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New Zealand
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Otago
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Queenstown Lakes District
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Queenstown
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Tours & Activities
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Milford Sound Cruise with Optional Bus Tour
1 day
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Fiordland National Park (Te Wahipounamu), Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park New Zealand
Join what is one of New Zealand's most stunning scenic drives along the Milford highway, through the Eglington Valley and into Fiordland National Park.
Numerous stops are made for photos and short nature walks, encountering native wildlife, stunning natural rain forest, and glacier carved Alpine vistas.
Marvel at the Avenue of Disappearing Mountains, an optical illusion where the mountains appear to sink into the surrounding beech forest. Crossing the halfway point between the equator and the South Pole, see stunning views over Hollyford Valley and the Darran Mountains before entering the Homer Tunnel and descending into lush rainforest canyons. You will also see majestic views of Mt Tutoko, the highest and most glaciated peak in Fiordland National Park.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park New Zealand
Come cruise magnificent Milford Sound with us aboard our modern catamaran, Maiden of Milford, and immerse yourself in some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery!
Enjoy luxuriant rain forests and close up viewing of waterfalls and seals over 3 viewing decks (inside and out).
The cruise travels the length of Milford Sound and out into the Tasman Sea where we can show passengers why Captain Cook failed to discover Milford Sound after charting all the other fiords of Fiordland National Park.
During the cruise stops you'll see New Zealand Fur seals basking on rocks and feel the spray of towering waterfalls dropping into the fiord. Dolphins are seen from time to time when they visit the fiord but are not always present and during certain periods of the year the rare Fiordland Crest Penguin can be seen (August- early December).
Duration: 2 hours
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Show less
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Fiordland National Park (Te Wahipounamu), Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park New Zealand
Join what is one of New Zealand's most stunning scenic drives along the Milford highway, through the Eglington Valley and into Fiordland National Park.
Numerous stops are made for photos and short nature walks, encountering native wildlife, stunning natural rain forest, and glacier carved Alpine vistas.
Marvel at the Avenue of Disappearing Mountains, an optical illusion where the mountains appear to sink into the surrounding beech forest. Crossing the halfway point between the equator and the South Pole, see stunning views over Hollyford Valley and the Darran Mountains before entering the Homer Tunnel and descending into lush rainforest canyons. You will also see majestic views of Mt Tutoko, the highest and most glaciated peak in Fiordland National Park.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park New Zealand
Come cruise magnificent Milford Sound with us aboard our modern catamaran, Maiden of Milford, and immerse yourself in some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery!
Enjoy luxuriant rain forests and close up viewing of waterfalls and seals over 3 viewing decks (inside and out).
The cruise travels the length of Milford Sound and out into the Tasman Sea where we can show passengers why Captain Cook failed to discover Milford Sound after charting all the other fiords of Fiordland National Park.
During the cruise stops you'll see New Zealand Fur seals basking on rocks and feel the spray of towering waterfalls dropping into the fiord. Dolphins are seen from time to time when they visit the fiord but are not always present and during certain periods of the year the rare Fiordland Crest Penguin can be seen (August- early December).
Duration: 2 hours
Included
- 1.5-hour sightseeing cruise
- Complimentary tea and hot water
- Live commentary on board
- Regular photo stops & nature walks to admire the scenery (if transport option selected)
- Touring Coach for comfortable & relaxing travel (if transport option selected)
- GST (Goods and Services Tax)
Not included
- Lunch, snacks, drinks, and coffee (available to purchase)
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Most travelers can participate
Features
Tourism
90%
Cultural
65%
Original
20%
Aquatic
20%
Reviews
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The bus driver/tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area, we very much enjoyed his commentary during the drive to Milford Sound! The bus was a bit crammed and did not have the glass ceiling that other tours offer hard to figure out from the available documentation provided. The boat was fine, a Pita Pit and a small coffee shop inside for food/drive if you feel like purchasing or a small stand of hot water/tea bags for free. The Sound was BEAUTIFUL! We unfortunately didn't get to see any whales, but we did see some seals and some teeeeeny tiny penguins way off in the distance! It was a rainy/drizzly/overcast day, obviously not the tour company's fault, so all in all we enjoyed the trip. We sprang for the propeller flight back to Queenstown, which was freaking AMAZEBALLS. I think it was the best part! The views are just so awe-inspiring, we knew it would be a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience, so we dug deep in our pocketbooks for the chance. I did not find this information when I was searching, so just FYI: The tour bus picked us up at about 8am or thereabouts. We arrived at the pier for the boat tour around 3pm and the boat tour finished around 5pm. The bus would not have returned us back to Queenstown until well after 10pm! That includes various photo stops on the way in and a VERY short break at a fairly expensive rest stop to quickly grab a snack both on the way in and the way out. Because we took the flight back rather than the bus, we got back to Queenstown just after 6pm. About 20 of the reason we paid for the flight was just to save ourselves 5 hours of bus time!
Any trip riding a bus for up to 4 hours each way can be a little much but the scenery and commentary from Carl our driver made it worth it. New Zealand is just one awesome scene after another and this trip gives you lots. It would have been nice to know we should have pre booked our seats to sit together but half way another guest offered to switch so it worked out. There is an opportunity after the Boat trip to come back by Plane or Helicopter which looked pretty inviting, especially after a 4 hour bus ride. We came back to Queenstown by Helicopter even stopping on a glacier on the way back. Expensive but awesome. I would certainly recommend this tour as compared to driving yourself. It is a long day but worth the cost of the tour.
Although it's the not the tour's fault that heavy rain and mist lasted the entire day, it still was a disappointment for us not be able to see any clear view of the sound during this trip. We did get to see some interesting scenery e.g. water fall flowing upward caused by the blowing wind, but overall I was not able to take any photos like the one seen in the description. Highly not recommend going in the spring due to the higher chance of rain.
everything was great