Half Day Private Tour with Puffins, Ponies and Past Shetland
Overview
Available languages
4 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Join us for a private guided tour to Shetland's scenic south Mainland. Departing Lerwick we visit the island's former capital, Scalloway, before heading to Sumburgh at the southern tip of the islands. Here we visit the prehistoric settlement of Jarlshof before concluding our tour with a visit to Sumburgh Head.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Not recommended for travelers with walking dificulties
What To Expect
Scalloway
Travel time from Lerwick- 15 minutes. We start with a short photo stop at a viewpoint overlooking the ancient fishing village of Scalloway before continuing into the village for a photostop at Scalloway Castle (exterior only) and the Shetland Bus Memorial.
Scalloway
Travel time from Scalloway- 5 minutes. We stop at Carol’s Ponies, you have a chance to meet, learn about and photograph these wonderful animals. Originating in Shetland the breed was a packing pony and are now found all over the world, used as popular riding ponies for children and a companion to horses. Carol the stud owner will explain all in her talk about these beautiful creatures, remember they have teeth and may assume fingers for carrots! So please do not feed the ponies
Options
15 Seater
Transit Pickup included
Puffins, Ponies & Past Shetland - Half Day Private Tour
Pickup included
What‘s Included
Admission to Jarlshof
Private transportation
Services of our driver and a tour guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Visit to Carol's Ponies
Fuel surcharge
Admission to Sumburgh Head Lighthouse Exhibition
Parking Fees
Lunch
Gratuities
Pickup points
Kveldsro House
20 Greenfield Place, Lerwick United Kingdom
Sumburgh Airport
United Kingdom
Grand Hotel Lerwick
149 Commercial Street Lerwick United Kingdom
Lerwick-Tingwall Airport
United Kingdom
Glen Orchy Guest House
20 Knab Road, Lerwick United Kingdom
The Lerwick Hotel
15 South Road, Lerwick United Kingdom
The Queens Hotel
24 Commercial Street, Lerwick United Kingdom
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
44 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Awesome Tour and Tour Guide
Matthew H,Jun 8, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Wow Wow Wow.. Our Private tour Puffins Ponies and Past Shetland was AMAZING! Our tour guide, Danny Gold was fabulous! He showed us everything! He didn’t want us to miss a thing! He was very informative, knowledgeable, fun and passionate about his homeland! Seriously, one of the BEST tours we’ve been on. He went into detail about the history and and where things are today! He took us to see the Shetland Ponies which were absolutely adorable. We then went to the jarlshof ruins then off to see the beautiful puffins! Danny helped us spot the puffins on the cliffs!! We were amazed at how they nested on the cliffs then swooped down over the ocean to feed! They are so beautiful!! Truly the highlight! So much fun! Don’t wait! Book it today and ask for Danny Gold!
Absolutely PERFECT experience!
suzdaniels1,Jun 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I am a travel agent and I escorted a group of 26 people on a British Isles cruise. We booked two vehicles for the Puffins, Ponies, and Past tour and it was wonderful. Part of the group included children and their guide was outstanding with kids. The other part of the group was all adults and our guide was equally amazing. Every single person raved about the tour. I would book with Robertson's Tours & Holidays again in a heartbeat!
Great guide and tour
Karen C,Jun 2, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Jacqueline is a superb tour guide. Very down to earth, knowledgeable, and funny. There were 13 of us and we had a great time.
Fantastic experience;...
Steven d,Jun 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Fantastic experience; able to get closer to some things on narrower roads than large buses. Great experience.
Shetlands - Geography, Culture, and magnificent scenery
Jacqueline H,May 30, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00This is an extensive tour that really gives a visitor a good tour of the Shetland Islands. David our driver was excellent and great fun. He was very helpful with our disabled member. Our guide was very knowledgeable and willing to answer all questions. Thank you for providing this tour, it met our expectations
Our guide was a no show and there were no other guides to take his place!!
LAXMOMOF3BOYS,Jan 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00It would have been a great tour if our guide would have shown up. It was our one and only day in Shetland Islands so it was quite disappointing. The driver ended up taking us on our private tour but she knew very little about the sites we were seeing and provided minimal narrative. She did the very best she could do by googling some things along the way and reading us what google said. She was as surprised as we were at the lack of show of the guide because they were both clearly booked for the day. The company highly apologized and compensated us appropriately but for the only day we will ever spend in Shetland Islands, we wonted the proper guided tour, not compensation.
Great day!!!!!
April C,Aug 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Our guide Danny was excellent. He was just the right mix of fun facts and local history. He was extremely flexible and made us love the Shetland Islands!!! Really the perfect day!!!! Recommend Danny and this tour 100%!!!!
Fabulous day in Lerwick
Elise B,Aug 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Communication was excellent concerning where to meet our guide and driver. Mandy was so kind, knowledgeable and interesting with all her explanations and history. Circumstances required some juggling of our itinerary and Mandy and Jez (our driver) guided us seamlessly with alternate plans and some extras. One couple on our tour didn't make it in time and we all voted to move forward without them. When they later found their way to the pier, Mandy and Jez kindly backtracked to pick them up and made an extra stop or two to catch them up on what they missed. The tour went over the scheduled time and we were all delighted. I feel confident speaking for all 14 participants when I say we loved our day in Lerwick with Mandy and Jez.
Great trip. Highly recommended!
John M,Aug 24, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We are a group of six adults that did this tour on a cruise stop. We had a great time and really enjoyed the day. We had missed the puffins on some prior ports. On this tour we were not disappointed. Lots of puffins and some lovely close up photos. The ponies were cute and we also had a couple of stops at ancient sites of the Shetland civilization. Our guide was knowledgeable and we thought the tour was good value. One of the members of our party left a jacket in the van and the tour organization shipped it home at no charge. Highly recommend.
Great tour of Lerwick
Carolyn h,Aug 2, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Danny was friendly, knowledgeable and provided us with an amazing tour of the beautiful island of Lerwick. This tour was the perfect way to see so much the island in a short amount of time. I’d definitely recommend this tour!
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Operated by Robertson's Tours & Holidays