- MOST POPULAR
This private tour starts in Highlands and guests learn fun facts about Highlands then your back road adventure takes you to amazing vistas of surrounding mountains and local waterfalls in the Nantahala Temperate Rainforest.
- 2 hours
About Highland Excursion
Highland Excursion specializes in custom, “Private” scenic tours within the Nantahala National Forest. Your tour starts in the quaint town of Highlands or Cashiers. These North Carolina hidden jewels are just a two hour drive north of Atlanta surrounded by the Nantahala Rainforest and situated atop a plateau. Experience mother natures’ four seasons, explore scenic drives in our open-air classic Pinzgauer adventure vehicles, stroll beneath waterfalls, drive through a rare North American temperate rainforest, see massive 400 year old trees in the shadow of the oldest mountains in the world. A Highland Excursion is one of the best things to do in Highlands, NC.
Highland Excursion Was Recently Featured In The Wall Street Journal!
Check Out Why Our Customers Love Us!
The best part of the tour was hard to decide between the beautiful scenery and the fantastic guide....so knowledgeable and fun!! Aussie the dog was a bonus!!
– Christine C | Tripadvisor
My husband and I took the Rainforest of NC tour with Terry as our guide, we thoroughly enjoyed it. We learned a lot about the area and saw stunning scenery. Terry is very knowledgable about both the history of the area and the landscape, including the various types of vegetation. He even recommended a place to eat lunch after our tour, and it was great! This tour was a very pleasant experience - we highly recommend it!
– Stacie C | Tripadvisor
Terry was great. We only had one day to sightsee and knew we needed a guide. Learned a lot about the area and saw some beautiful waterfalls.
– Walon S | Tripadvisor
We had a great time with Justin. We learned a lot of history and had the opportunity to see beautiful sites. He was accommodating to our last minute time change request as well.
– Traci Anderson | Tripadvisor
What a wonderful day exploring Highlands area in the Mercedes G Wagon. The Wagon had a great propane heater and blankets to wrap up in but was open so you could enjoy the sights. Justin was our Guide, he customized the adventure as we have hiked in the the area before and wanted to experience something new. Our group loved learning a little bit of history of the area, learning new flora and fauna and even smelled a bear on the trial. We hiked Satulah Mountain. What a surprise to have hot chocolate and s'mores while taking in the gorgeous views. One of the highlights was having Justin's Mountain Guide Dog "Aussie" along for the trip. Definitely would recommend, we will be back in the summer and would like to do the kayaking trip.
– Lanierprincess2013 | Tripadvisor
We did the PRIVATE TOUR. We highly recommend this tour for couples. The tour is customized tour to your likes. Once you meet up they ask you what are your interests, nature, views, waterfalls, hiking, history, etc. and then they tailor the 2.5 hours to your liking. We sat back let Justin be our expert guide to all things Highlands. Prior to the tour they asked us if we had any food allergies and our favorite wine. It was the perfect day!
– Holly S | Tripadvisor