Wild Ireland: National Parks, Cliffs & Coast

Today you journey south and west to Killarney, gateway to Ireland's oldest and most beautiful national park. Travelling through green countryside, you might pause at the dramatic Rock of Cashel before continuing into Kerry, where the landscape grows wilder and more mountainous beneath the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, Ireland's highest peaks. Reaching Killarney, you begin exploring its glorious national park, a wilderness of shimmering lakes, tumbling waterfalls and ancient oak and yew woods, home to a native herd of wild red deer. You might take a boat on the lakes or walk to the pretty Torc Waterfall through mossy, fern-draped woodland. The beauty and tranquillity are captivating. As the day ends, you settle into your hotel in Killarney. This evening, enjoy the lively pubs and traditional music of the town. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore more of the park and drive the mountainous Ring of Kerry.

Today you explore the wild heart of Kerry. You begin in Killarney National Park, riding a traditional horse-drawn jaunting car past the lakes, ancient woods and elegant Muckross House, watching for wild red deer grazing in the meadows, and taking in the dramatic Gap of Dunloe, a spectacular glacial pass winding between the mountains. In the afternoon you drive part of the legendary Ring of Kerry, a 100-mile mountain and coast road unfolding purple peaks, glittering lakes, waterfalls and wide Atlantic seascapes, with views to the jagged Skellig islands, home to seabirds and an ancient monastery. Rainbows arc over the hills after passing showers. The scenery and wildlife are captivating. As the day ends, you return to Killarney. This evening, savour Kerry's warmth and music. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey to the wild Dingle Peninsula and take to the water in search of marine wildlife.

Today you journey over the mountains to the wild Dingle Peninsula, one of the most beautiful in Ireland. You cross the dramatic Conor Pass, the highest mountain pass in Ireland, with breathtaking views over lakes, valleys and sea, and reach the charming, colourful town of Dingle. You drive the breathtaking Slea Head Drive, clinging to cliffs above the crashing Atlantic with views to the Blasket Islands, passing ancient beehive huts and forts. In the afternoon you take to the water on a boat trip into Dingle Bay and along the coast, watching for the dolphins, seals, seabirds and, in season, whales and basking sharks that thrive in these rich Atlantic waters. The coast and wildlife are captivating. As the day ends, you settle into Dingle. This evening, join the craic in one of its legendary music pubs. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey north to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren.

Today you journey north up the coast to Galway, past two of Ireland's great natural wonders. Crossing the Shannon Estuary by car ferry into County Clare, you reach the mighty Cliffs of Moher, where a wall of dark rock soars more than 200 metres from the crashing Atlantic, alive in season with thousands of nesting seabirds, including colourful puffins, which you watch wheeling below. You then cross the unique Burren, a lunar landscape of grey limestone from whose cracks springs one of the richest wildflower communities on earth, where Arctic, alpine and Mediterranean plants bloom side by side among ancient dolmens, perhaps pausing at the Poulnabrone tomb. Continuing north, you reach Galway by evening. As the day ends, you settle into your Galway hotel. This evening, the pubs of the Latin Quarter spill traditional music onto the streets. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore Galway Bay and its wildlife.

Today you explore Galway and, weather permitting, sail out into Galway Bay to the wild Aran Islands. You take a ferry to Inis Mor, the largest of the three windswept limestone islands, where the land is a patchwork of tiny fields divided by dry-stone walls and seabirds nest on the cliffs. You explore by pony trap or bicycle, reaching the spectacular prehistoric fort of Dun Aonghasa, perched on the edge of a 100-metre cliff above the Atlantic, and watching for seals, seabirds and dolphins in the surrounding waters, an extension of the same wildlife-rich seas as Dingle. Back in Galway, you wander the lively medieval Latin Quarter. The wild coast and wildlife are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your Galway hotel. This evening, savour fresh seafood and traditional music. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey into wild Connemara and its national park.

Today you journey west into wild Connemara and its national park, some of the most romantic country in Ireland. You drive beneath the quartzite peaks of the Twelve Bens, past golden blanket bogs, glittering loughs and heather moorland dotted with white cottages and grazing sheep and Connemara ponies, through a deep Gaeltacht region. In Connemara National Park you walk its trails, perhaps climbing Diamond Hill for sweeping views over mountains, bog and a ragged Atlantic coast, watching for red deer, birds of prey and the hardy native ponies. You visit the fairytale Kylemore Abbey, a Victorian castle mirrored in its lake beneath the mountains, with its walled garden. The wild beauty is captivating. As the day ends, you settle into your accommodation in the heart of Connemara. This evening, savour the deep peace, the huge skies and perhaps a session of music in a village pub. Rest well amid wild Connemara.

Today you immerse yourself fully in the wild beauty of Connemara. You might take a longer walk in Connemara National Park or the surrounding hills, breathing the clean Atlantic air amid bog, mountain and lough, and take in the dramatic Killary Fjord, Ireland's only fjord, a long sea inlet cradled by mountains where mussels are farmed in the clean water, perhaps on a scenic boat trip watching for seals and dolphins. You explore the ragged coast of white beaches, tiny harbours and Gaeltacht villages, and watch for the birds, ponies and wildlife of this untamed land. The scale, emptiness and wild beauty are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your Connemara base. This evening, savour a farewell dinner of the finest west-coast produce and, perhaps, a final session of music, reflecting on the wild landscapes and wildlife you have explored across Ireland. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow.

After a final morning amid the wild beauty of Connemara, perhaps a last walk in the national park, a quiet coffee overlooking the bog and mountains, or some shopping for Connemara marble or handwoven tweed, you are transferred to Shannon, Knock or Galway for your onward journey. You leave having immersed yourself in wild Ireland, Killarney National Park and its red deer, the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula with its dolphins and seabirds, the Cliffs of Moher and its puffins, the wildflower wonderland of the Burren, and Connemara National Park beneath the Twelve Bens. The images stay vivid long after you land, red deer in Killarney's woods, dolphins off Dingle, puffins on the Cliffs of Moher, wildflowers in the Burren, and the empty bogs and mountains of Connemara. Ireland offers wild landscapes, national parks and wildlife in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to the Emerald Isle to explore yet more of its beautiful natural soul.