The best way to travel around the Ring of Kerry, if your are driving, is anticlockwise. Almost all buses travel the Ring clockwise – therefore going against that traffic makes for a more pleasant drive, and not getting stuck behind tours buses all the time.
Personally my favorite place to start is at Killorglin and drive south from there towards Cahersiveen. If there was one part that I would miss, if I did not have time, it would be the road between Killarney and Killorglin. This is a particularly busy stretch of road and personally not very interesting. I love being either beside the sea or in the mountains.
The Ring of Kerry can be traversed in a day – or even just a few hours as many tour buses do. However it is better to pick a base and explore – my favorite area for a base is around Cahersiveen, it is wild and beautiful, while at the same time being home to some of the best walking trails and restaurants around.
