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Day 7:

Killarney National Park

Explore Killarney National Park, designated a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in 1982. Situated in the south-western corner of Ireland, with its three famous lakes reflecting the ever changing skies above the great mountain ranges, Killarney has been the inspiration of poets and painters for many centuries.

The three main lakes of Killarney occupy a broad valley stretching south between the mountains. The three lakes and the mountains that surround them are all within the Killarney National Park.

Nearest the town is the Lower Lake (Lough Leane) studded with islands and having on its eastern shore the historic Muckross Abbey and Ross Castle. The wooded peninsula of Muckross separates the Lower from the Middle Lake sometimes called Muckross Lake.

At the tip of the Muckross Peninsula is the quaint Brickeen Bridge and Dinis Island further on with its sub-tropical vegetation and views of the 'Meeting of the Waters’. A narrow straight called the Long Range leads to the island-studded Upper Lake. Around these islands are luxuriant woods of oak, arbutus, holly and mountain ash, while beneath grows a profusion of fern and other plants.

Added to the beauty of the three main lakes are many other lakes in the folds of the mountains, and the numerous picturesque cascades such as Torc Waterfall.

Rising to the west of the Killarney valley are the peaks of MacGillicuddy’s Reeks. These mountains beloved of the climber, including Carrauntuohill 3414 feet, the highest peak in Ireland.

2 nights in Killarney.