Turus Mara
Treshnish Isles & Staffa Wildlife Tour
Turus Mara have been visiting Staffa and the Treshnish Isles for over fifty years — a family business that knows these waters as well as anyone.
Own photography — Turus Mara
Turus Mara have been visiting Staffa and the Treshnish Isles for over fifty years — a family business that knows these waters as well as anyone. Lunga in May and June is one of the most extraordinary wildlife experiences in Britain. The puffins nest in burrows in the clifftop grass; sit quietly where your crew direct you and they will get on with their own business — shuffling into burrows, commuting across the turf, and launching off the cliff — without anyone needing to crowd them.
Lunga is the largest of the Treshnish Isles — uninhabited, wild, and in spring and early summer home to one of the most accessible puffin colonies in Scotland.
The puffins nest in burrows in the grassy clifftop. Settle where your guides place the group, sit quietly, and they will go about their puffiny routines — shuffling into their burrows, hopping between burrow and cliff edge, and launching off into the Atlantic wind — while you watch without approaching nests or blocking their paths. Respectful behaviour keeps the colony safe and the encounter memorable for everyone.
Guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, fulmars, shags and great skuas also nest here in significant numbers. Atlantic grey seals haul out on the lower rocks.
From Lunga the boat crosses the short distance to Staffa — the volcanic island of hexagonal basalt columns that so astonished Felix Mendelssohn in 1829 that he wrote the Hebrides Overture. Fingal’s Cave cuts into the south face of the island — the sea inside is extraordinary, the acoustics remarkable.
Turus Mara also offer a Staffa-only tour, a Big Bird Trip on specific days in May to July, and tours departing from Oban for those not staying on Mull.
Highlights
Family business since 1973
Over fifty years visiting Staffa and the Treshnish Isles
Puffins on the clifftop
Sit still and watch puffins do their puffiny thing — burrows, fluttering, and comings and goings — from the route and distance the crew set
Fingal's Cave
The basalt sea cave that inspired Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture
What's included
- Full day boat tour from Ulva Ferry
- Landing on Lunga — approximately 2 hours ashore
- Landing on Staffa and Fingal's Cave
- Knowledgeable local crew throughout
- Wildlife commentary — puffins, guillemots, razorbills, seals
Not included
- Transport to Ulva Ferry
- Food and refreshments (bring a packed lunch)
- Landing guarantee — weather dependent
Book This Experience
Ready to book?
Booking is made directly with Turus Mara on their own website. Echtra Echtra sends you there — we earn nothing from the transaction.
This is an editorial listing. Your contract is with Turus Mara directly.