Wild Highlands and The Hebridean Islands Expedition in Scotland

All accommodation.

All breakfasts, lunches, and dinners ( except 1).

Traditional Scottish Cuisine *Specific dietary requirements catered for on request.

We provide private vehicle support throughout the trip.

2/3 Licensed Guides.

Entrance to distilleries & visitor centers.

All additional transport e.g ferry crossing.

Food:

All breakfasts, lunches, and dinners ( except 1).

Accommodation:

2 x nights in 4* hotel 

2 x nights in a Boutique hotel 

2 x night 4* Hideaway – Bracken Hide

1 x night in Glengarry Castle 

or depending on group size:

1 x night at a hotel in Loch Ness

”Pure wild landscape, remote mountain huts, exceptionally friendly people; the perfect journey.”

- Guest

Terms and conditions

1. Insurance

All clients need to be adequately insured for all activities they are taking part in. Insurance must include repatriation and details should be provided at the beginning of each trip.

All European clients should obtain a European Health insurance card (EHIC), however, this is not a substitute for travel insurance.

2. Health and fitness

Trip members have the responsibility to select a trip appropriate to their abilities and interests. In order to assist with this, all trips are graded and we welcome the opportunity to discuss trip details/answer questions in advance of your reservation. Trip members must be in sufficiently good health to undertake the trip, and if unsure seek medical advice in advance. For your own safety, you need to inform us of any medical conditions in advance or at the start of the trip. Trip members are also required to bring adequate clothing/equipment as advised in the pre-departure information.

3. Dietary requirements

We endeavor to work with clients and accommodate their dietary requirements. However such is the nature of adventure travel we may be limited to specific menus e.g remote Mountain Huts, Tea Houses in the Himalaya’s etc. We fully encourage you to contact us in advance to discuss your requirements then we have every opportunity to explore options thereafter.

4. Cancellations and fee schedule per person

91 days or more prior to departure – €250 cancellation fee

61 – 90 days before departure – 25% of the trip cost

46 – 60 days before departure – 50% of the trip cost

45 days or less: 100% of trip cost

Fees are calculated from the date we receive written cancellation notice which can be via email. If clients are unable to access email and cancel over the phone we will confirm in writing the cancellation.

If you cancel 91 days or more prior to departure, it may be possible to transfer to another trip without occurring any fees. Please discuss this with us in the first instance.

With specific departures, there may be an increase in cancellation fee if the accommodation provider T & Cs mean we are liable for payment.

4.1 Cancellation due to COVID travel restrictions.

If your chosen destination country or the country where you reside have restrictions in place due to COVID, meaning you are unable to travel, you have three options:

4.11 Postpone your trip until a later date.

4.12 Take a credit note and use against a future trip with us.

4.13 Request a full refund.

If any other reasons prevent you from travelling, including quarantine measures then our normal (4) T&Cs will apply. We recommend that you check with your travel insurance provider to fully understand your level of cover.

5. Complaints

If you have a complaint, please contact us as soon as possible, in the first instance your leader is often your obvious point of contact. This ensures we have every opportunity to explores solutions to the problem(s) arising and we will do all we reasonably can to resolve the complaint. You must tell us within 4 weeks after your holiday of any complaints that you feel have not been dealt with properly.

6. Alterations By Us

We will tell you as soon as reasonably possible if we must make any alteration to your holiday. Most alterations are minor, but very occasionally we might have to make a major alteration. A major alteration is a change of location or to a lower standard of accommodation for a substantial part of your holiday, a change in start/finish dates or necessary price rise in your holiday caused by rises in costs (e.g. exchange rates, internal transport etc). You may then choose as follows:

To accept these alterations

To withdraw from the holiday, in which case we will repay all monies paid to us including your deposit and this is the sum of our liability to you

To accept an alternative holiday that we may propose to you, in which case if the proposed holiday is a lower price we will pay you the difference and if it is a higher price we may ask for the difference.

You must inform us of your choice as soon as possible after we contact you.

7. Group Leadership

On a guided holiday your leader is responsible for the safety and enjoyment of the whole group and has sole discretion, on behalf of Activ Retreats, to exclude temporarily a participant from the group. They may also choose to terminate the participants holiday without the possibility of a refund if the leader thinks the participant is likely to endanger the group safety or spoil its enjoyment.

8. Your Responsibility

Mountain holidays by their very nature are adventurous, with a certain level of risk is undertaken. Individuals need to conduct themselves in a safe and responsible manner at all times; responding to advice, guidance, and instruction that may be given by the group leader / experienced professional and take all reasonable actions to eliminate accidents or injury.

9. Our Responsibilities

We will take all reasonable care to ensure that the information we give to you is accurate, including on our website, in your schedule and information pack. We will do all that we can to provide the service as described in the information we give to you. We are not liable if any failure is:

Attributable to anyone other than us

Attributable to a third party unconnected to us, and unforeseeable or unavoidable

Due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control and could not have been avoided even if all due care had been taken

Due to an event which even with all due care we could not foresee or forestall

10. Cancellation by us

Activ Retreats reserves the right to cancel any trip prior to departure for any reason whatsoever, including insufficient signup or logistics problems that may impede trip operations. The refund of all land payments received shall relate Activ Retreats from any further liability.

Activ Retreats must normally make substantial payments to its suppliers far in advance of the scheduled trip departure date. If a trip is canceled due to force majeure; (acts of God, war, strikes, earthquake, flooding etc), Activ Retreats will promptly refund the portion of the trip cost not already advanced to suppliers and use its best efforts to recover and refund the balance as promptly as possible. However, Activ Retreats does not guarantee recovery of any or all of the advance payments made.

11. Additional costs

Activ Retreats shall not be liable for (a) expenses such as additional nights and meals not specified in the individual trip itineraries, but which may required to get to from a trip start or end; expenses due to the delay of a trip for any reason (e.g. bad weather, trails conditions, land slides, flooding, sickness etc); (c) expenses occurred in recovering lost luggage by airlines, belongings left behind on a trip or in shipping purchases or other goods home from abroad; (d) visa and other incidental costs.

Activ Retreats reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any trips, and may use any such records for promotional and/or commercial purposes without payment.

Trip grading:

Easy

Suitable for people with little experience and intermediate levels of fitness. Hikes are short with gentle gradients and require the walker to carry a small rucksack containing basic essentials.
1 – 4 hours hiking per day

Moderate

Some hiking experience is preferable although not essential. Average to good levels of fitness required. Half and full day hikes are undertaken with multiple moderate ascents and descents and require the hiker to carry a small rucksack containing basic essentials.
3 – 5 hours hiking per day

Challenging

Hiking experience is essential. Good to excellent fitness required to complete day-long hikes carrying a small rucksack where multiple ascents and descents are undertaken.
6 – 8 hours hiking per day

Strenuous

Strong levels of fitness are required and you will have experience of multi-day hikes in mountainous terrain, carrying a rucksack. Hiking days can be long with multiple ascents and descents. You will also have the ability to cope with several days of hiking, often staying in different locations every night.
7 – 10 hours of hiking per day

Fitness

Happy and healthy on the hills and trails.

Fitness Advice and Guidance

As with all adventure trips, proper fitness and preparation will greatly enhance, not only your enjoyment of the trip but also the enjoyment of the trip for the other people in your group.

For trips graded as ‘easy’, several preparatory walks, carrying a day pack for a duration from three to four hours, would be recommended.

Before undertaking any of our trips graded from ‘challenging’ to ‘strenuous’, we recommend that you undertake a program of purposeful preparation training or are clearly confident in your own fitness and hiking experience. You must be able to cope with six to eight hours of hiking in mountainous terrain on a daily basis, whilst carrying a rucksack.

A combination of cardio activity (running/biking/cross trainer/swimming) in addition to undertaking practice hikes of six to eight hours in undulating terrain while carrying a rucksack, is recommended.*

We recommend the use of two hiking poles to reduce the pressure on your knees and also assist with balance on rocky terrain.

If you have any questions on the grade and preparation for your trip we will be happy to assist. For further advice on physical preparation please contact your local gym or a fitness professional.

*As with all strenuous activity, please consult your GP before embarking on any physical training program.