Hiking tours from Dublin

This hiking tour is the Southern leg of the round-Ireland "Emerald Tour", and it'll be 7 days of pure enjoyment. This tour begins in Dublin and ends in Galway city.

Your tour is not about just hiking, it is about discovering the majestic, mystical island of Ireland. You will learn about the history of the emerald isle, the myths and legends, you will hear traditional Irish music everywhere you go and watch Gaelic sports being played.

Come along on this fantastic journey and let the emerald isle make it feel like your home. Let your guides take you on a journey you will never forget!

Day 1: 8:00 a.m.
Begin your journey that you will never forget. Today is nice and relaxed. You'll leave Dublin and head towards Glendalough in the Garden of Ireland - Wicklow. You will go up through the Dublin/Wicklow mountains, over the Sally Gay and down to Guinness Lake - which looks like a pint of Guinness.

You will make your way to Glendalough guest house where you will be staying the night. You can get your gear ready and then you can begin your first walk. Glendalough is one of the most important religious centers in medieval Ireland. It is where St. Kevin resided and live happily with his fellow Christians, well, when the Vikings were not marauding around the monastery. You will see one of the finest examples of a round tower in the country. It is a truly majestic place.

Your first walk is a nice and easy three hour walk around the valley. Afterward you can relax and have dinner and maybe your first pint of Guinness in the local tavern.

Day 2:
The second day of the tour involves getting you hungry hikers all the way down to the bottom of Ireland, Dingle a little gem of a village in South East Kerry, famous for Fungi and also the gateway town to the internationally famous Slea Head.

You will fit a small walk in on the way down. You will be leaving Wicklow but before you leave your guide will bring you to a fairy fort the other side of Glendalough where you will learn about Irish folklore and the little people! There is a prize on offer for each person that spots a Leprachaun on the tour. You will go to the medieval city of Kilkenny where you can wander the small streets and admire the castle overlooking the city. From Kilkenny you'll head towards Tipperary(not so far on this road!) This is the home of hurling in Ireland and once the centre of Ireland where Brian Boru had his fortress before handing it over to the church. You will learn a lot about the early history on this day. Your brain will be so full of information before the end of the tour, you'll be able to dazzle your friends for months when you get home!

You'll make your way towards Limerick city, where you'll stop for a break and then onto Tralee, the home of the famous Rose of Tralee.

From there it is only a short hop to Dingle, via the village of Annascaul, where Tom Crean the famous Antartic adventurer lived, you may even stop for a tipple in the South Pole inn, where you can view the pictures of his epic voyages with Ernest Shackleton.

You will arrive in Dingle in the evening, pack your bags in your rooms and sit down for a nice pot of my Irish Stew! You will be staying in Dingle for three nights before continuing on your adventure.

Day 3:
Today you set out to conquer Ireland's second highest mountain, Mount Brandon. This mountain, although under 1000m, it is still a formidable challenge, but the rewards when you reach the summit far outweighs the effort on the way up! From the top you can see down to the Blasket islands on one side and all the way to Tralee on the other. It is one of the most scenic mountains in Ireland.

The walk should take no longer than 4 hours and is not too difficult.

On the way to the start of your trek you will drive over Connor Pass, and maybe stop for a dip in Pedlars Lake, a hidden corrie lake high in the mountains. When you get back to Dingle, your guide will bring you around the village and on to see Fungi the infamous Dolphin.

You will have a couple of hours to walk around Dingle and see it many shops, and that evening you will experience some Gaelic music in the local pubs. 52 pubs for a population of just under 4000 people-fantastic. Watch out for the pubs that are also hardware stores!

Days 4 & 5:
Slea Head lies ahead of you today. National Geographic has put this peninsula in the top 10 drives in the world. You will meander slowly through the Fuchsia lined roads of Slea Head and follow the cliffs around to your view point of Great Blasket island. For millennia people have lived on this peninsula in stone beehive huts. There are more megalithic relics on this peninsula that on the whole of the rest of the island. It is an archaeologist's heaven. But the beauty of this area can only be experienced by walking on the bare cliffs and feeling the sea wind on your skins. It is where Far and Away with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman was filmed! Today's walk will start at the Blaskets interpretive center and you will follow the cliff line all the way Sybil Head.

It is a nice easy walk with spectacular views out to the Atlantic and dead mans island. This is the closest you can get to America in Europe. The walk will finish in the village of Ballyferriter a Gaeltacht area, where all the locals speak in the native tongue. By this day you should be able to speak a couple of sentences in Gaelic! After this walk, you will stroll down to a little beach where you will take the hurleys out and have a puc around. Hurling is a sport indigenous to Ireland-It's like a cross between hockey and hell! Probably the most skillful game on the island.

Early night for all tonight as tomorrow is a big day!

Today is an early start. You will be gone by 8 o' clock in the morning to make your way to Killarney. Drop your bags and make your way to Carrountohill, Ireland's highest mountain. At 1039 metres tall, it towers over the rest of the Magillacuddy reeks like a caring mother. It is a good trek up this mountain. Thousands of people trek this mountain every year and by the end of the day, you will feel the satisfaction of scaling Ireland's highest peak and you will feel on top of the world. Carrauntohill is dead center in Killarney National Park, one of the largest national parks in Ireland. Watch out for the wild deer that roam in this park, your guide believes they have a taste for tourists!

Also on this day you will get to see the Gap of Dunloe and stop for a while in Kate Kearney's cottage at the bottom of the gap. You will spend the evening in Killarney and enjoy all the festivities on offer in this great town of South West Ireland.

Day 6:
And you're on the road again. After your last few hectic days, you'll now make your way up the west coast and cross the river Shannon by ferry at Tarbert. Have a look at the schools of wild dolphins that call this estuary their home. Look out in the distant to the highest round tower in Ireland, on Scattery Island. The river Shannon is the spine of Ireland; it divides the land in two. To the east of the river, the land is notably better for farming and grazing. To the west was where Oliver Cromwell sent people if they chose not to go to Hell! You will be entering County Clare when you depart the ferry. It won't be long before you arrive in the burren and go to see the Cliffs of Moher.

On the way, you will stop in Lahinch, a popular surf beach on the west coast and great for picking great deals on periwinkles(tasty sea snails). Just up the road you can stop at Brigids well before you walk along the amazing cliffs. We know you like to live on the edge but at these cliffs, it is advisable to stay away from the 230 m high cliff edges!

You'll then be in the heart of the burren, a karst region where you'll take a walk through time. This is a limestone area that covers hundreds of square miles. Limestone pavements, klints, grykes appear before you as you walk precariously over the crack in the rock. As limestone is one of the most permeable rocks, there are many subterranean caverns to discover in the area. You could stand on the pavements and feel like you are walking on the moon! This night you'll stay in Doolin, famous for Gaelic music. You will enjoy a few well deserved drinks in the local bar this night and listen to the local musicians strut their stuff!

Day 7:
Galway is the final stop for the people on the Southern Gem part of the Round-Ireland Emerald Tour. But also the beginning for other adventurers who wish to do the Northern part of the tour. The group leaves Doolin early this morning and follows the coast all the way to Galway, stopping at Poulnabrene Dolmen, Corcomroe Abbey, a Cistercian abbey dating from the 10th. Century. On to the charming village of Kinvara, home of the Galway hooker and to Clarinbridge, the oyster capital of Ireland. You'll arrive in Galway around lunch time.

Accommodations
You will be mixing hostels with the finest guesthouses, bed and breakfasts and self catering apartments in Ireland for your walking holiday. The rooms you will use during your holiday will range from two to four bed accommodations, with the possibility of having a single room. If there are more than two with you, your guide can arrange three and four bed rooms in the guesthouses ensuite. The self catering apartments work quite well as people have a place to congregate in the evening time and have a laugh about the days activities and about each other!

All of the accommodations selected for you to enjoy during your adventure holiday is approved by the Irish Tourist Board. Your guide has chosen locations of outstanding natural beauty, so that you can enjoy the best of Irish rural life and scenery while on your hiking tour.

If doubles or family rooms are required, this must be specified at least two weeks prior to departure.

Meals
Each morning breakfast will be ready for you in the kitchens of the establishments you are staying. This is a continental breakfast i.e. Cereal, toast, cheese. You may even have the pleasure of having a cooked Irish breakfast on more than one occasion!

Your guide takes packed lunches with on your day's adventures. These will mostly be made by the guesthouses but sometimes you may have to make them in the kitchen with the group. Everything will be laid out for you. Vegetarians will be catered for.

Your evening meals will either be in your accommodation or in a local pub. This is the time for you to literally "chill out" and talk about the activities that you did that day. You will notice while you are walking the conversation doesn't necessarily flow as you are moving most of the time and your mind is focused on where you are walking, what you are doing and the beauty of the area you are in. In the evening you can really sit down and get to know your fellow adventurers.

Dinners in the evening at the only part of the tour that will not be covered in the cost of the tour. Most of the guesthouses will have the option of having dinner there, otherwise your guide will recommend you the best restaurants and pubs for pub grub that evening. Prices are reasonable in Ireland for dinner in the evening.

Tour does not include hotel pick up. Rates are per person in US dollars. Please reserve online, or call us toll-free at 888-217-2297.