Connemara Hiking Tours
Hours, prices and access verified by the Connemara Tours team — last checked 2026-09-18.
Connemara hiking tours give you two or three hours on the national park trails, from a guided hike for your group to a free afternoon on Diamond Hill. Entry to the park is free, so you pay for the ride and the guide.
Connemara hiking tours from Galway
Badge of Excellence
★★★★★ 5.0 (20 reviews · 9 hours)
Guided national park hikeGalway pickupYour group only
A guide collects you in Galway city, stops for sheepdogs and an hour in Leenane, then leads your group alone for three hours in the national park. Water is supplied; bring your own lunch and snacks.
From $228 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Badge of Excellence
★★★★★ 4.8 (202 reviews · 7 hours 30 minutes)
National park stopFrom Galway
Two hours on the trails on your own, which suits the lower Diamond Hill loop. The coach leaves the HYDE Hotel at 09:45 and stops in Leenane and at Killary on the way.
From $64 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.7 (712 reviews · 9 hours)
Kylemore or national parkFrom Galway
Three hours free in the park, enough for the upper loop to the summit if you keep moving. Or choose Kylemore on the day. From the Kinlay Hostel by Pines Island and the Sky Road.
From $57 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Badge of Excellence
★★★★★ 4.9 (17 reviews · 1 day)
Kylemore or national parkFrom Galway
Three hours in the park or at Kylemore, your call on the day, in a minivan of 30 at most. The route passes the Screebe waterfall and Clifden, and comes home by Lough Inagh.
From $92 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A guided hike for your group alone
Fat Bike Galway collects you in Galway city and leads three hours in the national park, with a sheepdog demonstration and an hour in Leenane on the way.
Check availability
What a Connemara hiking tour is
It is a day from Galway that spends its long stop on foot in Connemara National Park. The park
covers some 2,000 hectares of mountain, bog and woodland near Letterfrack, and entry is free. Four
waymarked trails start at the visitor centre, the longest climbing to the summit of Diamond
Hill.
Two kinds of day get you there. The guided hike puts a guide with your group for three hours.
The park days drop you at the visitor centre with two or three hours to walk on your own, and on
the three-hour days you may choose Kylemore Abbey instead when you arrive.
None of them is a mountaineering day. The trails are stone paths, steps and boardwalk. Beyond
them the park has no marked routes, and the Twelve Bens are for walkers with a map and compass.
Why choose a hiking tour
The trails are free, the transport is not
The park charges nothing for entry or parking. What the tour sells is the 82 to 93 km each way
from Galway, and a guide or a driver for the day.
Time on the summit loop
The upper Diamond Hill loop is 3.7 km and graded strenuous. Three hours gives you time to reach
the top and walk down the far side; the two-hour park day suits the 3 km lower loop.
A guide who walks with you
On the guided hike you are not left to find the path. The guide sets the pace for your group,
and the day is priced per person rather than per car.
Views you only get on foot
From the summit trail the park names the Twelve Bens and Kylemore Abbey in view. The easier
Sruffaunboy loop looks out over Ballynakill Harbour and Tully Mountain.
A guided hike vs the trails on your own
You can hike the park without a guide: the trails are waymarked and free. What changes is who
gets you there and how long you have.
| Guided hike, Fat Bike Galway | Park day, on your own | Driving yourself |
|---|
| Price | $228 per person | $57 to $92 per seat | Your hire car and fuel |
| Time on the trails | About 3 hours, guided | 2 or 3 hours, unguided | As long as you like |
| Group | Your group only, up to 8 | Shared, up to 30 to 53 | Your party |
| Pickup | Within 3 km of Galway city | A city-centre kerb | None |
| Summit loop | With a guide | On the three-hour days | Yes |
| Also on the day | Sheepdogs at Loch na Fooey, Leenane | Clifden and the Sky Road, or Leenane | Kylemore, if you want it |
| Best for | First hikers, small groups | Solo walkers on a budget | Experienced walkers |
Check availability from $228
If you walk hills at home and have a car, you need no tour for the trails. If you have no car,
or want company on the summit loop, the guided hike is the day built for it. For the lowest fare,
the three-hour park day gives you the same trails on your own.
What you get, and what you don't
- On the guided hike: pickup and drop-off in Galway city, the guide, a sheepdog
demonstration at Loch na Fooey, and bottled water. Lunch, snacks and coffee are not included.
- On the park days: the transport and the driver's commentary. The park itself
is free, and you walk on your own.
- At the park: a visitor centre with a free exhibition and a free 20-minute
film, The Hungry Hiker café, toilets and picnic areas.
- Not on any hiking day: lunch, boots or rain gear.
Three hours on the trails from the Kinlay Hostel
Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours' park day goes out by Pines Island, Clifden and the Sky Road, then leaves you three hours in the park.
Check availability
Planning a hiking tour
- Budget: $57 to $92 a seat on a park day, or $228 per
person for the guided hike.
- Watch the warnings: the park closes its grounds during orange and red weather
warnings. Check Met Éireann the evening before.
- Know the visitor-centre days: since 1 July 2026 it closes on Mondays and
Tuesdays. The trails, the café and the toilets stay open.
- Pack for the bog: boots with grip, a waterproof, water and lunch. Midges come
out on warm, humid days, and ticks live in the long grass off the path.
- Bring the dog on a lead if you drive yourself: the park allows dogs on a
lead, but check with the operator before bringing one on a tour.
Who should choose something else
- If you want Kylemore Abbey as well. The guided hike does not stop there, and
the three-hour days make you choose. A private car can do both.
- If you plan to cycle. Bikes are not allowed on the park trails. The e-bike day
on the private Connemara tours page rides the roads by Loch na Fooey.
- If two hours of walking is too much. The 0.5 km Ellis Wood trail is the
shortest loop. Or choose one of the Connemara day tours from Galway that spends its long stop at Kylemore.
- If you want the high Twelve Bens. No tour here goes beyond the waymarked
trails. For Benbaun, at 725 m the highest peak in County Galway, you need OS sheet 37 and the
skills to use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a guided hike?
Yes. Fat Bike Galway runs a private guided hike in Connemara National Park, with about three hours on the trails and pickup in Galway. It costs $228 per person.
Is two hours enough to climb Diamond Hill?
For the lower loop, yes. For the summit, it is tight: one reviewer on the two-hour park day found it too short to reach the top and get back. The three-hour days and the guided hike give you the margin.
How fit do I need to be for the upper Diamond Hill loop?
The park grades the upper loop strenuous: 3.7 km of stone and gravel paths and boardwalk to the summit, then down the far side. The lower loop is graded moderate, 3 km with a 90 m climb to Big Rock. Choose by the grade you walk at home.
Is the national park free?
Yes. Entry and parking are free, and the park is open all year. The visitor centre opens Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 17:30, and on bank holiday Mondays.
What should I wear on the trails?
Boots or trail shoes with grip, and a waterproof. The trails are old bog road, steps, gravel and boardwalk, and the summit is exposed. Carry water and a snack, since lunch is not included on any hiking day.
Can I walk the national park trails without a tour?
Yes. Entry and parking are free, and all four trails start at the visitor centre near Letterfrack. Beyond them there are no marked trails, so the wider park is for walkers with a map and compass.
Is the park visitor centre open every day?
No. Since 1 July 2026 it closes on Mondays, except bank holidays, and on Tuesdays. The trails and The Hungry Hiker café stay open on those days.
Are tours cancelled for bad weather?
Some listings say a tour cancelled for poor weather is moved to another date or refunded. The national park also closes its grounds during orange and red weather warnings, so check Met Éireann on the morning.
Compare the hiking days with the day tours, the private cars and the Dublin tours on Connemara Tours.