Premium Milford Sound Tour, Cruise & Lunch from Te Anau
Description
Premium small group tour including boutique Milford Sound cruise onboard a Milford Sound Cruise, and picnic lunch from Te Anau. There is no better way to see this famous attraction. Highlights: • Milford Sound Cruise • Fiordland National Park • Lake Te Anau, Eglinton Valley, Mirror Lakes, Hollyford River, Homer Tunnel and Mitre Peak • Wildlife Spotting While the destinations you will be visiting are truly spectacular, Cheeky Kiwi Travel believe it is our small groups, guides, the journey and the little details that set our tours well apart. Secret stops, wildlife viewings, specially designed vehicles and many other pleasant surprises ensure our tours are an experience to remember. Our tours are led by our famously passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge, and run in modern, comfortable minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour starts in stunning idyllic town of Te Anau, after maybe meeting some of the local animals or wildlife we continue along the lake. Stopping at Te Anau Downs the starting point for the Milford Track you will be able 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.
Named after a famous explorer and popular for fishing, often we will stop at Lake Gunn for some photos and to enjoy the peace. Hollyford River & Falls Creek – 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.
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.
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.
Climbing in altitude we go deeper into the Darran Mountains where the views require another stop to admire and take photos. We are also entering the area where Kea (the world largest alpine parrot) likes 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 while hearing the incredible history and stories. Emerging from the tunnel the valley descends sharply down towards Milford Sound and on a rainy-day hundreds of waterfalls can be seen cascading down the mountain side.
Following the valleys to the sea we arrive at Milford Sound where you will board your cruise! The smaller boat means you get closer to the wildlife and nature (including the New Zealand fur seals basking on the rocks), massive rock faces rising for hundreds of meters out of the sea and the waterfalls cascading from the ancient rainforest high in the mountains. This cruise is unbeatable.
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.
Sadly we must start to head back to Te Anau 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. 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 15 minutes before the tour departure time, depending on location. To ensure a smooth start, please be ready and waiting outside 5 - 10 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
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A moderate amount of walking is involved. Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- 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.
- Please advise any dietary requirements per person at time of booking
Reviews(946)
One of the most wonderful days in NZ, lovely guide Sam who enhanced the experience, so grateful!
A trip of a life time. It was 1 of my bucket bucket list. It was like a hidden world. It's such pristine wilderness. Even saw a Kia unbelievable
Brilliant day out! Great tour guide, Jess was very knowledgeable about the area. Lunch was amazing! Great value for the money spent.
Cheeky Kiwi did a terrific job assisting us from initial contact. As Deaf travelers, it’s important that we choose operators who work with us, and Cheeky Kiwi did just that. Our guide, Benny, was terrific. He was not only knowledgeable, but also patient and very helpful.
Excellent, no extra admission fees. Small group, great weather. All 7 hours worthwhile
Abby was an amazing, authentic and helpful guide. The scenery was mind blowing.
Well organised, interesting and engaging tour of the road journey from Te Anua to Milford Sound and back, plus the small boat cruise. Jason was an excellent tour guide. He was very informative and easy to listen to and understand. He was also a good, safe driver. He did his best to make the day enjoyable for our small group.
My daughter and I had a wonderful day. Jason, the tour guide, picked us up from our motel exactly on time. The small bus was comfortable, Jason was an excellent driver, and the bus had large windows for viewing the amazing scenes along the way. Snacks and water were provided. Jason provided interesting and engaging information along the way from Te Anua to Milford Sound. We stopped at nine interesting places along the way and also saw Kea birds! We got to our Milford Sound Cruise right on time. The cruise was on a smaller boat which took us right out to the ocean and back and we saw seals and penguins and waterfalls along the way. Hot drinks and cookies were available on the boat. Jason had already given us our packed lunches. The drive home was also interesting and we arrived back at our motel exactly on time. I could have driven myself but using a tour enabled me to see all the sights and not to be tired after driving 2.5 hours there and back. Jason was a really wonderful guide.
We had a great day out with Cheeky Kiwi Tours. Our driver and guide Benny was very knowledgeable about the National Park and New Zealand in general. Lunch was also provided which was very tasty. Overall it was 10/10 experience and I highly recommend Cheeky Kiwi Tours.
It is a great experience, you don't need to drive your own car, while the tour guide will also introduce various attractions on the way, the whole trip is very worth it
