About Us
The Western Isles Tour Guide Association (WITGA) is a group of over 40 independent tour guides based in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Founded in 1997, it is a membership organisation that trains and represents its own guides. Most tour guides in the Outer Hebrides are WITGA members.
Tour Guide Services
WITGA provides three main services to visitors to the Outer Hebrides:
- Step-on guides for tour groups and individual clients that have a coach or vehicle separately arranged.
- Pre-arranged walking tours for organised groups and individual clients.
- Driver guiding with guides who have their own vehicles for smaller, bespoke tours.
All our guides are trained through an extensive programme of peer-to-peer learning and have in-depth knowledge of the Outer Hebrides’ geography, history, language and culture.
WITGA also conducts continuous professional development for guides in association with local cultural, heritage and community organisations.
Some of our guides hold green or blue badges from the Scottish Tourist Guides Association (STGA). Where this is the case, that accreditation is listed in their guide profiles . The guide profiles also show which guides offer driver guiding.
Many WITGA guides offer foreign-language guiding, and we are fortunate to have a number of fluent Gaelic speakers among our members. We currently provide guiding in Dutch, English, French, Gaelic, German, Italian and Spanish. Guides’ language skills are listed in their guide profiles.
If you live in the Outer Hebrides and are interested in training to become a WITGA guide, please contact us for more information.