Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown New Zealand
Start your day by meeting our friendly local guide at or near your Queenstown accommodation. You'll travel in style in a premium Mercedes van designed for touring with only 16 seats onboard. The first leg of our journey to Milford Sound transports you from Queenstown through the picturesque Southland farming country and the charming town of Te Anau, where we'll make a brief stop by the lakeside for refreshments.
Stop At: Lake Te Anau, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park New Zealand
Lake Te Anau is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The lake covers an area of 344 km², making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand and the largest in the South Island. It is the largest lake in Australasia by fresh water volume.
Stop At: Fiordland National Park (Te Wahipounamu), Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park New Zealand
From here, we welcome you to the Fiordland National Park and the renowned Milford Road. This corridor to the fjord unveils a different side of New Zealand, with its majestic mountains, winding rivers, and the cheeky Kea bird. Throughout the journey, your guide will make multiple stops for photo opportunities, short walks, and will entertain you with fascinating local facts and stories.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Eglinton Valley, Milford Sound New Zealand
See the picturesque Eglinton Valley
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Mirror Lakes Walk, Milford Road,, Fiordland National Park New Zealand
Enjoy a beautiful short nature walk and view the famous Mirror Lakes
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Homer Tunnel, 94 S.h., Milford Sound New Zealand
The Homer Tunnel is a 1.2 km long road tunnel in the Fiordland region of the South Island of New Zealand, opened in 1953. New Zealand State Highway 94 passes through the tunnel, linking Milford Sound to Te Anau and Queenstown, by piercing the Darran Mountain range at the Homer Saddle
Stop At: Milford Sound, Milford Sound, Southland Region, South Island
Upon reaching Milford Sound, embark on a 1hr 45min nature cruise that takes you beneath the towering peaks of the fjord. This small boat cruise, accompanied by a knowledgeable onboard nature guide, allows you to explore the edges of the fjord, revealing its impressive waterfalls and unique wildlife, which may include dolphins, penguins, fur seals, and native birdlife.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Te Anau, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park, Southland Region, South Island
After your cruise, rejoin the van to commence the return journey to Queenstown. Sit back, relax, and take in the views. This day tour spans approximately 12-13 hours, and our smaller vehicles and attentive guide ensure your comfort and entertainment throughout the journey.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Queenstown, Queenstown, Otago Region, South Island
On arrival back into Queenstown, your guide will return you back to the same location they picked you up from, or you can choose to be dropped in Queenstown.
Duration: 5 minutes
See Availability.
Traveler pickup is offered
Please note that your selected pickup location may not be exact; we will pick up either at or near your requested location. After you book, our team will contact you to provide your exact pickup location details. If you are unsure of the best pickup point, please inform the activity provider of your accommodation, and we will advise the most suitable pickup location.
The departure time applies to the central Queenstown pick-up, however, times can vary, depending on your location.
13 hours(approx.)
Not wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
Please bring walking shoes, warm clothes and rain jacket.
Please be aware that Milford Sound is a 5 hour drive from Queenstown (one-way with sightseeing stops). This is a full day excursion, and including the 2 hour cruise on the fjord, allow approximately 13 hours door to door.
There is an option to include a packed picnic lunch. The default choice is chicken, however you can request a vegetarian lunch until 5pm the day prior.
Please bring a reusable waterbottle on tour with us. There are multiple locations to refill during the day.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Posted By : James_N
Very beautiful scenery and friendly guide! The tour was very enjoyable with a good amount of stops along the way. Shelley was our guide and was very helpful and gave great information at all of the places we visited!
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Posted On : 2024-05-15
Posted By : Joel_M
Tour guide was great. The whole journey was great. Bus pickup was on time and everything went as scheduled.
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Posted On : 2024-05-14
Posted By : Stephen_P
A long way to go but good spaced toilet stops and breaks. Very enjoyable cruise. Great bus commentary - well done Tommy. Would recommend, comfortable coach
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Posted On : 2024-05-14
Posted By : Molly_G
Easily the most beautiful place that I’ve ever been to. The drive there can be kind of long but the tour guides are awesome and they know exactly what they’re talking about. I’m so glad that I chose to do this when in Queenstown for a couple days. I would highly recommend flying back because the drive home is really long.
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Posted On : 2024-05-13
Posted By : Michele_W
This day trip to Milford Sound was amazing!! The tour leader Doe was awesome! Her knowledge about this place and other things along the way was insightful and fabulous. Highly recommend
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Posted On : 2024-05-12
Posted By : Maya_A
I had a wonderful time seeing unique spots and making spectacular memories. I loved learning more about New Zealand and local tales. Shoutout to Shelly!
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Posted On : 2024-05-12
Posted By : Rebecca_A
Great tour. The waterfall at Milford Sound and the surrounding cliffs were beautiful.
The guide was friendly and informative. Transport was also comfortable as there were only a few of us on this tour. The packed lunch provided was a delicious sandwich, apple and cookie.
Would arrange to stay overnight for some star gazing at milford sound for my next trip if possible.
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Posted On : 2024-05-11
Posted By : r_d
The drive from Queenstown was spectacular and Nev a super guide. History of area, farming, explanation of deer wars... learned a lot and stops for photo ops of spectacular scenery wonderful. Milford Fiord beautiful. A wonderful day!
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Posted On : 2024-05-09
Posted By : Hazel_D
Very memorable experience. Our driver/ tour guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about his work. Kudos to Sinchan, one of the best tour guides we have had in all the travels we had so far.
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Posted On : 2024-05-09
Posted By : Curious05216554243
We were blessed with the most amazing tour guide, Shelly! She absolutely made it even more special by the fact that her family history is entrenched in the story of Milford Sound and surrounding areas. Simply amazing! Also it was a terrific weather day and she suggested we take the plane flight home. Well she was not wrong! The pilot on landing… quote’It doesn’t get any better than this.’ We loved every minute of this day tour. 10/10
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Posted On : 2024-05-07
