Must-See Beara Peninsula Guide

✅ Jaw-dropping natural scenery
✅ Sweeping coastal views
✅ Patchwork green fields

These are the sights you simply can't miss while exploring the rugged Beara Peninsula.

Straddling the counties of both Cork and Kerry, the Beara is truly off the beaten track.

Narrow, winding roads ensure life here keeps to an unhurried rhythm.

Of the four peninsulas in Ireland's southwestern corner, the Beara receives the least amount of visitors.

This in turn gives the area a uniquely unspoiled feel.

The colourful village of Allihies on the Beara peninsula in Ireland

🦅 Garnish Island

Located in the sheltered harbour of Glengarriff, Garnish island is a haven for garden lovers.

You'll discover all sorts amazing flora when wandering around its famed gardens.

Scenic pool and gardens on Garnish Island in Ireland

Garnish benefits from a uniquely warm microclimate. Many exotic flowers blossom here that you will not find in other parts of Ireland.

A Vagabond tour guest watching for seals out the window of the ferry to Garnish Island

Watch out for seals on the ferry to Garnish Island. A colony of roughly 250 seals bask on the rocky outcrop of Seal Island.

As your boat glides across Bantry Bay, you'll get an up-close view.

Once the stronghold of 17th Century Gaelic Prince O'Sullivan Bere, Dunboy Castle now lies in ruins. This was the scene of the siege of Dunboy, in 1602. English monarch Queen Elizabeth I sent 5,000 soldiers to suppress the Gaelic rulers of the area.

Vagabond tours guests standing on Dunboy Castle ruins

When you visit Dunboy Castle, you're free to wander the historic remains. Packed a picnic? The views of Bullig Bay and Bere Island from Dunboy Castle make it an ideal picnic location.

Vagabond tour guests hiking near Dunboy Castle on the Beara Peninsula, Ireland

Dunboy Castle is the starting point for the Bullig Bay looped hike. This trail hugs the coast before turning inland across verdant farmland. Watch out for traditional dry stone walls, a ruined watch-tower and crumbling walled enclosures, each steeped in history.

🧙 Uragh Stone Circle and Gleninchaquin Park

Carved by glaciers thousands of years ago, Gleninchaquin feels otherworldly.

Uragh Stone Circle with lake and waterfall in the Gleninchaquin Valley, Ireland

Ringed by forested hills, this rocky valley is equally dramatic shrouded in mist or on a clear day. Look to the north for a dramatic 140 metre (153 yards) high waterfall. This cascade feeds the placid lakes below.

Crowning the magical scene is the Uragh Stone Circle. Dating from the Neolithic Era, Uragh is one of the best examples of a stone circle in Ireland. Its exact use is mysterious. But you can really understand why its builders chose this location - things haven't changed much here in millennia!

↪️ Healy Pass

Twisting and turning its way across the Beara peninsula, the Healy Pass has become a must-see on the Beara.

Twisting road and green mountains on the Healy Pass in Ireland

This mountain pass runs from Adrigole in Cork to Lauragh in Kerry. It twists its way through two of the highest peaks in the Caha mountain range.

A Driftwood tour vehicle and tour group stopped at a scenic spot on the Healy Pass in Ireland

The views here do not disappoint. Glanmore lake opens up beneath you, with vibrant green fields contrasting against rocky mountain peaks. Photos don't do the Healy Pass justice.

🌊 Allihies

At the very end of the the Beara Peninsula lies the scenic coastal village of Allihies. This is the furthest point from Dublin you can reach in Ireland; it really does feel like the edge of the world!

Vagabond tour vehicle and tour group stopped at a scenic spot on the Beara Peninsula, Ireland

Colourful Allihies boasts stunning views of the Iveragh mountains and coast across Kenmare Bay. In the 18^th century the town was a thriving copper mine district and remnants of this era can still be found. Up to 40% of the population of Butte, Montana in the U.S., are descendants of emigrant miners from this area.

The well-known Irish legend of the Children of Lir has a connection to Allihies. According to local folklore, after 900 years of journeying across the sea, the children of Lir were buried there. Mythology aside, the views there are definitely otherworldly.