Back Roads Rural Private Tour around Killarney and the Reeks

Ross Castle is a 15th century tower house on the banks of Lough Leane in Killarney National Park. We’ll explore and capture the scenic views of the castle from the lakeside and woodland with an option of a slightly longer walk to capture magical reflections across the lake on a still day.

Founded in 1448, this ecclesiastical site contains the ruins of an abbey, with a fine example of a vaulted cloister and a yew tree in the central courtyard. There are many interesting and photogenic gravestones within the grounds.

Torc Waterfall is 20 meters or 66 ft high and is a sight to behold following rainfall. We follow a gentle 5 minute path to the waterfall that runs beside the river through a mossy forest, providing lots of opportunities for photos with your camera or phone.

We stop at a few locations to explore and capture the amazing lakeside views from the edge of the forest.

Named following a visit by the British Queen Victoria to the Killarney area during 1861, this scenic view is among the best known in Ireland. With a number of roadside stops and viewpoints, we'll enjoy outstanding panoramas of the mountains, forest and lakes of the Killarney National Park. We’ll spend time at two viewpoints, capturing the wonderful scenery with our cameras and phones.

Molls Gap is a mountain pass and scenic viewpoint on the Ring of Kerry, between Killarney and Kenmare. From this location we’ll get the first glimpse of the Black Valley, below the highest mountain range in Ireland, the MacGillycuddy's Reeks. Leaving here, we’ll head to Kenmare where we'll be taking a break for an hour or so.

We break for an hour or so and you have the opportunity for lunch and to take a look around the artisan shops of this picturesque town.

After a break in Kenmare Town, we'll follow a tapestry of narrow single lane roads and "bearded" tracks that lead us to the banks of the scenic and remote Lough Brin. Here we discover a rural landscape populated by sheep and a few farmhouses in the setting of green rolling hills below the craggy peaks. As we leave this valley by another mountain pass that brings us into the Black Valley, we’ll gain magnificent views and see the remains of ancient settlements below the narrow track.

The Black Valley is one of the remotest places in Ireland and the last area to receive electricity from the grid. We explore a rural paradise of narrow roads, which meander below the peaks of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, discovering magical and unspoilt terrain, hidden away from most tourists and visitors. Rolling green hillsides beneath the mountain peaks surround a land of waterfalls, crystal clear lakes, bubbling rivers and cascades. Woven into this beautiful landscape we find forestry, woodlands and sheep farms as well as the iconic ruin of “Molly’s Cottage” at the far end of the valley.

Formed 25,000 years ago at the end of the ice age, the Gap of Dunloe is a narrow mountain pass that runs north to south, linking the Black Valley with the northern side of the Iveragh Peninsula. From the Head of the Gap, this narrow road twists and winds through a “V” shaped valley passing over picturesque stone bridges and alongside lakes, providing a series of absolutely stunning views. We stop at a number of places along this road to explore and capture the wonderful scenery.