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Gap of Dunloe Day Tour: Explore Killarney National Park's Scenic Wonders
4.6
140 Ratings
Killarney
Embark on an amazing adventure tour to explore the scenic wonders of Killarney National Park, including the breathtaking Gap of Dunloe. Choose between a walking or horse-drawn carriage tour, and enjoy a boat ride through the stunning Lakes of Killarney. Book now!
Duration:
5 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Gap of Dunloe - Considering a walking, rambling or hiking tour along with a fantastic boat ride through the Lakes of Killarney among spectacular scenery? Look no further than a Deros tour to the Gap of Dunloe (from Irish: Dún Lóich, meaning “Lóich’s stronghold”, otherwise known as Bearna an Choimín meaning “gap of the common-land”). The Gap is a narrow mountain pass between Macgillycuddy’s Reeks (west) and Purple Mountain (east) of just under seven miles long and your hike takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. There are daily tours to this magnificent landscape leaving from our office in the centre of Killarney daily at 10.30am
What's Included
- Unique Bus and Boat trip combo
- Professional driver/guide included
- Complimentary car park at Ross Castle with 24-hour notice
- Convenient transport to and from Kate Kearney’s Cottage
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Jaunting Cart Ride ( EUR 35.00 pp cash only) 4 pax per Carriage can also be hired privately
Additional Information
Exceptional and premier excursion to Killarney National Park.
Considering a walk, stroll or trek tour? The Gap of Dunloe is the perfect choice, spanning 7 miles (11 kilometers) and taking roughly 2 hrs 30 minutes.
For those who prefer not to walk or trek, a traditional Irish Jaunting Carriage (horse and carriage) is available as an alternative to travel through the Gap of Dunloe. Additional charges are E 35 per person for the Horse Carriages, payable directly.
Boats will be available to guide visitors through the spectacular three Lakes of Killarney, ending at Ross Castle.
An outstanding exploration tour.
- Jaunting Carriages are paid directly at Kate Kearneys Cottage at a cost of E 35 pp (cash only).There are 4 passengers in each carriage
- Carriages may be hired privately and the total cost would be E 140 per carriage.There is no pre booking for carriages as the booking may be made on arrival at Kate Kearneys Cottage.
- There is not enough time to visit Ross Castle before returning to Killarney but visitors may stay at Ross Castle and enjoy a lesisurely walk to Killarney through the National Park (30 to 40 minutes).
- Tours of the Castle takes 1 hour.Pre booking is advisable and can be done by phoning 353 64 6635851 or visit rosscastle@opw.ie
- There is free car parking at Ross Castle where the tour terminates and we can certainly collect customers at Ross Castle at 10am but prior notice has to be given by telephoning 00353 64 6631251 the previous evening.
Location
22 Main St
Main Street
Our office is beside St Marys Church of Ireland on Main Street.
Please be at the Office no later than 10.15am
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(140 Ratings)
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Paulgk3293ae
Jun 21, 2024
Breath taking Gap of Dunloe experience. - The Gap is as stunning as everyone says it is. The trip itself was well planned and organized. Our boat operator was both informative and friendly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jon_h
Jun 7, 2024
Gorgeous hike, would come back - The hike was gorgeous, a gut-punch of larger-than-life beauty surrounding you the entire walk. The boat ride at the end was much more interesting than I expected, especially since we got to lay eyes on Innisfallen Monastery.
Review provided by Viator
Andrew_f
Jun 7, 2024
Lovely way to spend a day - The wonderful views. Sharing a pony and trap and conversation with other travellers. The friendly and skilled trap drivers and boat men.
A really great day out.
Review provided by Viator
Lisa_l
May 8, 2024
Great trip! - Great tour with wonderful jaunty cart driver and boat driver. Lots of good craic. Just enough time and didn’t start too early!
Review provided by Viator
313leonardh
May 6, 2024
A great experience to take a relaxing stroll through The Gap of Dunloe and return via the lake system. - We were very lucky with the weather, which made the trip a wonderful experience. However, you should of course dress for the weather, as the hike takes about 2:30-3 hours and the boat trip about 1:30 hours, and you would of course get pretty wet in the rain.
You only hike on a paved road, which is why a lot of cars drive by. It didn't bother us much at the end of April, as there weren't many of them... but it's probably a different story in midsummer.
The small cafe at the end of the hike offers the opportunity to have a bite to eat/drink a coffee and use the toilet.
All in all, a great experience that we can only recommend to everyone!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Catherine_a
May 3, 2024
Amazing even in pouring rain - Even in the pouring rain, this tour was amazing! Took a cart through the gap and made it to Lord Brandon’s cottage for some much needed hot soup and coffee. The boat ride was wet but beautiful. I would do it all again- rain and all! Make sure your rain coat is up to the task and enjoy!
Review provided by Viator
911kcr
Jun 12, 2024
Boat ride was great, just wish they would book horse rides for you - The cost was basically for the lovely boat ride and hiring a driver to take you by bus to Kate Kearney’s cottage and pick you up from Ross Castle to take you back to your car.
The horse rides through the Gap are nice but cost extra, are NOT booked in advance for you by this tour, and you must bring cash. They didn’t have enough carriages for our group so part of our family had to wait an hour at Kate Kearney’s cottage for a horse carriage to come all the way back. That left them only 20 minutes at Lord Brandon’s cottage for lunch and restroom. They were stressed that entire hour waiting, wondering if they’d make it. And there’s no one in charge of managing the horse rides, which is frustrating as you don’t know who to talk to or how long you’ll actually have to wait. They’d tell us 10-15 minutes several times, but it was really an hour wait.
Dress in layers! It was fairly cold in early June.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alicia_m
May 16, 2024
My husband and I really... - My husband and I really enjoyed this experience. We did the walking part of the experience and it is a 7 mile walk so be prepared. The guide for our boat ride was excellent (Paddy) and kept us entertained! The only downside was the lack of communication from the bus driver/staff about when/where to meet once we were finished.
Review provided by Viator
Globetrotting386459
Jun 20, 2024
Not as good as in prior years - We’ve done the Gap of Dunloe four or five times over the years. The other times seemed to be better. Less rushed and our boatman is years past was much better.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hunter0857
Jun 10, 2024
The gap of Dunlop Horse Cart Rip-off - AS group of 14, everything was alright, we had 10 people hiking ,4 people using Jaunty carts, we were given price (140)and loaded in a cart, then they suggest we were split up ,saying it would be better taking 2, They said it would be not as tight, easier. On horse etc .So we took 2, then they charged us for 2 carts 280 euros, we saw plenty of carts later hauling 4-5 , the Drivers were not forwith with info and I feel took full advantage of us on their slow day, all the rest was excellent
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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