Boat tours
on the Lakes of Killarney
Our boat tours depart from the Old Boathouse, Dundag to Dinis Cottage and the Meeting of the Waters. The boathouse itself, ‘Wet boathouse’, is over 150 years old and is built from local sandstone. The name Dundag derives from ‘Dún an Daig’, the wooden fort or fort of the wood. Dinis Cottage was originally built as a hunting lodge in the mid 18th century and is now used as tea rooms, and is an enchanting place to visit.
At the meeting of the waters, you will see where the lakes of Killarney merge together, overlooked by the 17th century Old Weir Bridge.
Muckross Lake, also known as the Middle Lake is 3km (2 miles) long, 1.6km (1 mile) wide and 280 hectares (700 acres) in area. It is one of the deepest lakes in Ireland with a depth of 80m near the southern shore.
On your tour you will see very scenic and panoramic views of Muckross House, Dundag Point, Torc Mountain and Devil’s Island (the only piece of Killarney the devil owns!). Various limestone formations can be viewed including the caves and Victoria (or Queen’s) Point, named after Queen Victoria’s visit to Killarney and Muckross in 1861. The caves are of different sizes and depth. You will also see The Eagle’s Nest, Purple and Shehy mountains, and possibly a white-tailed sea eagle along the route.
If water levels are adequate, we can venture out under Bricín Bridge, an 18th century bridge, and take in some of Lough Léin (the Lower Lake). Known as the ‘Lake of Learning’ this is the largest of Killarney’s lakes at 2000 hectares (5000 acres).
Various types of wildlife have been seen on our tours including native red deer, sika deer, wild goats, otters, aquatic birds such as herons, cormorants, ducks, swans and sea eagles.
Boat tours can vary in time from 45-60 minutes, depending on weather conditions and stopover time at Dinis Cottage and the Meeting of the Waters. Longer stopovers can be arranged (Private tours can be arranged off-peak).
Life jackets are mandatory for all passengers and all of our boats are department of the Marine certified. All boat operators are qualified licence holders and all tours are subject to weather conditions. Maximum passenger numbers are 12 per boat.
