Premium Milford Sound Small Group Tour & Cruise from Queenstown
Description
Premium small group tour including a boutique Milford Sound cruise designed for an immersive viewing experience, and picnic lunch from Queenstown. There is no better way to see this most famous of attractions! Highlights: • Milford Sound Cruise • Fiordland National Park • Lake Te Anau, Eglinton Valley, Mirror Lakes, Hollyford River, Homer Tunnel & Mitre Peak • Wildlife Spotting While the destinations you will be visiting are truly spectacular, Cheeky Kiwi Travel believe it is our small groups, our guides, the journey and little details that set our tours apart. Secret stops, wildlife viewings, specially designed vehicles and other pleasant surprises ensure our tours are an experience to remember. Our tours are led by our passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing stories and background knowledge, and run in modern, comfortable minibuses that are packed with extras, ensuring your comfort and safety.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour starts in the stunning city of Queenstown. As we drive out of the city your guide will not only set the scene for your adventure today but also point out and guide you past some of the area’s top highlights.
Departing Queenstown we wind our way around Lake Wakatipu, with amazing views of ‘The Remarkables’ Mountain Range and the lake.
Continuing around the lake we will pass through Devil’s Staircase. This elevated windy part of the road is famous for dramatic photos and setting the scene for the day to come.
After more amazing mountain, river and farmland views we arrive in Te Anau, home to Lake Te Anau, New Zealand’s second largest lake. While in this idyllic town we will stop for a break and maybe meet some of the local animals or wildlife. Continuing along the lake we stop at Te Anau Downs, the starting point for the Milford Track, to hear the stories and admire the views.
Leaving Te Anau and entering Fiordland National Park we stop in Eglinton Valley. With views worthy of Lord of the Rings, this valley follows the path of an ancient glacier through Fiordland. One of the first major attractions as you enter the park, it really sets the scene for a journey that only get more impressive the deeper you get.
Our next stop on this epic adventure is Mirror Lakes for a short stroll to see the famous reflections of the Earl Mountains. Get the right day, take a good picture and no one with be able to tell which way is the right way up for the photo.
Continuing along the Milford Road we come across Lake Gunn. Named after a famous explorer and popular for fishing, often we will stop at Lake Gunn for some photos and to enjoy the peace.
A short drive away we start passing the Hollyford River a gorgeous and powerful river full of large boulders and rapids. Feeding into the river at Falls Creek is the first of our extremely impressive waterfalls of the area, one of many to come.
Climbing in altitude we go deeper into the Darran Mountains and these views require another stop to admire and take photos. We are also entering the area where Kea (the world’s largest alpine parrot) like to live. Start keeping an eye out for these large, cheeky and colourful birds that never fail to thrill and entertain when found.
To make our way back down towards the sea we enter the mind-blowing hand-built Homer Tunnel, hearing the incredible history and stories. Emerging from the tunnel the valley descends sharply towards Milford Sound and on a rainy-day hundreds of waterfalls cascading down the mountain side.
Following the valleys to the sea we arrive at Milford Sound where you will board your cruise with Cruise Milford (the No. 1 Cruise operator in Milford Sound on TripAdvisor).
While on the boat cruise you will be able to marvel at the awe-inspiring Mitre Peak, the iconic Milford Sound mountain, with its steep triangular peak rising high up above the reflective waters of the Milford Sound.
Next we pull over to admire the elevated amazing views of the divide in the Southern Alps, close to the start of the Routeburn Track. While here the guide will tell you the stories of ancient Maori explorers.
Sadly we must start to head back to Queenstown but your day is not over with a fully guided return trip and many stops and breaks along the way.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
*If no pickup is selected at time of booking, you will be allocated our default meeting point (The Station - Home of Adventure). You are welcome to update this at any time. If your location isn’t listed, please choose your nearest available option & meet us there. *Pick-ups can begin up to 20 minutes before the tour departure time, depending on location. To ensure a smooth start, please be ready and waiting outside 5 minutes prior to your specific pickup time. *Pick-up locations are carefully planned for each tour and may vary by day. If your pick-up location changes, kindly inform us in advance. *Our guides make multiple stops and may arrive within a 10-minute window. We are unable to wait for late guests.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Flights are always 'On Request' until confirmed with our partner airline
- Scenic flights cannot be confirmed without full names and weights of all travellers. Scenic flight weight restrictions are 130 KG
- If our regular flight operator is unavailable, we may be able to arrange an alternative operator; however, this could be at an additional cost
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
- Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- Please advise any dietary requirements per person at time of booking
Reviews(3,596)
Worth every penny. Great tour guide (Martin), great food, spectacular views! Must do! Paying a little extra for a small group tour was so worth it. We got to make more stops and didn’t have to wait in lines like the big bus tours. 10/10
We loved every second of it. Danny was an incredible guide and kept us sorted every step of the way. Info, pictures, snacks, naps - you name it. Amazing value. Thank you!!
We took this tour with Danny and everything exceeded our expectations. Danny was so organized, knowledgeable and personable that he made our day fun and stress-free. He kept us informed of plans along the way, provided us with lunch that fit our special dietary needs, provided both educational and funny commentary, and shared his enthusiasm for New Zealand with us. He made sure that we were on schedule without ever feeling rushed. Milford Sound is a must see and this tour made it even better.
I wish we had booked through another tour company, rather than cheeky kiwi. The trip is well worth doing, it was only the tour guide driver that disappointed. The scenery is totally amazing, the tour guide. never introduced himself by name. After pick up he explained the journey for about 5/10 mins. We missed out on a knowledgeable good communicator guide. As he then never spoke again until first toilet break. Where he placed a tray of snacks on the floor at door entry. Saying help yourself to snacks, took snacks for himself and went back to drivers seat. It would have been polite to pass onto passengers. He then ate his snacks and drank water whilst he was driving. As this was only an hour into journey, would have thought it would be better to concentrate on driving. He scrolled through his phone, whilst driving at messages. Would recommend doing this tour with another tour company Altitude Tours. We went on a tour with them the day before, which was excellent. The tour guide makes a huge difference to the enjoyment of the tour. On a positive note the views amazing, picnic sandwich fresh and good quality.
A fantastic day trip as a solo traveller! The small-boat cruise made the experience feel intimate and personal, and we got to take in Milford Sound without feeling like just another tourist group. The lunch box was also such a thoughtful touch. Hannah was a fantastic guide—warm, knowledgeable, and full of interesting stories about New Zealand. Would definitely recommend this trip!
Andy was lovely throughout the whole 13 hours of the ride. Knowledgeable and entertaining and took really good care of us. Visited beautiful stops along the way to Milford Sounds. Highly recommend Cheeky Kiwi!
We were lucky with the weather but it would look just as stunning in any weather. Our driver Nicky was amazing, very informative, funny and a safe driver. We had plenty of stops along the way and saw a lot of beautiful sights, which made the drive more enjoyable.
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Milford Sound. We chose the option of a smaller bus and smaller group of 13 (max 14.) Our tour guide Nicky was engaging and extremely knowledgeable of the history and geography of the region. The long trip was broken up by everal stops and photo opportunities. The trip included a delicious packed lunch, snacks and water. We can highly recommend this tour.
This was easily the best trip I’ve done in New Zealand! Our driver Danny was absolutely superb- from start to finish, he made sure we’re well looked after: 1). Prompt pick up and drop off 2). Snacks, lunch and water provided 3). The best playlist ever 4). Looked after his group very well, even when we needed to stop because I felt sick 5). Comfortable and clean vehicle If you’re thinking of booking a tour, look no further than Cheeky Kiwi!
Our Milford Sound tour was absolutely incredible, largely thanks to our wonderful driver, Benny. The journey was smooth, and the helicopter ride back to Queenstown was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I even spoke with an American family on the same tour, and we all agreed that this day was the absolute highlight of our entire trip to New Zealand. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting, and I will definitely be back!
