Best Time to Visit Skellig Michael
Tours run from May to September, and each month is different. This guide will help you plan your trip to the Skelligs.
The best time to visit Skellig Michael depends on what you most want to see and which tour type is planned. The Skellig Sea Tour runs from May to September, and the Skellig Michael Landing Tour runs from mid-May to September, on dates set each year by the OPW. What you see changes from month to month.
What is the best month to visit Skellig Michael?
May and June are the best months for most visitors. Puffins are present from late April, with peak activity into June. Weather becomes more settled as the season progresses, and visitor numbers are significantly lower than in July and August. July and August are the peak months and book up months in advance. September is quieter, and the sea is at its warmest.
Month by Month
Start of the season. Fewer visitors, longer days, and increasingly settled weather in recent years. Puffins arriving from late April. Sea Tour season opens in May, Landing Tours from mid-May.
Peak puffin season begins. Longer daylight. Sea conditions often good. Landing Tour availability tight, Sea Tours still often bookable within days.
Peak month. Puffins feeding chicks. Warmest temperatures. Heaviest demand. Book months ahead.
Peak continues. Puffins present until early August then depart suddenly. Warm water. Still very busy.
End of season. Fewer visitors and the warmest sea of the year. Landing Tours continue to the end of the OPW season in late September, weather permitting.
Booking Timing
Landing Tour places should be enquired about three to six months ahead for peak season. Skellig Sea Tours can often be booked within a week or even a few days of travel, though weekend and peak summer dates fill up faster. Sometimes it is possible to book the day before or even on the same day if it is not very busy.
Wildlife Calendar
Plan Your Trip
Peak summer dates for the Sea Tour often fill several weeks in advance. Landing Tour places are allocated from a waiting list.