Skellig Michael has become one of Ireland's biggest tourist attractions thanks to the recent Star Wars movies The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. The current interest in Skellig Micheal has tourists scrambling for tickets, leaving many unprepared visitors disappointed. Here's a guide to The Skelligs to ensure you will be able to experience one of the most magnificent spots in the world.
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| Skelligs From The Mainland |
Have you ever wanted to be Indiana Jones? That is exactly who you feel like when you climb the ancient stone steps to an early Christian monastery set on top a pointy rock in the Atlantic. The two remote islands called the Skelligs are 12 km off the West Coast of County Kerry. The large Island is Skellig Michael and the smaller uninhabited island is Little Skellig and together they are one of Ireland's UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the other is Brú Na Bóinne). Reaching the monastery on Skellig Michael is not easy, it requires visitors to climb over 600 treacherous hand-carved steps.
WHAT TOUR DO I BOOK?
The tourist season for the Skelligs runs from Spring to Fall, with the summer months of June through August being the most popular times to visit the island. If visiting the Island from May through the end of July, you will be surrounded by the Puffin population that uses Skellig Michael as a summer nesting ground. We visited Skellig Michael on August 5th, but all the Puffins had already left for the season.
There are TWO types of tours offered to The Skelligs: The Skellig Michael Landing Tour and The Skelligs Islands Eco Boat Tours. ONLY THE "LANDING TOUR" LETS YOU EXPLORE SKELLIG MICHAEL! The Landing Tour runs mid-May to late September only. The eco-tour, which goes around both Skellig Michael and Little Skellig seems to be better suited for tourists who have mobility challenges, small children or who didn't book a landing tour in advance.
Because Skellig Michael was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, the OPW (Office of Public Works/Heritage Ireland) which oversees Skellig Michael limits the number of daily visitors to the island. That number changes every year with more tour operators being granted a licence to run tours to the Skelligs, but as of 2018, there is a maximum of 180 people per day that can explore the island.
We booked our trip to Skellig Michael with the ship The Mary Frances with Skellig Michael Voyage by emailing Captain Nealie Lynne. We ended up phoning him directly, his number is on the website.
HOW DO I BOOK A TOUR?
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| Trail Sign On Skellig Michael |
There is a comprehensive website on Skellig Michael that gives you up to date information on all the tours available to The Skelligs: www.skelligmichael.com. In 2018, the number of tour operators with licences to land at Skellig Michael increased from 12 to 15, but as of November 2018, there is no news on if there have been more operators added to the list for 2019. The booking season for 2019 will open IN MARCH 2019 and pre-booking far in advance is mandatory.
Each tour boat can bring 12 passengers per day to Skellig Michael, BUT YOU CAN ONLY BOOK A MAXIMUM OF 4 TICKETS PER TOUR OPERATOR. So if you are a group of 5 or more, you will be travelling on separate boats. Many tour operators have a minimum age of 12 years old because of the dangers of climbing the steps on Skellig Michael.
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Tickets to Skellig Michael in 2018 were between €85 -€100 per person depending on the tour operator. Our captain took cash only on the morning of departure, but some tour operators have websites with a booking system where you can book online with a credit card. ALL TOURS NEED BETWEEN 3 DAYS AND 24 HOURS NOTICE FOR CANCELLATION. It depends on your individual operator so make sure you know the policy. Many visitors are on a waitlist for a Landing Tour, if you give the captain 24 hours notice they can usually fill your spot. If you are a no show, you will be charged.
The weather has the biggest impact on if your Skellig Michael Landing Tour will become a reality for you. The weather in the 2018 season saw only 65% of all bookings making it to Skellig Michael because of rough seas. IF your Landing Tour gets cancelled, you will be issued a refund, but you will not be rebooked to another time. For this reason, many people book several dates for their landing tours; in case one day is cancelled due to dangerous seas, they have another day reserved as a backup. Don't forget to cancel any additional dates at least 24 hours in advance!
WHAT TO EXPECT ON DEPARTURE:
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| On Route To Skellig Michael |
Most Landing Tour operators leave from Portmagee. Boat trips to Skellig Michael usually depart between 9:00 and 10:00 and take about one hour to sail to the island, leave you there to explore from 11:00 to 1:30 and return you back to Portmagee by 2:30.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A RESERVATION FOR A SKELLIG MICHAEL LANDING TOUR SHOW UP AT THE PORTMAGEE MARINA BETWEEN 8 and 9 AM TO ASK AROUND FOR CANCELLATIONS.
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| Landing At Blind Man's Cove |
Arrive at your departure point (ours was Portmagee) one to one and a half hours early. If you depart from Portmagee, be prepared for a chaotic scene at the marina in the morning. Ask around for either your Captain OR the name of your boat, and you will be told to wait at a designated place. We paid our captain in cash, right before we left. There are some tour operators that require a credit card number to reserve a Landing Tour spot. This is only to hold your reservation, and the captain wants to be paid in cash on the morning of the tour. Many people arrived at the dock, only to find out that the captain wants cash at departure and THERE IS NO ATM IN PORTMAGEE!!! For this reason, I recommend bringing money along just in case.
WHAT TO EXPECT ON SKELLIG MICHAEL?
Once settled on your boat, your captain will hand out life vests and rain ponchos. The seas can get rough once out past the protected waters of the Portmagee channel, and many people can suffer from seasickness. If you get any kind of motion sickness, take non-drowsy anti-nausea pills. You have to be alert and on balance to climb the stairs to the monastery once arriving on Skellig Michael.
There are NO FACILITIES on Skellig Michael. No toilets, no benches no picnic tables. Wear really sturdy shoes with non-slip soles as the stone steps become very slippery, especially after a rainfall. I recommend wearing a backpack to carry items such as your lunch, a water bottle, sunscreen and a camera so you can leave your hands free to help you climb. Also, there is one dedicated eating area at the monastery and eating anywhere else on the island is prohibited
. The climb up the stone staircase is physically demanding. Anyone with mobility issues, health issues, vertigo or fear of heights; I would recommend you skip this tour and perhaps take the Eco Tour instead of the landing tour. I would also keep a close eye on all children who may wander a little too close to the edge!
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| Beehive Huts On Skellig Michael |
The best part of your tour is waiting at the top of Skellig Michael. I would recommend going straight up to the monastery first to hear the Skellig Michael guide give their 20-minute talk on the history of the island, and the monks who built and lived in this monastery. Perhaps take all your photos on the way back down to the boat, so you don't miss any of the information the guide provides. It's fun to poke around the ruins and sit inside the dark beehive-shaped huts imagining life as a monk in the Middle Ages.
If you want to learn a bit about the history of the monastery built on the island and see some photos check out my Skellig Michael blog post.
Go mbeidh an Fórsa leat! May the Force be with you!
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