I am eyeing a visit to Sceilg Mhichil / Skellig Michael, Ireland, around Ascension. The operators with online portals are already full as far as I can tell. Any point calling all of them up? And is the eco tour a viable alternative?

I would recommend doing anything you can to get on a boat out there. I think I phoned about three different boats before getting two spots on a boat that was displayed as full online, but that was 11 years ago so things may have changed since then.

I think if you are traveling solo finding a spare spot could be possible, or even going on a reserve list.

It is a brilliant site, really unique so I would certainly recommend a visit.

It is perhaps wise to build in some contingency as the weather can stop trips. Kerry is a lovely place to explore, so if worst comes to worst then exploring the charms of the county are a great compromise if you are waiting for the weather to improve, there is even a t-list site on the ring of Kerry in Stague Fort.

I'm not sure what your logistics would be, but staying in or close to Portmagie is good for the night before sailing. Further afield I personally didn't like the town of Killarney that much it felt very touristy, Kenmare was much nicer, but your logistics may not work with that.

@Ian. Thanks for the comments. I have investigated further and it seems the permits for the season are not yet officially published, so I am still hopeful to get a spot. And this time I would actually be travelling with a friend.

I'd call all of them up to try my luck and possibly be placed on a waiting list if someone does not turn up or cancels. Most people book for 2-3 days in a row just to increase their chances of travelling on a sunny day or at least with good weather conditions to go out at sea. So hopefully you'll be able to book a trip.

If you'll be staying overnight at Portmagie, you could also try ringing those operators who have accomodation facilities as they might be keeping spots for any of their possible guests.

I second trying to keep a few days open for the tour, but be prepared just in case you aren't able to make it out there. I planned to go to Skellig Michael with friends two years ago in September, but bad seas caused the trip to be cancelled on the two days we had available. The Ring of Kerry is incredibly scenic, even if you can't get out to the island.

Also, as a general note, Skellig Michael will probably be even more popular in the next few years because of its visibility in the Star Wars sequels.

Thanks for all the tips. Good to have this community. I have an offer for 21 May, but it seems that the permits are being drawn up anyhow and while this is the case, they can't really reserve places.

Let's see. In a worse case situation, I would do the eco tour and pad myself on the back for protecting the sensitive area. And while I think Star Wars probably increased the sites popularity, this is quite a trip from Dublin.

I made a reservation for the 22-05-17! Only for the eco tour unfortunately.

I am already trying to book a landing tour since last december but had no luck so far. In december they said they would only take bookings from january onwards, than it became february and than march. No exact date was given though and in the end I didn't check every day. My last check was 11-03-17 and than only 21-03-17 to find out everything was fully booked....

I did send some emails so I might get lucky. It will be a solo tour so who knows?? (the wife doesn't fancy the rought seas)

echwel

I have a tour on 30 May presumably. Unless the weather fails. As stated some operators are still waiting for their license, so there may be more places opening up.

Also had an offer for the week prior. ping me at <myforumname>@gmail.com