Explore
Exploring the Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly are a magical place to explore. With five main inhabited islands, tens of uninhabited islands and hundreds of rocks and outcrops scattered around, even on the busiest summers' day you can soon find yourself away from it all. Every island has a unique character and, on occasion, unique wildlife. There are special spots to visit if you want to see a rare species, like St Martin's for red-barbed ants, St Agnes for least adder's-tongue fern, or Bryher for dwarf pansies. Explore each island below to discover what wildlife you might find there, or enjoy our seasonal guides.
Exploring Scilly by boat
You'll get the best of Scilly by exploring not only on land, but also on the sea. There are several places around the islands where you can hire equipment (kayaks, SUPs, etc.), or you can take a trip to see seabirds, seals and other marine life. We work with St Agnes Boating to run Wildlife Safaris; climb aboard the Spirit of St Agnes in spring and early summer for amazing views of puffins, razorbills, guillemots, gannets, shags, shearwaters, terns and gulls around Annet and the Western Rocks, plus you'll be able to spot seals throughout the year. On some trips we have encountered cetaceans, too, including harbour porpoises, common dolphins and minke whales, as well as locally rarer species like bottlenose dolphins, Risso's dolphins and humpback whales. You can also visit the Norrad Rocks and Eastern Isles.