the fault line into the magnificent Highlands, taking in the splendour of Loch Lubnaig, Loch Earn, Glen Ogle, and Glen Dochart. As you travel north over the wild and remote Rannoch Moor into Glencoe, enjoy the stunning views and spectacular landscapes of our own super (extinct) volcano, while hearing the tragic story of the infamous massacre of the Clan MacDonald in 1692. You continue north up the Great Glen to the mysterious beauty of Loch Ness, traveling the whole 23 miles of the famous Loch - plenty of time to try and spot "Nessie!" You arrive at your destination of Inverness at approximately 6:30 pm, where you will be dropped off at your booked accommodation. The evening is free for you to explore the 'Capital of the Highlands'. (B)

Day 3 | Kirkwall

Today is an early start, leaving behind Inverness, crossing over the Black Isle, and past Dunrobin Castle. From here, you drive through the northeast Highland coastline, traveling into some of Scotland's most dramatic scenery. Enjoy amazing views of some of Europe's oldest landscapes and the chance to see wildlife such as Golden Eagles and Red Deer. Onwards through Scotland's most northerly mainland village, John o' Groats, and then to Gills Bay, where you board the ferry, crossing the Pentland Firth into the Orkney Archipelago. From here, it is a short drive to the famous Italian Chapel, where we stop for a visit, before continuing to the Viking stronghold of Kirkwall, Capital of Orkney. This is where you shall stay for 2 nights. Here, you can visit Kirkwall's magnificent Viking Cathedral and its historic winding streets. (B)

Day 4 | Kirkwall

Today is your chance to explore this fantastic, ancient island; a land of contrasts, where fertile green pastures are fringed by shores of golden sands washed by waters of the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. You will visit the 5000-year-old village of Skara Brae (older than the Pyramids of Egypt!), the mystical prehistoric stone circle at Brodgar, and the Druidic standing stones of Stenness. You then travel onto Maeshowe, where in the 12th Century, the Vikings left one of the largest collections of Norse runic inscriptions. Then, it's back to Kirkwall for your 2nd night, after what is sure to be a memorable day. (B)

Day 5 | Ullapool

This morning, enjoy a relaxed start to the day, as you leave Orkney and sail the Viking waters back to the mainland. From here, you travel the old road right across the very top of Scotland, driving past the stunning Ben Loyal and Ben Hope mountains, following the rocky cliffs and stunning golden sand beaches of our northern coastline. You then visit the far northwest Highlands and the grandeur, expanse, and wilderness of the mountains of Assynt before stopping to view the 15th Century ruins of Ardvreck Castle. From here you travel to Ullapool, situated at the mouth of Loch Broom, a beautiful whitewashed fishing village, where you spend your last night's stay while touring. (B)

Day 6 | Edinburgh

Leaving Ullapool behind, you take in the drama of the River Droma as it plunges 60m down into Corrieshalloch Gorge. You then admire the beautiful Loch Glascarnoch, on the way past the 'Capital of the Highlands', Inverness. You can visit Culloden Moor, the site of The Battle of Culloden in 1746, one of the bloodiest events in our history and the last battle to have been fought on the British mainland. Next, you take a short drive to the ancient standing stones at Clava Cairns, made famous by Diana Gabaldon in the 'Outlander' books. From here, you travel through the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest, hugging the Cairngorm mountain range. You enjoy lunch in these beautiful surroundings before travelling through The Big Tree country of Perthshire, the Kingdom of Fife, and back to Edinburgh, arriving at approximately 6:30 pm. Make your own way back to your pre-booked hotel. (B)

Day 7 | Edinburgh - Home

After breakfast, transfer from your hotel to the airport for your return flight to the US. (B)