Top 5 Portree Cruises: Sailing Tours & Boat Trip Reviews

Thinking about a trip around Portree and wondering which cruise or boat tour is the best choice? Well, you’re not alone. So many people want to soak up the views of the Isle of Skye from the water, but it can be tricky to find the tour that’s the right fit for what you’re after. Like, your tastes and what you’d love to experience. This review looks closer at five amazing Portree cruise and sailing options. Hopefully it gives you what you need to decide and plan a memorable day on the Scottish seas.

1. Skye Cruises: The Wildlife Voyager Trip

The Wildlife Voyager trip offered by Skye Cruises is like, a brilliant way to see the local sea life and dramatic coasts of Skye. It departs right from Portree Harbour, and it’s more or less, famous for its commitment to delivering fantastic wildlife sightings. The boat is super stable, making it great even if the seas get a bit choppy, so sea sickness shouldn’t be a big concern for many. Passengers just rave about the close encounters they’ve had with seals, seabirds, and occasionally even dolphins or whales!

What really marks it as unusual is the knowledgeable crew who provide running commentary, and are, I mean, pointing out interesting facts about the wildlife and history of the area, pretty educational I have to say. It makes it so you appreciate what you’re seeing. I think you’ll particularly appreciate the emphasis on responsible wildlife watching; their focus is to minimize disturbance to the animals, like, making sure the trips are respectful to the environment. People looking for an excursion that mixes beautiful sights with ecological sensitivity will surely, pretty much, find this tour spot on.

2. Brigadoon Boat Trips: Loch Dunvegan Seal Trips

Brigadoon Boat Trips offer tours that venture out to Loch Dunvegan, and like your, a spot that’s basically crawling with seals. Leaving a little further out from Portree (but honestly not far at all, it really is just down the way), these trips focus primarily on getting passengers as close as safely possible to the seal colonies. That’s the selling point, you see, so you know. I feel like this would work better if you particularly admire those slippery sea dogs, you know? So, this is basically a shorter trip, so is great for fitting into busier travel plans or for families with little ones whose attention spans may be tested on longer cruises The team running Brigadoon are really keen to tell stories about the seals and the loch, actually making the tour extra fun.

Another really good thing is that the boats are, actually, specially equipped to navigate the shallow waters of the loch. Also, it is super well kept, which gives it the unique opportunity to get you super close. Plus! Because the harbor itself is also rather charming (Dunvegan that is) people regularly mix the boat trip with an outing there and explore Dunvegan Castle, like your very own, it makes a nice day out.

3. Bella Jane Boat Trips: Loch Coruisk and the Small Isles

Bella Jane Boat Trips presents something quite amazing, you know? Offering tours to Loch Coruisk, nestled deep inside the Cuillin mountains, one might be forgiven for feeling they’ve fallen through time when viewing the misty atmosphere there. But honestly, if you look into what they actually do that might tickle your interest. It departs from Elgol, around an hour’s car ride away from Portree (so that’s vital to consider). Many see this as worth it as the cruise lets you experience Skye from a super unusual angle.

Trips here feature the famous Loch Coruisk, and the wild Small Isles too. It’s pretty easy to spot seals and seabirds plus, at certain times of the year, basking sharks as well. The boat trip itself usually allows a few hours ashore, that gives visitors an opportunity to roam around the rocky shores, taking pictures of the rugged peaks reflecting in the lake’s glass-like surface, literally just like looking in a mirror! The feedback for this tour typically references that Loch Coruisk feels like an escape to the true wilderness, that makes it absolutely ideal if solitude and reflection are what one seeks. Remember though, it does require an hour’s travel each way!

4. Misty Isle Boat Trips: Exploring the Skye Coastline

Misty Isle Boat Trips provides some tours which circle a bit more broadly around the Skye coastline, highlighting, for example, Kilt Rock and the Old Man of Storr (although that last is definitely best viewed from dry land!) This option from Portree offers loads of photo opportunities, for real, with super unique views. So in some respects, if landscape imagery is vital, then this might just very well be the right choice.

Also the feedback Misty Isle has been given points out the boat’s bigger viewing deck (compared with similar options), really enhancing the visitor’s enjoyment of the awesome views on display. On certain days it also features stops at some pretty quiet bays where, like your, people can get off for walks or to explore. Plus, a little like what’s mentioned above, the trips often point out wildlife along the way too! Like sea birds and the regular seals and such. If what is desired is an all-round good trip of Skye’s sea frontage, you might find this option seriously appealing, even when viewed at face value.

5. Seaflower Skye: Private Sailing Charters

For something a bit exclusive, Seaflower Skye provides private sailing charters. Based near Portree, but also able to commence sails from pretty much anywhere with decent harborage, the business specializes in crafting customized experiences, that give freedom, even, for visitors. You will surely work with them to design, like your, a schedule according to your personal desires! Seaflower actually makes sure your experience matches your interests whether or not those interests incorporate wildlife watching or checking out specific landmarks or maybe even trying out some sailing yourself!

So it should come as no great surprise that most feedback really praises the freedom of designing ones very own schedule plus the standard of the boat is good and the skippers often display fantastic information on the islands culture. You just might think these trips are dearer when stacked up next to standard tour options; conversely, they are brilliant if an exclusive personalized cruise that blends Skye’s natural attractions with high degrees of personal involvement is really your goal.