The very best - I highly recommend Hames tours. Andrew is the owner and did a remarkable job. His knowledge and personal connections made the site seeing extra special and unique.

Outstanding personalized expereince. - The best experiences were the ones that went off the beaten path. Having our guide all to ourselves personalized the experience as well.

The Epitome of Highlander Hospitality - There are many discussions around what Scotland's greatest national treasures are.  Among the various possible answers, I would add Andrew MacDonald of Hame Tours to the list.  I hired Andrew for a four day private tour. He went to great lengths to put together an itinerary that catered to my specific interests. Our travels took us all around Inverness, Loch Ness, Isle of Skye & the Northern Highlands, and then down the Western Highlands to Edinburgh and St. Andrews.  That's a lot of ground to cover in such a short time, and this is where you'll most appreciate having someone so interesting in the car with you.  Andrew embodies all the Highlander Hospitality that one might hope to find in such a proud and welcoming people. In addition to having a scholarly knowledge of Scottish clan history, botany, poetry, folk music, etc, etc, Andrew is wonderful company, and before long you'll find yourself feeling like you've reconnected with a long lost friend.  Here's what I appreciated most: -- Extremely knowledgeable about tales of the Highlander Clans (e.g. the story behind the Well of the 7 Heads, the history of the Clearances, gory tales of the great feuds between the Clans like the Campbells and MacDonalds, or the legend behind King Brude's throne at the Ewe Tree Cemetery.) There's also much to learn about the history of constant invasions from outside entities. Andrew has a way of bringing history to life  -- He's very personable, charming really, giving you an intricate glimpse into Highlander culture with fantastic recommendations on Scottish folk music (Listen to William Gordon Smith's song "Cam By the Hills,"  or Andrew's own renditions on CD), poetry  (Read Robert Burns' poem "Parcel of Rouges in the Nation," or Cottars Saturday Night), and highlighting tales for the castles, fortresses, ruins, waterfalls, mountains and fairy pools to help you feel like you really understand what it is that makes Scotland Scotland.  -- So hard working:  Andrew ensured we went to places that best suited my particular areas of interest, even when I didn't know exactly what to ask for. I also appreciated how after driving/guiding for 8-10 hour days, he'd then go home and further plan out the next day's itinerary based on what he'd learned about my tastes.  Was delighted to be taken to a tartan shop with hundreds of choices, a scotch distillery where I could buy a special blend that could only be found there in the Highlands as a perfect gift for folks back home, a sheepdog farm, etc -- Great Driving. Spent a lot of time in the car together. He's a pro driver and the best of company. --Flexible. I needed to go to St. Andrews past the time I'd contracted Andrew for.  He offered to drive me and then gave me a mini tour of the area out of the goodness of his heart, making further recommendations on sites not to be missed while I was in the area.  If you're lucky enough to get to the Scottish Highlands, may you also be fortunate enough to find Andrew available to help show you Scotland at its finest.

Once in a lifetime tour! - Our party, two brothers and our wives, booked the private Outlander Experience in the Scottish Highlands from Inverness with hopes of seeing sites from the phenomenal books and show, and maybe a bit more of the Scottish Highlands. What we received, from Hame Tours Inverness, was truly a once in a lifetime event. Our tour guide, Michael Kerr, arrived at our hotel on time and full of enthusiasm for the day ahead. We remember his last name well because he introduced himself and acknowledged that the kilt he was wearing was indeed his family's tartan. We shared then that the brothers had Scottish heritage and our disappointment that our clan castle was no longer open for tours, which he found interesting and made us feel as if he was truly trying to get to know us. Our feeling of being in good hands was only enhanced when we climbed in the Mercedes Benz van! Before he even put the van in Drive, Michael outlined the day ahead, to confirm that's what we wanted, and then made sure we understood that, as this was a private tour, we could alter the itinerary however it suited us. We never thought he would alter the itinerary to suit us beyond our wildest dreams. The tour began, as Outlander begins, with a stop at the cairns (thought to be the inspiration for where Claire is transported). Michael proved himself knowledgeable and was so engaging that we thoroughly enjoyed his presentations about the stones. Then, it was on to the Culloden Visitor Center and tour of the battlefield. Michael gave us plenty of time to tour the visitor center unrushed and then led us on a walking tour of much of the battlefield. Again, he was knowledgeable, and it felt like an old friend sharing a travel tale, not like a professor regurgitating a history lesson. After a painful trip through the gift shop (painful to my wallet!), we were then presented with the most wonderful gift. While our little party took our time exploring the Culloden Visitor Center, Michael was busy researching our family name, Scottish heritage, and the nearby castle. While he drove us to the next stops on the original itinerary, he shared with us what he found out about our heritage and the castle. We then agreed to forego a couple of the original stops to go on a Monroe family quest. Michael took us to monuments that were well and truly off the beaten path, but commemorated battles the Munro clan engaged in hundreds of years ago. He then took us to see the castle, even if from afar, before taking us to a cemetery where many of our ancestors are buried. We could not have come up with a tour like this in our wildest dreams! Seeing the monuments and sites were in and of themselves amazing, but being led there by someone who was truly excited to give us this gift was beyond words. Every site on the original tour is absolutely a must see if you're touring Inverness, whether you're a fan of the Gabaldon show or not. Touring with a guide like Michael makes it a once in a lifetime event.

Excellent day in the Highlands - Michael was our guide for our Outlander tour. We spoke at the beginning of the tour to provide context on our three couples interests. He was able to create a curated, amazing day to keep everyone engaged, as not everyone had seen Outlander. We went to a distillery, saw the famous coos up close and even lambs as my friend requested. We had the best, most enjoyable day learning about the Highlands and would love to have Michael again on a future trip!

Adventures of a lifetime - Our guide, Ryan Forbes, was AMAZING! Not only did he take us to see the things listed on the tour, like Clava Cairns and Culloden Battlefield, but he also took the time to show us “his” country. This included taking the long way around, down small country roads and through quaint villages. We got to see Highland cows, have lunch at a deli Beauly, visit a mausoleum, old churches and graveyards, and a wooded hike to a stunning waterfall. Ryan was very friendly and open and talkative and he really listened to us and took the time to get to know us, thus resulting in an unforgettable custom tour. THIS is the Scotland we came here to see. We had the vacation of a lifetime and, if you want the same, you need to book Ryan as your guide. If we could rate him higher than five stars, we totally would! Thank you, Ryan, for an amazing day!

A memorable day well spent - We greatly enjoyed our private Outlander tour with our guide, Michael. We (four adults) had some interest in seeing Outlander sites, but primarily in the people and places important to the Rebellion culminating in 1746, and in the Clava Cairns. Michael was an ideal guide. He tailored the tour to our interests, skipping a couple of small sites in Inverness we'd already toured, and suggesting an itinerary that fit our available time and interest. We spend a lot of time at Culloden, which was well worth it, and Michael scheduled other visits around that. Michael was a great storyteller, with topics ranging from the Pictish peoples to Prince Charlie's travels, both at the head of an army and on the run from the victorious English army, to local flora, and his father and brother's favorite whiskys. One of the best practices a guide can offer is the willingness to answer a question with "I don't know." We asked a LOT of questions and Michael made clear the few times he was conjecturing, which gave us confidence in the accuracy of all we learned. In all, we visited Culloden (a great museum that prepared us well to view the battlefield), Clava Cairns, Leod Castle, and the ruins of the Beauly Priory. And, finally, we met Jamie Frasier; we'll let Michael tell you that tale. In all, we could not have enjoyed ourselves more on our full-day adventure.

Best private tour in my life - This was a wonderful day. Our guide Andrew was beyond exceptional. He made history come alive with his in depth knowledge of every place we went. This was an Outlander tour but my ancestors lived the real experience in their respective time. Scotland is a treasure.

Michael - Our companion in Inverness - We went on this tour with our guide and driver of the day Michael. we had an outstanding trip with Michael not only taking us on the pre decided tour but also showed us some places which were not initially planned. Michael was dressed in traditional Scottish attire and was a wonderful company thru the day. During the trip mid afternoon my agent from India called me and told that the next day trip which was going on the Hogwarts express stands cancelled as the train is over booked and though we have already pad but we cant board it. This was bad news and especially for my 10 yr old daughter it was as if the entire trip is useless without it, when Michael came to know about it he himself was very sad and tried all along by speaking to his contacts and trying to help us. Finally he suggested that we go early the next morning to Fort William and try and get tickets at the station- this helped and to our surprise we got the tickets. The fact that he went out of his way to help us speaks volume of his god nature and warmth. Another thing to highlight is that while we were going thru this struggle and obviously we were very upset he went out of the way and paid for entry tickets to Castle Leod for me and my family and refused to take the money from me, something which was just not necessary but he went out of the way and showed what a wonderful man he is. God bless you Michael and we look forward to hosting you in Mumbai sometime soon. Thank you once again for every thing my friend.

Do it book this tour! - Do it! Book this tour it was utterly amazing! The guide Andrew was stellar, knowledgeable and had the best insights to each site! Very accommodating and enjoyed every minute! Our son loved it!