The Aigas season begins in April and will finish in October. We are running more programmes than ever to cater for a wide variety of interests. If you are interested in a specific theme, please scroll through the themes below to find your preferred area of interest and the courses we do that relate to it.
Click on the programme name below to see full details and to book.
Wildlife of Orkney
The Orkney Islands are home to a unique and abundant wildlife. This year we are running two Orkney weeks with slightly differing itineraries. This week will have more of a focus on wildlife, botany and birdlife, than historical and cultural…
Autumn Birds
Autumn is one of the most exciting times during the birding calendar in the Scottish Highlands, as we begin to see new arrivals flooding back to the UK for winter. Our position on the East Atlantic Flyway means that…
Summer Birds
The breeding season is well established, and we shall be looking for a full suite of nesting birds from the mountains right down to the sea. Raptors, especially osprey and golden eagle, will be hunting, with well grown chicks to…
Aigas and the Local Area
Formerly known as Aigas Retreat, we have been working hard to improve and upgrade this low-key week. We have listened to our returning guests and developed a locally based, low emissions programme. We have capped total daily mileage to 40…
Gardens of the Highlands
With a special focus on some of the Highland’s most special gardens, both private and public, this programme has been designed by garden-lovers Lucy Lister-Kaye and Sue Pomeroy. Highlights include: Week long leadership from Sue Pomeroy, a longtime gardener and…
Wildlife Tracking with Dan Puplett
We will look in detail at track and sign left by a range of birds, mammals, amphibians and invertebrates. Tracking develops our ability to observe subtle details and connect them to landscape-scale patterns. You will build confidence in sign recognition…
The Orkney Isles
The Orkney Islands are home to a unique and special blend of abundant wildlife and globally important historical sites. Making the best of the long summer days, this week will give you the opportunity to learn about and experience both…
Gardens and Highland Homes
Specially designed by garden-lover Lucy Lister-Kaye, this programme visits some of our most spectacular local homes, both open to the public and private, with nearby gardens. This programme will be led jointly by guest leader Sue Pomeroy and Lady Lister-Kaye.…
Walking and Wildlife
More and more of our guests express the desire for longer walks in the stunning surrounding scenery. We are now offering more walking programmes than ever before. Striding out on long but low level walks, we will explore coastlines and…
The Famous Aigas Wildlife Week
Each week will be based at Aigas and will spend six full days (7 nights) exploring the stunning hills, glens, forests, coasts and marshes of the Highlands producing breathtaking encounters with eagles, pine martens, otters, black throated divers, deer, crossbills,…
Whisky and Wildlife with Martyn Jamieson
Led by our experienced wildlife guide and whisky aficionado – Martyn Jamieson – this is a wildlife week with a strong whisky theme running through it. We will explore the hills and glens for their wonderful wildlife and will stop…
Fascinating Fungi
Fungi are fascinating – by turns they are colourful, deadly, delicious, predatory, vital to ecosystems, luminous, rare, ubiquitous and laden with folklore associations. Their life-cycles are varied and extraordinary and we are only just beginning to understand the importance of…
Highland Landscapes with Jonathan Willet
The Highlands boasts some of the United Kingdom’s most diverse habitats and Aigas is situated in the perfect location to explore a wide range of environments. This programme will delve into a different habitat each day to revel in ancient…
Wildflowers and Gardens
Summer is upon us and the Highlands are in bloom. This exciting programme combines our stunning wildflowers which often flower well into July, found in equally stunning locations, and the Highland’s unique and varied gardens. We will explore the east…
Terrific Trees with Dan Puplett
Trees are simply astonishing, and there’s much more to them than meets the eye. Join naturalist Dan Puplett for a deep dive into their world. Discover the fascinating role they play in the lives of wildlife and the wider ecosystem,…
Wildflowers and Walking
Timed to match optimum flowering, this week combines gentle walks into the hills and glens to search for orchids, sundews and delicate moorland flowers like milkwort, tormentil and lousewort, as well as specialist rarities such a twinflower and one-flowered wintergreen,…
Incredible Invertebrates
This week we focus on the smaller species living alongside us in the Highlands, visiting a variety of the best wildlife habitats the Highlands have to offer. Each day will vary from the next – from searching the sheltered pools…
Raptor Week – Eagles, Hawks and Harriers
This week will focus on finding the Highlands’ Birds of Prey. We will visit a range of habitats, each one suited to a specific array of raptors. This week-long experience will take you from the rugged west coast to the…
The Outer Hebrides in Spring – North and South Uist
The Uists are alive with wildlife in spring, it is a time of change and new life. There are over 50 pairs of eagle, both golden and white-tailed, holding territory on the Uists, well into their breeding season by May.…
Spring Birds
Our Spring Birds programme offers an early morning visit to watch lekking black grouse at our local RSPB reserve. We bid farewell to thousands of pink-footed and greylag geese, ducks and waders and welcome back ospreys, cuckoos, wheatears, whinchats and…
Highland Wildlife Art Course with Jackie Garner
With such a plethora of wildlife on the doorstep Aigas is ideally situated for a Highland Wildlife Art Course. We invite you to join Jackie Garner – one of the UK’s leading wildlife artists and author of The Wildlife Artist’s Handbook – on a…
Nature Photography Workshop with Laurie Campbell
Laurie Campbell is one of the most well-respected nature photographers in Scotland, with over fifty years of experience. During this week Laurie will help you develop your skills, whether you are just getting started with photography or are a seasoned…
Aigas Wildlife Discovery
This programme in the first week of our season acts as a training week for our new trainee rangers. Guests will be accompanied by a senior ranger and a trainee who will use this opportunity to take the lead and…
Aigas Mini-Break
If a week-long programme won’t fit into your calendar, you can experience a little snapshot of what Aigas has to offer with a mini-break. Spending time on the estate is a delight with red squirrels running between the lodges, woodpeckers…
Monarchs of the Glen
For many, the red deer and golden eagles are icons of the Scottish Highlands. Red deer are the UK’s largest land mammal and thrive in some of our isle’s most inhospitable and remote parts. From mid-September male red deer, known…
