Island Gems on the Isle of Wight

Welcome to Island Gems Fossil Trips!

The Isle of Wight is the best place in Europe for dinosaur fossils and our multi award winning fossil hunting trips have been running here since 1984.

We offer a unique way to step back in time 125 million years to when dinosaurs walked the earth. We find over 29 species of dinosaur on the Island, and we find fossils and trace fossils of these magnificent creatures on our trips.

The majority of our fossil hunting trips run on beaches along the Military Road where you can see dinosaur footprints, dinosaur footcasts, fossil trees and also get the chance to find your own fossils to take home with you.

During all of our fossil hunting trips, our team of expert guides will help you find your own fossils, point out the Island’s geological features and tell you about some of the Island’s history. You do not need any tools for our trips but you will need sensible shoes, in some cases wellington boots are essential, as there can be clay/mud exposed which can be slippy.

All of our trips are 2 hours long and tide dependant so times vary on a daily basis. Our fossil hunting trips run all year round. Places for all our trips are limited and in school holidays the trips fill up fast, so we strongly recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.

Public Trips – these run at either Brook Bay or Compton Bay and cost £7.00 per adult, £4.00 per child or senior, £19.00 for a family of four (two adults and two children) and £22.00 for a family of five (two adults and three children).

Private Trips – these run at either Brook or Compton. Prices start at £60 for a group of up to four people. Prices for larger group sizes vary.

School Trips – our school trips cover topics from the science and geography curriculum in Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4. They include a fun and educational talk and a fossil trip. These can be tailored to an individual school’s requirements. We can also offer fossil talks at schools on the mainland. Please Email for more details.