Puffins, Seals & Lighthouses Tour
2 hour puffin tour from Ballycastle into Rathlin Sound: over 100,000 seabirds, seals at Rue Point, lighthouses and Bruce's Cave. Puffins April to mid August.Cost:
£27.50 – £35.00 per personDuration:
2hAbout this experience
Northern Ireland's classic puffin tour: two hours from Ballycastle into Rathlin Sound, among the seabirds and the seals.
On the water
– Out of Ballycastle harbour with views of the North Coast, Rathlin Island and, on a clear day, the Mull of Kintyre, Islay and Jura
– Rue Point lighthouse and the seals at Ushet Port
– One of the UK's largest seabird colonies: over 100,000 nesting birds
– The East Lighthouse at Altacorry, 72 metres above the sea
– Bruce's Cave, where Robert the Bruce sheltered in 1306
Wildlife you may see
– Puffins, often on the water right beside the boat (April to mid-August)
– Razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes, skuas and fulmars on the nesting cliffs
– Diving gannets, the best photo of the day if you time it right
– Seals basking at Rue Point
– Dolphins and porpoises along the route (occasionally and never promised, but it happens)
– Late summer brings the odd minke whale or basking shark (rare and never promised, but it happens)
Good to know
– Warm, waterproof clothing; bring a blanket if you feel the cold
– Mixed indoor and outdoor seating
– Not suitable for buggies, prams or wheelchairs
– A Marine Mammal Observer or scientist is often onboard to help spot
– Weather dependent
Departs: Ballycastle harbour · Duration: approx 2 hours
NB: Please arrive at least 15 minutes before departure. Ballycastle is busy in peak season, so allow time for parking.
Your Host
Kintra Boat Tours is family run, sailing from Ballycastle harbour aboard the Selkie with a local crew who know every cave, colony and lighthouse on this coast. We can't promise wildlife, but we always help you look.