Daily Wildlife Noss Boat Tours
+44 (O) 7595540224
Daily Wildlife Noss Boat Tours+44 (O) 7595540224
Weather permitting from April through to October, we operate this tour seven days a week and always three different tour start times running throughout the day, sometimes four due to demand as our tours are extremely popular. To find out our different tour start times, please view our online calendar by clicking on ‘Book Now’ top right. Once you have decided which tour you would like to join, you can book/pay online using our easy-to-use online booking system which accepts debit, credit card or paypal. Alternatively you can contact us directly and we will get you booked on. If you book online you will receive a full booking confirmation, if for any reason you do not receive this – please let us know so that we can investigate.
We ask please that you arrive promptly at the tour start time advertised on our booking calendar, preferably slightly before to maximise your time at sea. We like to depart as soon as we have done our warm welcome and the all important safety briefing.
We advise not leaving your booking until your last days in Shetland as we do sometimes have to cancel due to weather.
Our customer feedback and experience is most important to us – we welcome any questions and would appreciate if you could please leave us a review following your tour with us – Thank You. You can do so on TripAdvisor here.
DEPARTING FROM: Victoria Pier, Lerwick, ZE1 0EL
TOUR DURATION:
All our daily tours are up to 2.5hrs with refreshments included. Our tour duration gives you plenty of wildlife and photography opportunities with fabulous onboard services, offering very good value for money.
TOUR FINISH TIME:
Our tours generally last up to 2.5 hrs, but we never know exactly what we’ll find on our excursions, so we do sometimes return a few minutes late. If you have to be back exactly on time, to catch a ferry, a plane or a bus or for any other reason, please let us know at the start of the trip and we’ll make sure to dock on schedule.
In the interests of our passenger safety, comfort and welfare, we always have minimum two crew accompanying every tour, this also gives you a MUCH richer experience and to makes sure you have an unforgettable tour with us. Our business has taken thousands of visitors to Noss since 1992, our experience and knowledge of the sea, nature and local heritage is unrivalled. We are consistently ranked NO.1 boat/wildlife tour on the review site Trip Advisor. During the tour Marie provides fun, engaging ‘live’ commentary using our PA system, each passenger receives their very own handset/earphones when they step aboard and the commentary can be heard wherever you are located on our spacious catamaran, the sets are fully sanitized between tours.
Having your own receivers gives that personal touch and to enable you to hear everything that is being shared by your expert guide(s). Marie gives you her full attention throughout and with her great knowledge on the wildlife, geology, local history, landmarks and so much more – she is happy to answer any questions you may have and to ensure you are having an enjoyable experience.
The tour takes you right around Bressay & around the cliffs of the famous Noss National Nature Reserve. Our trip to Noss is an amazing wildlife spectacle and allows you to enjoy Shetland’s plethora of seabirds and seals, as well as spectacular views. We’ll take you unbelievably close to the awe-inspiring sights and sounds of this extraordinary seabird metropolis, which is home to 25,000 Northern gannets, as well as thousands of guillemots, black guillemots, puffins, razorbills, gulls, shags and skuas. You will come eye-to-eye with beautiful blue-eyed gannets and immerse yourself in the unforgettable clamour of a thousands-strong ‘choir’ or different bird calls – a sound you’ll never forget. Superb opportunities to see and photograph Shetland’s wildlife against the stunning backdrop of the 181-metre-high Noss sandstone cliffs. We bring along fresh fish to give you a guaranteed opportunity to see gannets encircling and diving right alongside our boat…always a great highlight.
Keep your fingers crossed & your eyes peeled – no guarantees but If you’re extremely lucky, you might even see Orca, Minke Whale, Porpoises, dolphins or otters. With the sharp eyes of two dedicated and enthusiastic crew on every tour, we are always on the lookout and you could be on no better boat with its huge viewing platform. As a business with 33 years of experience, we continue to lead the way for responsible boat-based ecotourism. At all times we follow the Naturescot Marine Wildlife Watching Code, we are also WiSe accredited operators, proudly adhering to strict protocols to minimize disturbance to marine wildlife. We spend quality time at all the wildlife/scenic hotspots which offer plenty of fabulous photography opportunities.
We share local stories as well as our in-depth knowledge on the wildlife, local history, geology and folklore that surrounds Lerwick’s harbour and as we navigate around Bressay and Noss. Close seabird and seal encounters, breathtaking scenery, stunning rock formations, geos, iconic landmarks and eye catching geology…Such as the lighthouse arch, Orkneyman’s Cave and the stunning Giant’s Leg archway. Click on our photo gallery to view many more fabulous pictures from our tours – each gives full details of the different wildlife and places we take you.
After your trip around the cliffs of Noss, we anchor in a tranquil little bay, which offers further wildlife & photography opportunities. We provide fairtrade fresh filter coffee/tea, hot chocolate, juice and a selection of biscuits (including gluten-free). If you or anyone else in your party has any other.
If you have any dietary requirements, just let us know when making your booking with us. You can do this when booking online by adding a note in the ‘Special Requirements’ section or if booking direct with us or another party, please be sure to let us know and we will be sure to cater for your needs. If celebrating a special occasion, please do let us know as we will push the boat out for you (pardon the pun). This stop is always a great highlight and an opportunity for all aboard to have a chat whilst enjoying a refreshment and soaking up the beautiful surroundings. If your phone battery runs low after all the photo clicking, we can assist as we have USB charging points throughout the cabin.
Every trip with Seabirds-and-Seals is unique as always something different to see along the way and will hopefully leave you with many happy memories of Shetland.
Our tours are extremely family friendly with plenty to keep our younger sailors entertained. We have onboard kids activities and challenges set by our highly experienced skipper, one of our onboard activities has a monthly prize-draw.
Each young sailor receives a FREE sea life activity pack to take home and newly added for our 2024 season is our Eco-Friendly ‘Wooden Puffin Windmill Kits’. Once assembled and designed, set outside and watch their wings rotate, just like a real bird. Each purchase made from our supplier supports the vital work they provide financially to their charity partners.
At the heart of our business is a commitment to exceptional customer care. We listen to the needs of our customers to ensure our services are accessible and inclusive for all. We value feedback, welcome new ideas, and are always happy to answer your questions.
Our dedication has been recognised through numerous prestigious awards. Just one year after taking over the business in 2018, we were proud to receive Visit Scotland’s 4-Star accolade. Since then, we’ve worked tirelessly to enhance your experience with us alongside accessibility and inclusivity, implementing recommendations from Visit Scotland. In 2023, these efforts culminated in achieving their coveted 5-Star accolade—the highest possible rating, reflecting an exceptional standard of service.
Also in 2023, we were honored at The Highlands and Islands Thistle Awards, winning both the ‘Best Visitor Attraction’ and ‘Inclusive Tourism’ categories. In 2024, we were finalists for the Highlands and Islands Thisle Award Finalists 2024 for ‘Best Outdoor or Adventure Experience’. We are the first boat tour operator in Shetland to win in the Inclusive Tourism category. Early in 2024, we earned the prestigious Green Tourism Gold Award, recognising our commitment to eco-friendly, ethical, and sustainable practices.
Adding to our achievements, we were named ‘Service Excellence’ Winners for Scotland at the FSB Business Awards 2024 and honored as the Scottish Family Business of the Year at The Herald Scottish Family Business Awards 2024.
Each year, our high standards of customer care are also celebrated by our visitors. Since taking over in 2018, we’ve consistently earned TripAdvisor’s Excellence and Travellers’ Choice Awards every year, thanks to glowing reviews from our valued customers.
We’re proud of the recognition we’ve received and remain dedicated to delivering outstanding service to every guest.
The NO.1 CHOICE for viewing and photography in Shetland.
Our Catamaran ‘Seabird’ is licensed to carry 12 passengers and because she’s a catamaran – a very stable twin-hulled boat. There’s a very wide and spacious comfortable, viewing platform all on one level so you can enjoy 360° panoramic viewing without having to watch where you step . This is the ideal boat for the best photographic opportunities, with room to sit, stand or move around without being confined to your seat or in one space – free as a bird! There’s seating on deck for all, but if you prefer to be inside our heated saloon you’ll still have panoramic views. You can sit around the cabin table to chat, or browse our small but informative ship’s library. There’s also dry storage space inside the cabin where you can securely stow any baggage and belongings, accessible at all times throughout the trip. We have an accessible toilet on deck level and equipped with hand sanitizer, hygiene bags etc. Always reassuring to know there is easy access to a toilet on-board and especially after those welcoming refreshments.
Wheelchair accessible onto the boat and ideal boat for anyone with accessibility & mobility needs, just let us know your requirements prior to booking and we will be happy to assist you. Our on-board toilet and heated cabin are only accessible to ambulatory wheelchair users. The doors to both areas are not wide enough to accommodate someone in a wheelchair all of the time. Please check out our published updated Accessibility Guide.
We cater for many other needs to make our tour inclusive and enjoyable for all. You can find out more by visiting our Accessible & Inclusive Tourism page here on our website.
Marie, Brian and Crew are all Shetland born and bred, our experience/knowledge of the sea, nature and the local heritage around us is extensive. Passengers tell us our fun, personal and engaging style appeals to all ages and varying interests.
Our continuing success, is reflected in our fantastic TripAdvisor & Google Reviews, complementing each other’s experience, skills and talents. We make a fabulous team, providing a highly informative, fun and fascinating tour, from start to finish showing you the best of Lerwick Harbour, Bressay & Noss.
Ever since the business started 33 years ago, it has built up a very good reputation as a top wildlife tour with many very knowledgeable crew. We are delighted to keep on many of the same relief crew that Jonathan had, with three new additions, our most recent being our relief skipper Marvyn.
We are very excited about the future, this year we celebrate 33 years of the business as it has had 33 continuous years of trading as ‘Seabirds-and-Seals’. We look forward to welcoming many passengers on-board The Noss Boat Seabird.
You can find out more about us and our relief crew members by clicking on here.
The map below is copyright of Seabirds-and-Seals which shows our cruising area, but the tour can change from day-to-day depending on the wind speed and direction – we always steer our course for the most sheltered water.
Our tours are very much weather dependent, that’s why when booking we advise not leaving it until your last days in Shetland and we also ask for you to provide a contact number so that if we do need to cancel, then we can try and get you re-booked onto a different day/tour.
NOT DAILY… Only as an alternative tour if sea conditions prevent us from operating our daily scheduled tours out to Noss. We are sometimes available for trips to look at the wildlife so prevalent in or near Lerwick Harbour. If sheltered conditions allows, we can then launch our ROV mini submarine and show you a variety of sealife below.
