School Trips & Tours to Northern Ireland
With its remarkably diverse landscape of breathtaking coastlines and spectacular countryside, Northern Ireland’s North Coast is the ideal geography school trip destination to study both physical and human geography. The area is filled with field trip opportunities for budding geographers, with glens, lush forest parks, secluded coastal tracks and many quaint fishing villages. Popular geography visits for school groups include the spectacular Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and Portstewart Strand - which offers a fantastic opportunity for data collection and fieldwork techniques.
On a geography field trip to Northern Ireland’s North Coast, your pupils will get the chance to study coastal processes, volcanism, geology, glaciation, the impact of tourism and conservation in a fascinating area of outstanding natural beauty.
When it comes to the educational side of things, Northern Ireland offers a wide and diverse range of educational tours and visits that will enlighten and expand the imagination of pupils across all age groups.
Take a look at some of our most popular school trips, or get in touch for more information or advice – we’re always happy to help.
Northern Ireland Geography School Trips & Tours
With its remarkably diverse landscape of breathtaking coastlines and spectacular countryside, Northern Ireland’s North Coast is the ideal geography school trip destination to study both physical and human geography.
Northern Ireland trip highlights - our groups love...
Giant's Causeway
Giant's Causeway
Students will take a short walk down to the Causeway to marvel at the 400,000 interlocking basalt stone columns left by volcanic eruptions over 60 million years ago. Here, groups can immerse themselves in the geology of the area: investigating intrusive and extrusive volcanic features, coastal processes and landforms, and also consider the human impact of the site. Students can then explore the state of the art visitor centre where they can engage with the interactive exhibition.
Whiterocks Beach
Whiterocks Beach
Whiterocks Beach enjoys a stunning coastal location. The soft, sedimentary rocks have been carved through centuries into a labyrinth of caves and arches allowing for the investigation of landforms such as sea stacks and arches.
Titanic Museum
Titanic Museum
Visit the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience at this fascinating museum in Belfast. Students don’t just learn, they become enthralled by full scale replicas and visually stunning displays through nine interactive galleries.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Carrick-a-Rede is a Site of Special Scientific Interest with unique geology, flora and fauna. This visit offers students a unique cliff-top experience to traverse the 30m deep and 20m wide chasm by a rope bridge.
Students will see examples of volcanic features and coastal processes, views across to Rathlin Island and, on a clear day, even the coast of Scotland!
Glenariff Waterfalls and Forest Park
Glenariff Waterfalls and Forest Park
The diversity of topography, woodland and habitats found within the forest provide a superb area for geography studies. Both physical and human geography can be investigated at Glenariff from glaciation and glacial features to tourism and human impact.
Expert trip planners
Hundreds of students travel with NST to Northern Ireland every year, and members of our team regularly visit the entire island to really get to know the ins-and-outs of each area, from logistics and attractions to our range of student-friendly accommodation. Your dedicated Tour Co-ordinator will use their knowledge of Northern Ireland to create an itinerary that’s tailor-made, perfectly timed and meets your exact school travel needs. They’ll be able to share their first-hand experience, suggest options you might not have considered and give you insight into the feedback other teachers have given us too.
Planning your first school trip?
If you're planning your first school trip, our essential guide will take you through each step of the process...
- Choosing your destination
- Gaining approval from your Local Authority and/or your Head
- Promoting your tour in school
- Confirming your booking
- Tailor-make your tour
- Completing your risk assessments (including a sample risk assessment)
- Quick reference timeline
- Pre-tour checklist
Additional support, resources & information
Tour planning service
Tour planning service
With NST, you’ll get your own dedicated, knowledgeable Tour Co-ordinator who’ll work with you from start to finish. You’ll benefit from their unrivalled destination knowledge, and their experience gained from working with many other groups too. They’ll tailor-make your itinerary from scratch and take care of everything for you:
- Pulling together an itinerary that runs smoothly
- Planning the right balance of visits every day with realistic timings
- Pre-arranging and pre-booking your visits, entrance tickets, passes and meals
You’ll receive your final itinerary a full 4-weeks before you travel too.
Free school trip promotion pack
Free school trip promotion pack
We’ll support you and provide everything you need to advertise your school trip around school and to parents. Our free school trip promotion pack consists of:
- Parents’ letter & permission slip template for you to complete A3 posters to promote your trip around school
- PowerPoint presentation templates which you can tailor to your own needs
- Online parents’ video which showcases the benefits of taking a school trip
Risk assessment support including preview visits
Risk assessment support including preview visit
Risk assessment plays a vitally important part in the planning and organisation on any school tour.
Our risk assessment guide aims to help you understand more about your obligations and how you can more effectively manage group safety on your next educational visit and provide you with risk assessments for your trip.
Planning first school trip
Planning first school trip
Organising your first school trip can appear to be a daunting process.
If you're planning your first school trip, our guide will help to take you through each step of the planning process, answering frequently asked questions and providing tips and support along the way.
Our helpful guide covers the following:
- Choosing your destination
- Gaining approval from your Local Authority and/or your Head
- Promoting your tour in school
- Confirming your booking
- Tailor-make your tour
- Completing your risk assessments (including a sample risk assessment)
- Quick reference timeline
- Pre-tour checklist
Get live updates on your group's tour location
Get live updates on your group's tour location
Locate My Trip uses GPS technology and is the easy, convenient way for your school to follow your location whilst on tour. Specifically designed to provide reassurance to both parents and teachers, NST will know where your group are 24/7. If your schedule needs to change, we’ll put plans in place to keep your tour on track.
With Locate My Trip your group can also share photos and videos with the school and parents, via a secure link, to keep them updated on your experience whilst you’re away.
Your online school trip organiser - My Tour Manager
Your online school trip organiser - My Tour Manager
Save time and stay on track with your school trip admin with our online orgnaniser - designed to help busy teachers like you.
With My Tour Manager, you'll be able to download FREE resources and access trip paperwork online and in one place. Your personalised checklist details what you need to do and by when, plus you'll receive fortnightly reminders too.
What's more, you can take all your trip documents on the go whilst on your tour with our app, My Tour Manager-On-the-Go.
Find out more and watch out short My Tour Manager video here
Free classroom resources
Free classroom resources
We've created a range of free geography resources and educational posters to brighten up your classroom!
Take a look at our downloadable posters here
Why choose NST...
Here's why hundreds of teachers choose NST each year...
- Unrivalled knowledge
Your dedicated tour co-ordinator will use their unrivalled local knowledge and expertise of Northern Ireland to create a tailor-made, curriculum-linked itinerary to meet your group’s exact needs.
- Making it easier for you
With our online school trip organiser, travel app, free classroom posters to support in-school promotion.
- FREE group leader inspection visits
We offer a free inspection visit to your chosen destination to support your risk assessment planning.
- Value for money
We’re committed to bringing you the best possible value trips to help make every penny count.
- More than 20 years’ experience
With over 20 years’ experience, with NST you can rest assured that your group is in safe hands.
- Risk assessment guidance
Our risk assessment guidance will help you to manage group safety on your next educational trip.
- Peace of mind
Your group’s location can be followed with our trip tracking device - Locate My Trip - plus you’ll have 24/7 support from us whilst you’re away.
- Offsetting carbon emissions
For every trip taken, we'll plant a Maya nut tree in Peru to support reforestation, local communities & biodiversity. Plus, we'll offset an additional tonne of CO2 to guarantee carbon emission reductions.
Looking for protection on your next school trip?
Booking with a school travel company is the best way for you to protect parents’ money and give yourself peace of mind.
Financial protection from the moment you book
NST are fully bonded & licensed:
- ABTA
- ATOL
- IATA
- Commission for Aviation Regulation
Managing safety on school trips
For your protection, NST's independently audited Safety Management System covers:
- 24-hour emergency cover
- Audited accommodation & transport
- Excursions & school visit assessment
- Group leader preview visits to assist with risk assessment planning
Package Travel Regulations 2018
Don't forget - if your school arranges transport, accommodation and other services directly, you’ll be liable under the Package Travel Regulations – meaning you’ll have all the responsibilities of a travel company, both legal and financial.
We're LOtC Council’s Quality Badge assured
For groups travelling from Northern Ireland... the Department for Education advises schools to always look for the LOtC Quality Badge when choosing a school travel provider.
