Hebridean Island Cruises have confirmed that Tim Earl (see right), renowned wildlife expert and ornithologist, will be joining their 5 star luxury cruise vessel Hebridean Princess for the two Hebridean Outposts cruises to St Kilda and for the Hebridean Summer cruise in 2010.
Cruises aboard Hebridean Princess are perfect for all nature lovers – guests can encounter a spectacular abundance of wildlife, from seals, whales and dolphins to rare butterflies and colonies of puffins and other birds which never fail to delight. Hebridean Outposts will be no exception, the pinnacle being a visit to the remote St Kilda – home to a vast array of nesting bird colonies. Hebridean Princess’s small size allows passengers to access these far flung and remote islands whilst travelling in the style and comfort of a Scottish Country House Hotel. The Hebridean Summer cruise, welcomes on board representatives from Hebridean Whale & Dolphin trust, who will lead a day of Whale spotting from the Ship.
Guest lecturer, Tim Earl, a pioneering, world travelling naturalist will provide passengers an invaluable introduction to spotting seabirds, eagles, mammals, fish, butterflies, wild deer and even orchids! Tim will conduct daily 7am to 8am wildlife watch sessions on deck along with bird watching boat trips to smaller Islands, like the Shiant Isles, dubbed “Seabird City”, home to fulmers, puffins, guillemots and razorbills. Passengers’ experience won’t be solely restricted to the outdoors as Tim will also provide after dinner talks featuring round-ups of the day wildlife spots and what guests can expect to see on the next ports of call.
Small private tours are also included in this cruise. Passengers are able to go out on the small boats for whale and dolphin watching trips possibly encountering Minke whales, pods of Risso’s and bottle-nosed dolphins and even basking sharks. The small size of the tour groups also means guests may even get close to seals bathing on the rocks. Tim will also be setting up a special reporting system to allow all Hebridean Princess Sightings to be reported to the Whale and Dolphin Trust to help with their research.
