Skellig Michael Tours from Portmagee
Licensed OPW permit holder operating sea tours and landing tours to Skellig Michael, UNESCO World Heritage Site from Portmagee, Co. Kerry.
Two Ways to See Skellig Michael
Skellig Michael Tours runs two types of tour from Portmagee marina. Both go around the Skellig Islands and past the seabird colonies on Little Skellig. Only the Landing Tour stops on Skellig Michael.
Circle the islands, see the seabirds
A 2.5 hour guided boat tour around both Skellig Michael and Little Skellig. Sea caves, rock formations, gannet colony, puffins, seals, and commentary on the history and wildlife.
Three departures daily, 10am, 12.30pm and 3pm, plus private and bespoke trips on request. Season runs May to September. Send an enquiry with your preferred date and group size.
Book the Sea Tour
Land on Skellig Michael and climb to the monastery
A day trip including a 45 minute sea crossing each way and time on Skellig Michael itself. Climb 600 stone steps to the 6th century monastery at 180 metres (600 feet).
Minimum age 18, good fitness required. Season runs from mid-May to September, on dates set each year by the OPW. Bookings are on a waiting list basis. Join the list and receive a discounted Sea Tour rate if a landing place does not become available.
Join the Waiting ListWhen can I visit Skellig Michael?
Skellig Michael is only accessible by boat, from Portmagee on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. Sea Tours run from May to September. Landing Tours run from mid-May to September, on dates set each year by the OPW. Outside the landing season, the island is closed to visitors.
Sea Tours run three times daily and do not require a landing permit. Landing Tours require an Office of Public Works permit, which Skellig Michael Tours holds. Both tour types depart from Portmagee marina.
How much is a boat trip to Skellig Michael?
The Sea Tour costs €70 per adult and €60 per child. The Landing Tour costs €170 per person, with places allocated from a waiting list.
Which Skellig Michael tour should I choose?
Most first-time visitors choose the Sea Tour. It suits all ages, runs more reliably and takes 2.5 hours. Choose the Landing Tour if everyone in your group is 18 or over, fit and keen to climb to the monastery. Our tour comparison sets out the differences.
Sea Tour or Landing Tour
Both tours go around Skellig Michael and pass the gannet colony on Little Skellig. The difference is that the Landing Tour also stops on Skellig Michael.
Circle the rock
- 2.5 hour guided boat tour
- Three departures daily, 10am, 12.30pm and 3pm
- No age minimum, families welcome
- Gannet colony, sea caves, seals
- Puffin views from the water
- Enquire online, by phone or by email
- Season runs May to September
Land on the rock
- Day trip, 45 minute crossing each way
- Time to climb to the monastery at your own pace
- Climb 600 stone steps to 180 metres (600 feet)
- 6th century monastery, beehive huts
- Puffins close up during nesting season
- Minimum age 18, good fitness required
- Season mid-May to September (OPW dates)
What You’ll See
What you can see on and around the Skelligs.
A 6th century monastery
Six beehive huts, two oratories, and a cemetery, all dry-stone construction. Built by early Christian monks in the 6th century and occupied for more than 600 years. The monastery sits at 180 metres (600 feet), reached by 600 hand-cut stone steps. UNESCO inscribed the site in 1996.
Puffins, gannets, seals
Atlantic puffins nest on Skellig Michael from April to early August. Little Skellig holds the world’s second largest Northern gannet colony, around 70,000 birds. Grey seals haul out on rocks below. Razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes, and fulmars nest on the rock formations. Dolphins and basking sharks pass through the area. Both tours see the gannet colony.
A 218 metre high island
Skellig Michael rises 218 metres (714 feet) from the Atlantic, 12 kilometres from the Kerry coast. The island has two peaks with a dip between them. The rock is sandstone, worn into ridges, ledges and steep cliffs. There are sea caves at water level that can only be reached by boat on calm days. On the Sea Tour the boat passes between Skellig Michael and Little Skellig.
A family operation from Portmagee
Skellig Michael Tours is a family operation based in Portmagee, Co. Kerry. We hold an Office of Public Works permit to land visitors on Skellig Michael and run both Landing Tours and Sea Tours through the season.
Tours leave from Portmagee marina, 45 minutes from the Skellig Islands by boat. Every morning the skipper checks the conditions, and tours only go ahead when it is safe. The boat is inspected every two years by the Marine Survey Office. Life jackets are available on board for any passenger who wishes to wear one.
Safety & Operating StandardsPortmagee, Co. Kerry
Portmagee is a working fishing village on the Iveragh Peninsula, on the Wild Atlantic Way. It is a short drive from Cahersiveen, and the Skellig Ring and the Kerry Cliffs are close by. All Skellig Michael Tours trips depart from Portmagee marina.
Allow about 1 hour 45 minutes to drive from Killarney and about 2 hours 15 minutes from Dingle, as the roads are narrow and slow in summer. Read how to get to Skellig Michael for more. Portmagee has several places to stay, pubs, and a cafe by the marina. The village pier is where the boats load each morning.
Ready to see Skellig Michael
Sea Tours run three times daily from May to September. Landing Tours run from mid-May on a waiting list basis. Send a Sea Tour enquiry or join the waiting list now.