Hebrides Cruises: leader in Scottish wildlife cruising
Choose your Hebridean Cruise
Hebrides Cruises provides a sensational sea-going combination of luxury, adventure and breathtaking encounters with wildlife. Our classic, ocean-going vessels explore far-flung destinations such as St Kilda, Mingulay and the Shiants in comfort and safety, calling in at idyllic Outer Hebridean islands from Barra and the Uists to Lewis and Harris. The Inner Hebridean islands of Mull, Iona, Skye, Eigg and Canna are perfect for island hopping, or follow the ancient sea route of the Lord of the Isles to explore the Southern Hebrides. Hebrides Cruises is a family business with customer satisfaction at its heart; double award winners in the Herald Scottish Family Business Awards 2023
Book now for 2025 and 2026
Over 90% of our 2025 cruises are booked, therefore we have published our 2026 cruise calendar. Over 50% of guests this year have cruised with us before - join us on on board and find out why our guests always leave a positive review. Book Now
Awards 2024: Winner, Highly Commended & Finalist
We feel quite overwhelmed at the number of nominations for awards we have received this year and award celebrations we have attended as finalists! Find out more
New 3-night luxury Hebrides cruise, aboard Lucy Mary
Our Hebrides Magical Mini Cruise, onboard Lucy Mary, is specially designed for those looking for an inspirational short break cruise. Lucy Mary has that extra touch of luxury for the Hebridean holiday of a lifetime. The luxurious interiors and outdoor decks of Lucy Mary are perfect for soaking up the relaxed atmosphere and hospitality on board, while watching the beautiful scenery glide past. Dates for our 2026 season are now available.
Discover the outstanding beauty of the Hebrides from the sea
Cruising the coastlines of the Hebrides is an unforgettable experience. The sheer beauty of the scenery will take your breath away and it really does feel as if you have escaped to another world. Hebrides Cruises stopovers always include some visits to the most idyllic beaches and bays, where there are no other people, only wildlife. The cruise itinerary will vary depending on weather conditions, opportunities to spot wildlife, and the wishes of guests. Each evening the Skipper and Wildlife Guide join our guests for dinner to discuss the possibilities for cruise itineraries and shore trips the following day.
Hebrides Wildlife Cruises with breathtaking rare species encounters
Hebrides Cruises is very proud of their sharp-eyed and highly qualified Wildlife Guides who continually scan the seas, land, and skies to ensure our guests experience amazing wildlife sightings. A surfacing minke whale, bow-riding short-beaked dolphins, an otter playing in the seaweed, eagles wheeling overhead, porpoises, and seals are seen on almost every cruise, as are around 80 bird species. Rarities such as orca (killer whales), basking sharks and other types of whales appear less often but if they are there, our Crews will spot them. Read our recent amazing Hebrides whale-watching cruise report.
Wildlife Experts and accompanied onshore excursions
Our Hebridean wildlife cruises are unique in the Scottish small-ship cruising sector because of the marine and wildlife expertise of our crews. Our wildlife experts are onboard all Hebrides Cruises, they know the best habitats where the wildlife hangs out, the signs to look out for when wildlife is around, and will identify and provide information on all species seen or heard. Whether onboard or onshore, if the wildlife is there, they will find it for you. Have a look at our Hebrides wildlife gallery which features over 100 rare and iconic species we see while cruising. We will continue to add the many other less obvious but just as fascinating species spotted. View the nature and wildlife gallery here>
Get a taste of the fabulous food served onboard our cruises
The meals served onboard our vessels by our Chefs are legendary. All food is prepared from fresh, local ingredients, creating delicious dishes that get rave reviews from our guests. A speciality of Hebrides Cruises is hand-dived scallops by Skipper Rob. If Rob is your Skipper he will often dive for fresh scallops to be prepared by the Chef that day. View our Fabulous Food Gallery>
Read our guest reviews
Trip Advisor doesn't review cruises, so we have our own Hebrides Cruises review system on our website where guests can leave a review in their own words, unedited. Since July 2015 Hebrides Cruises has received almost 500 reviews which can all be read on our website. We are delighted that they are 100% positive which is a credit to our crews and shore staff who always go the extra mile for our guests.
Cruise News
Our Awards 2024
Sunday, 6 October 2024
Announcing our 2026 Cruise Calendar
Saturday, 21 September 2024
Outstanding Leader Award for Rob Barlow
Wednesday, 18 September 2024
What can I say? There are truly not enough superlatives to describe the amazing experience we had onboard Lucy Mary during our recent cruise. From start to finish, the treatment we received from the crew was first class. The booking process was a dream, with the lovely Emma steering us through the whole thing very professionally, answering all our pre-cruise questions promptly and setting our minds at rest. Once we arrived in Oban, we were greeted on board with champagne and cake (my favourite combo!) and from then on, things just got better and better. Abby, the steward, was attentive, warm, funny and made everyone feel comfortable and cared for at all times. Bella, the wildlife guide was great fun and extremely knowledgable and fantastic at finding us interesting wildlife to observe and learn about - we were lucky enough to see hordes of different species, including minke whales, loads of porpoise, seal, birds galore including sea eagles and my favourite gannets and shearwaters and of course otters! Our chef Carleton was a delight - interesting and funny as well as being the most incredible chef. I think I put on about 3kg during the cruise - my fault entirely, I just couldn't resist anything that came out of his kitchen and had to have second helpings of it all. The cod with a crispy crab crust was just a phenomenon. And of course, can't forget our wonderful skipper James. He gently steered us to all the best spots in weather that wasn't always the easiest to navigate but he made the cruise comfortable and enjoyable at all times. His lifelong love affair with the Hebridean area and with being at sea shines through and you can't help but be caught up in his enthusiasm for boat life and for the incredible surroundings we were in. If you haven't visited this area before, there are no words to describe how breathtaking and magical it is
Nicki Wordsworth: 16 April 2024Hebrides Magical Mini Cruise