Our group of 12 from San Francisco had a fantastic time on Aleman’s tour of Inverness! It was truly a highlight, if not the highlight, of our 16 night Princess cruise through England, Ireland, Iceland, and Scotland. I had found Friendly Highland Tours through an Internet search and emailed the owner, Aleman, to see if he could accommodate a party of 12 as the website said the van holds up to eight. He emailed back very promptly, which was surprising because we had a significant time difference between us. Anytime I would send him an email, he would get back to me very quickly and he was always very accommodating, polite and professional. He said that we could have two vehicles for our tour group and was willing to work beyond his listed hours to help us see everything we wanted to see. I asked if he would charge us more and he said no; he just wanted to make sure we had a great time. We were sure to include a good tip for his kindness. Payment was cash only, however, the initial deposit was done through PayPal.
Our group really customized our tour, requesting to see some random things, ranging from a specific Nessie sculpture to getting up close to Highland cows. Aleman said yes to everything, and we collaborated to create a very packed itinerary, down to the minute! Before the tour, I was unsure of whether we would really be able to see everything we had planned, but Aleman and his partner for the day, Michelle, really made it happen, despite the additional challenge of a three day concert and the traffic it brought to the narrow two lane roads. We were traveling with expert locals and skilled drivers!
We were picked up at 9 AM at the Invergordon port arrivals. We got outside early because we were unfamiliar with the area. Aleman was right there with a sign that said my name, making it very easy for us to know where to go. Four of us got into Michelle’s BMW sedan while the other eight got into Aleman’s van. The vehicles were clean and comfortable, and while we drove, both guides provided lots of information about the area and made us laugh and feel comfortable with entertaining conversation. I felt like we were traveling with friends.
Aleman and Michelle managed to avoid the traffic by taking back roads and still managed to get us everywhere on time, if not just a little bit early. One girl in our group really wanted to see Highland cows and they made sure to add in a quick bonus stop, just in case, we did not have enough time for the planned one. However, we did, and the whole group was delighted to get to see the cows twice on different farms.
Our group tickets to the Loch Ness Center included two complementary tickets for our guide and free parking, so Aleman and Michelle were able to go through the newly renovated center with us. We had so much fun! They were excited and enthusiastic participants. Throughout the day, they helped us take group photos and were even willing to jump in with us for some funny pictures.
We were dropped off at the cruise port around 5pm after all of our adventures. We were sad to leave them, after such a fun filled day. I would highly recommend Friendly Highland Tours, if you are looking for a customizable tour of Inverness and want to save yourself the headache of trying to get transportation from the Invergordon cruise port into Inverness. we would not have been able to see or do so much without Aleman’s tour. I had shopped around and his prices were the most reasonable. Especially after going on the tour, I can honestly say that it is well worth his inexpensive price for all that you get, and I am confident that you will have a great time! We would love to come back and spend another day with him. Thank you so much, Aleman and Michelle!