Overview
Take a trip to Orkneys and Shetlands on your Scotland Vacation
The Orkneys are a group of 70 islands; 20 inhabited, situated 16 kilometres/10 miles off the extreme north of Scotland. The landscape is fairly flat but enchanting. There is much folklore associated with the Orkneys. It has been invaded by the Norse and the Vikings centuries ago who have left their legacy. There are mystical stone circles and monuments dating back thousands of years. The best-known sites are the Ring of Brodgar—built around 2500-2000 BC and covering an area of almost 8,500 square metres/9,200 square feet—site of ancient rituals and ceremonies, and Skara Brae—a prehistoric village, older than the pyramids and Stonehenge. As for wildlife, everywhere you go in the Orkneys you will see birds and animals, which include seals, puffins and many other seabirds; plus off-shore, there are whales and dolphins.
The Shetlands are further north, 80 kilometres/50 miles from the Orkneys. Probably best known for its knitwear and ponies, the 100 islands, 16 inhabited, are also an overall nature reserve. There are deep glens and steep hills allowing for scenic walks. Numerous seabird colonies exist which include puffins, storm petrels and more rarely, albatross, and snow geese. You can see dolphins, seals, porpoises, and killer whales and purchase locally made, quality glassware, jewellery, and knitwear.
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Island Hopping in Scotland
The Hebrides, Scottish Highlands, Orkneys and Shetlands, Scottish Lowlands, Edinburgh, and Edinburgh CastleExperience Scotland’s rugged soul on this small group adventure through the Highlands, islands, and Outer Hebrides, rich in myth, history, and wild beauty.
15 days
From US$5,611/p.p.
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Orkney & Scotland's North Coast
Scottish Lowlands, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle, Scottish Highlands, and Orkneys and ShetlandsDiscover wild beauty and ancient wonders on this small group tour through Scotland and the Orkney Islands, rich in history, myth, and rugged highland charm.
7 days
From US$2,417/p.p.
Request a Quote
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perfect trip idea?
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Turn your travel dreams into reality with Goway. Our customized vacations take travellers to all corners of the world.
Island Hopping in Scotland
The Hebrides, Scottish Highlands, Orkneys and Shetlands, Scottish Lowlands, Edinburgh, and Edinburgh CastleExperience Scotland’s rugged soul on this small group adventure through the Highlands, islands, and Outer Hebrides, rich in myth, history, and wild beauty.
15 days
From US$5,611/p.p.
Request a Quote
Orkney & Scotland's North Coast
Scottish Lowlands, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle, Scottish Highlands, and Orkneys and ShetlandsDiscover wild beauty and ancient wonders on this small group tour through Scotland and the Orkney Islands, rich in history, myth, and rugged highland charm.
7 days
From US$2,417/p.p.
Request a Quote
Don't see the
perfect trip idea?
Request a custom quote.
Turn your travel dreams into reality with Goway. Our customized vacations take travellers to all corners of the world.
What do the experts say?
For somewhere a little lesser known, make sure to visit Dunfermline, the old capital of Scotland. Rich in history, it’s home to the impressive Dunfermline Abbey where many Scottish kings and queens are buried, including Robert the Bruce.
Many tourists don’t realize how diverse Scotland’s regions are, each area has its own distinct culture, accents, and traditions. For example, the Outer Hebrides have a strong Gaelic heritage that’s still thriving.. Also, Scotland has some of the most beautiful white sand beaches in Europe, especially on the west coast and islands.
Scotland hosts two amazing events - Edinburgh Tattoo in August, and Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve). Edinburgh hosts one of the world’s biggest and most iconic New Year’s celebrations!
The best times to visit Scotland are late spring (May to June) and early autumn (September to October). During these months, the weather is generally milder, and the landscapes are especially beautiful
Escape the city life by enjoying the slower pac...
Enjoy the safe haven of Stromness, an isle shap...
Shetland islands, Scotland
Explore the beauty and history of the Orkney Is...
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ExcellentBased on 5,316 ReviewsOur experience was amazing! The booking process went great. We just had to pack our clothes and everything else was taken care of thanks to Goway Travel… Lori Mezzomo!!! Lori was fantastic. Everything from flights to transfers to excursions was perfect! Can’t wait to go back and i would definitely use Goway Travel again!!!Marie IdolMaria Spitman provided exemplary service to us! Her expertise, attention to detail, timely replies and kindness were unmatched. We will definitely recommend her to others who we know are considering travel to Asia. Alice StaniforthMichael Keon and his crew did a fine job coordinating our trip to Turkey. His contact in Turkey, Mr. Omer was in contact with us almost daily reminding us of our schedule and pick up info. He was terrific. Very informative and insightful guides. And large comfortable vehicles on every trip. Awesome trip. Tom and Sharon Tom and Sharon, Toronto, Canada We loved the trip itinerary and everything was organized so well! Lori was always very responsive and answered our questions promptly. Thank you for an amazing trip!Jelena PoprzenAs a travel advisor, I recently booked a group of clients on a Goway tour in China following their paddleboat competition, and I couldn’t be happier with the experience.
Christine and Tanya in the groups department were incredibly helpful and made the entire process seamless. Their support was greatly appreciated!
The feedback from my clients was overwhelmingly positive, with particular praise for the local tour guides, who helped make the trip so memorable. Everyone had a wonderful time.
Thank you, Christine, Tanya, and the Goway team, for taking such great care of my clients. I would happily recommend Goway and look forward to working with them again!customerI wanna start off by saying that Farnaz our agent was excellent!!! she planned the whole experience from start to finish. We did not have to worry about one thing the entire trip. All the hotels were great. Our transfers from hotels to fairies to airports were all available and always on time. The excursions she planned for us were all top-notch. I was a little skeptical, but just finding GOWAY online stumbling across it. But I’m so glad I made the choice to use them. I hope they definitely using the company again and especially our agent Farnaz!!! Thank you do mych for a wonderful experience! CatherineOur goal for this trip was a stress free honeymoon where we did not have to think about anything! Goway made that successful. Everything was planned and ready for us. We just had to show up. Brooke recommended fantastic accommodations that were in great locations, clean and comfortable. The tours were took with Thompson's Africa were incredible as well. Brooke was helpful throughout the entire booking process & we wouldn't have had such an incredible experience without her. We really loved our South African holiday and hope to travel there or other locations again with Goway.TaylorOctober 9, 2026, was our 50th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, I wanted to take my bride to Europe for 50 days. Also, other than the flight over, I wanted to make the trip by train. I contacted Farnaz at Goway. The trip we planned ultimately extended to 60 days. It was absolutely flawless. We had great hotels, great tours. Even though this trip was complex and had a lot of moving parts, there were no problems. Farnaz and the folks at Goway done a great job. I highly recommend them and will definitely use them on any future tripsDaniel GraffWe had a fabulous Croatia vacation with a cruise from Dubrovnik to Split, followed by land tours on Split and Opatija. Lodging was always comfortable and conveniently located. Tours and activities were perfectly suited to our interests. We have used GoWay for 2 vacations and are currently working on another. KarenWe would like to thank our travel specialist, Bijal for all the planning and coordinating that was done to make our Tanzania trip as spectacular as it was from start to finish!
Everything went so smoothly from our transfers, to our accommodations, to all of our tours! The people we came into contact with were exemplary!
There were so many highlights on our trip from the animal sightings, to the balloon flight and champagne breakfast, to all the incredible scenery.
Our accommodations were stunning! The level of service was remarkable and the locations were beyond our expectations. To think we would be having dinner and seeing the zebras and the elephants in the distance was amazing!
Our tour guide/driver was very knowledgeable, friendly, passionate and had a keen eye for spotting animals in the distance. He made sure that we saw all the animals that we had hoped to see. it was truly a pleasure to spend the week with him.
Thank you again to Bijal for all the work in making this once in a lifetime trip so exceptional!! We look forward to having Bijal help us plan our future trips.The Chadwicks and Williams
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