Tripadvisor, the expedia owned travel review website, have just named their best destinations for 2008.
Dingle, or “An Daingean” as it is officially named, has been listed at number 18, the 6th European destination to be listed.
Dingle, which is in the extreme South West of Ireland, is part of the Irish Speaking Gaeltacht and is the most westerly town in Europe. Dingle is a popular tourist attraction for people who travel to Ireland as it retains the old world charm of an Irish fishing village.
One of the many tourist attractions in Dingle is Ireland’s most famous Dolphin, Fungie. Fungie is a mature male bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) and was first sighted in Dingle Harbour in early 1984. He is reputed to be the longest standing friendly solitary dolphin in the world.
An aquarium, Mara Beo (meaning ‘living sea’) overlooking the beautiful harbour is another of the many attractions in Dingle….
I believe that the over-whelming reason that Dingle has been listed in the 20 is the natural and rugged beauty of the surrounding area and if you take a drive around the Dingle peninsula, right out to Slea head and through Ballyferriter you will agree. For the more adventurous I recommend the Dingle Way, a ten day walking tour through spectacular scenery that will enthrall.