Milford Sound Coach and Cruise tour from Queenstown
Description
Join talented and knowledgeable guides on a journey along one of New Zealand's most scenic drives. All guides have unique and insightful stories to share, and spill the secrets of their beautiful backyard as you travel through lush rainforest, glacier carved valleys, alpine lookouts and much more. Enjoy spectacular short walks and incredible photo stops before arriving at the main event, magical Milford Sound. On arrival at Milford Sound, board a modern and spacious catamaran exploration of the region’s most famous fiord. As the boat travels the length of the fiord to the Tasman Sea, the welcoming crew will share what they know about their place, its wildlife, waterfalls, and fascinating history. Enjoy complimentary lunch before joining the crew for a dance in the spray of pure glacial melt as the boat noses close Stirling Falls for a refreshing finale!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Departing Queenstown and hugging the shores of Lake Wakatipu, the highway brings you along the rugged but beautiful Devil's Staircase and passed stunning mountain ranges to southern rural heartland. After passing through deer, cattle and sheep farming landscape, you come to the beautiful town of Te Anau, the Gateway to Fiordland, for a refreshment break.
The coach makes a scheduled stop at Te Anau, the Gateway to Fiordland for an important rest break before journeying into the National Park. You can use this time to get your caffeine fix, stretch your legs, take a stroll to the lake or stock up on the last of connectivity as phone signal and WiFi is blissfully lost as you enter Fiordland.
Embark on a stunning tour through the National Park to Milford Sound; where the journey is just as spectacular as the destination! Enjoy insightful and anecdotal storytelling from our experienced driver guides as they share the secrets of their beautiful back yard. Take advantage of the plentiful stops along the way for incredible photo ops and short nature walks through the heart of Fiordland at iconic points such as Elginton Valley, Mirror Lakes, Knobs Flat and Monkey Creek.
Step aboard a spacious catamaran, and enjoy a scenic cruise along spectacular Milford Sound. Get up close and personal with the fiord's towering mountains, sheer cliffs and hanging valleys as the boat hugs the edges of the fiord throughout the two hour cruise. Feel the spray from the waterfalls that cascade from an ancient rainforest high in the mountains and look out for New Zealand fur seal colonies and occasionally dolphins swimming nearby. As your cruise meanders past majestic Mitre Peak and as you navigate the length of Milford Sound to the Tasman Sea, let the scenery transport you back to a time of magical wilderness! Relax in the comfortable seating, grab a local beer or wine from the bar, soak up the scenery from the sun deck or join the famously friendly crew on the bow as the boat noses close to Stirling Falls for the refreshing finale.
The coach returns to Te Anau after the cruise without stopping along the way, giving you time to edit your photos, have a quick nap or just reflect on the cruise of a lifetime!
A shorter rest break in Te Anau is made on the return journey before completing the trip back to Queenstown.
After a short break in Te Anau, the coach returns to Queenstown after a long but unforgettable day!
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick ups are available from bus stops in central Queenstown and along the Frankton Road. Please contact the operator with your accommodation details to find the closest pick up point and confirm the time.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please ensure that a car seat or suitable restraint is brought for all passengers 4 years and under travelling on our coach to ensure their safety and safety of others.
- Piopiotahi Milford Sound is a place of exceptional natural beauty, carved by glaciers and surrounded by towering peaks and lush rainforest. As part of Fiordland National Park, New Zealand’s most remote and rugged region, this incredible environment also brings with it a range of natural hazards. While our team takes every measure to operate safely and keep you informed, it’s important that you are aware of potential risks so you can be prepared and confident during your visit. More information can be found on https://puremilford.co.nz/natural-hazard-and-risk
Reviews(951)
What a fantastic experience, our coach was comfy and clean, a little more leg room wouldve been amazing but thats coaches. Our driver was amazing, she ran commentary and told stories the entire time which made the long journey much more pleasurable The cruise boat was another bonus as she was the cleanest and nicest looking boat at the dock Overall the price was less than i would expect to pay for this experience Would recommend this experience to anybody looking to enioy Milford sounds with little effort needed
An amazing day out exploring the South Island of New Zealand. Very cool to not only get to see Milford Sound by boat, but also stop along the way in Te Anau and numerous other places for photos and to enjoy the views. Very good value for money that included a delicious lunch onboard the catamaran. Robin was our guide and she was knowledgeable, full of energy and made the coach ride informative and enjoyable.
Milford Fiord is one of the best natural views this world has to offer, and is a must see if you’re in Queenstown. Our tour guide, Danny, was incredibly kind and offered the most in depth information about the surrounding natural world of any of our tour we’ve done so far. He also took a photo of us at every one of the multiple beautiful stops on the way to Milford Sound- and is a great photographer. We also flew back to Queenstown with Annabelle over the mountains in what ended up being the best part of the venture. You don’t want to miss this spot!
Enjoyed the milford sound tour, lots of pictures to take. The whole journey is worth it even if its 3 hours to and fro. They also provided a lunch pack with pie, apple,cokie and chips for lunch.
We had our worst experience in New Zealand with Pure Milford. The rude, unprofessional, and disrespectful bus driver completely ruined our trip to Milford Sound. It started the moment we got on the bus, when he suddenly lashed out at me simply because I asked whether we were supposed to pick up our meal cards at that point. This information had not been communicated to us by Pure Milford in advance. My 8-year-old daughter was upset as well and repeatedly said throughout the trip, “I don’t like this bus driver.” What was particularly concerning was that he was friendly and pleasant toward other passengers who appeared to be either Kiwis or of European background. This made me feel that his attitude toward us may have been racially motivated. In contrast, the cruise crew at Milford Sound were professional, courteous, and respectful throughout the experience. I did not get any response to the complaint I sent. Overall, the behaviour of the bus driver was unacceptable and had a significant impact on what should have been an enjoyable and memorable trip.
Kia ora, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We noticed you have also left a google review as well. We are sorry to hear that you felt your experience with Pure Milford did not meet your expectations. We take concerns about staff behaviour very seriously, particularly when they involve allegations of disrespect or discrimination. We have reviewed the concerns raised in your review and are disappointed that your experience has led you to this conclusion. We would, however, caution against making assumptions about a staff member’s intentions or character based on the backgrounds of other passengers. Allegations of racial discrimination are extremely serious, and we believe they should be supported by clear facts rather than personal interpretation of how someone interacted with different passengers. We appreciate that travelling to Milford Sound is a special experience and that expectations are understandably high. While we cannot control every interaction or ensure that every passenger will be happy with every member of our team, we do expect our staff to treat everyone with professionalism and respect. We also note that the cruise crew were described positively in your review, which is appreciated. We will certainly pass that feedback on to them. We remain committed to providing a safe, welcoming and memorable experience for all of our guests and will always investigate legitimate concerns raised about our service. Ngā mihi, The Team at Pure Milford
The driver was great as was the scenery
Kia ora, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and your fantastic compliment! We are glad you enjoyed your Coach and Cruise tour to Piopiotahi / Milford Sound. We hope to welcome you back in the future. Ngā mihi, The Team at Pure Milford
Very good tour, lots of beautiful views. Highly recommend!
Kia ora, WOW! thank you for a great review :) We are pleased you enjoyed your tour with us at Pure Milford to Piopiotahi / Milford Sound. We greatly appreciate your recommendation. All the best! Ngā mihi, The Team at Pure Milford
The tour was very beautiful and scenery was worth the long day. When you're arranging pick up locations I'd highly recommend selecting one of the first spots. My husband and I were picked up from the last pick up location (Frankton Bus Interchange) and the bus was already full meaning that we had to sit separately for most of the day. The landscapes were still nice to look at but the overall experience was lessened by not being able to see it with who we came with.
Kia ora, Thank you for your honest review! We are pleased to hear you enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Piopiotahi / Milford Sound and you found the trip to be worthwhile. We are however, sorry to hear that you weren't fully able to enjoy the experience with your travel partner. Whilst we do our best to make seating arrangements and make everyone happy, at times, we find that due to other passengers seating preferences, things don't always go according to plan. We are sorry this happened in your case. Wishing you all the best with your future travels through Aotearoa and beyond. Ngā mihi, The Team at Pure Milford
The bus driver was so knowledgeable and very funny. This tour was so amazing! Hands up for the views! Definitely worth it!
Kia ora, Thank you for taking the time to leave a kind review! We are so glad you found your coach driver to be knowledgable and funny. We are happy to hear you enjoyed your tour with Pure Milford and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Piopiotahi / Milford Sound. Wishing you all the best with your future travels through Aotearoa and beyond. Ngā mihi, The Team at Pure Milford
I could not recommend this specific tour enough, but what made it even more amazing than the views and beautiful scenery was our incredible guide, Robin. She was so knowledgeable about New Zealand, its history, its culture, geography, anatomy, you name it. I’m so thankful we had her as our guide. I would recommend this over and over again to anyone visiting this beautiful country!
Kia ora, Thank you for such an amazing review! Robyn is an amazing guide & we are glad you felt the same :)! We will be sure to pass on your kind words to her. Thank you for your recommendation, it truly means the world to us. We hope to welcome you back in the future, but in the meantime wish you all the best with your future travels through Aotearoa and beyond. Ngā mihi, The Team at Pure Milford
