Skellig Michael

I haven’t done it, but I was just at the Skellig Experience and spoke to the staff about the landings. I asked if they had landed that day ( it was foggy and rainy, so I thought they would not be able to), but the staff person said they had. The staff person said if you plan to do it, plan several days so you have a chance of making the landing. Also, book several months in advance. While we were there we saw several tourists be disappointed they could not just show up and book for that day or the next.

Thanks for your response. I have 4 different days reserved next month. Hopefully, one will work out!

How crowded has this become nowadays? I'm sure the place itself is still spectacular, but after all the pop culture movie exposure I've heard it's become quite crowded. It seems there has been an explosion in interest in visiting, and I'm worried that this has become the next Dubrovnik, loved to death and overrun with fans who otherwise would never have heard of the place and who would never have had any interest in going there if it wasn't suddenly famous from a film.

If I go to Skellig Michael, am I going to find it swarming with hundreds of idiots running around waving plastic light sabers?

(No offense intended to those of you with plastic light sabers.)

@David-I don’t think that is a concern. Yes, more people know about it now. But, it is a protected UNESCO site and its been around for a long time. Like Macchu Picchu (sp). It is very regulated.

Yes, it's very regulated. Back in 2016 I had hoped to go on one of the Landing Tours while we were in the area. I was unaware of the publicity caused by the movie, so was very disappointed when I could not book a boat. I have since found out that the time period when boats are allowed to go there and the number of tourists per day is strictly controlled. Plus, the weather cuts the number of visitors back by even more, since there are many days when the boats don't go out. I am hopeful that I will get out there next month, and that I will not be the only one not wearing a Star Trek outfit :)

Bless you, I would definitely encourage anyone to wear a Star Trek outfit there - that could not be more perfect! :)

My experience is that the go/no-go decisions are made on a daily basis, and aren't necessarily influenced by the trends during one season versus another, or even one week. I made the journey back in late June 2011, and even that morning on Valentia Island, the skipper wasn't positive first thing in the morning whether his boat was going to go. An hour later, but an hour before we took off, the decision was "yes." The trip out to The Skelligs was a bit choppy, though, and one young woman on board got seasick. She didn't feel up to making the climb on Skellig Michael, and she and her husband waited for the rest of us. She was felt better on the return trip. If the puffins haven;t all migrated off the island by the time you go, they were definitely an added benefit to the experience.

If you would be departing from Valentia Island and your trip doesn't wind up going, exploring Valentia itself is rewarding - - check out the tetrapod tracks on the north shore!

We visited Skellig Michael a few weeks ago. Our understanding the staff who live on Skellig Michael verify that it is safe to land on the island by 8:30 am. There is a maximum of 180 paid visitors to the island everyday. Our boat captain said they have had great luck with the landings this year. It was a terrific experience. OP please remember to immediately cancel all unused reservations so that those on the waitings lists can be notified. We had three on our boat who were last minute additions and they were all so happy! Yes there are some happy, excited star wars fan on the island but I just want to add that everyone on the day we were there was very respectful and this allowed for everyone to enjoy the island no matter what reason brought them there that day.

Our family had reservation for this past mid June. We were scheduled to leave from the docks at Portmagee. Unfortunately, we were suppose to head out around 11 and then it go bumped to 2 and ended up being cancelled. It was really the highlight planned place to visit on our 2 week trip. We stopped for coffee that morning (at the only little coffee place in the tiny town) and ended up meeting the captain of the boat. They really do put the safety first and we understood the cancellation. We later found out that the 9 days before had been cancelled as well due to rough seas. So now, my husband must take us back to Ireland again!!!! Win win situation for me! Ireland was just amazing!

Thanks for your reply. Cancellations for 10 days in a row was definitely bad luck! And the boat owners must lose a lot of money. I'm sort of like your husband, this will be my second time trying to get out there.