Day trip

From Queenstown: Milford Sound Full-Day Trip

4.7  / 5721 reviews
Certified by GetYourGuide
Activity provider:Southern Discoveries
Add to wishlist
media-collage
media-collage
media-collage
media-collage
Day trip
From Queenstown: Milford Sound Full-Day Trip
Certified by GetYourGuide
Activity provider:Southern Discoveries
4.7  / 5721 reviews
Likely to sell out

Visit Milford Sound by premium coach for a 2-hour nature cruise and picnic lunch. Enjoy the scenery, informative commentary, and photo stops before sailing close to the fiord's waterfalls.

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Reserve now & pay later
Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
Duration 12.5 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide
English
Audio guide included
Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, English, Portuguese

Experience

Itinerary

  • getyourguide-logo-icon.svg

    59 pickup location options:

    Historic Stone House, Oaks Queenstown Club Suites, St James Apartments, Villa del Lago, Lakeside, Mercure Queenstown Resort, Holiday Inn Queenstown Remarkables Park, an IHG Hotel, Azur Luxury Lodge, LQ Queenstown Hotel, Coronet View Apartments, Highview Queenstown Apartments, The Waterfront, Sudima Queenstown Five Mile, Heartland Hotel Queenstown, Pinewood Lodge, Spinnaker Bay Executive Apartments, Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa, Earnslaw Lodge, Amber Lodge Motel, Ramada Suites by Wyndham Queenstown Remarkables Park, Sherwood Queenstown, Haka Lodge Queenstown, The Central Private Hotel by Naumi Hotels, The Ridge Resort, Coronation Lodge, Hulbert House: Award Winning Queenstown Luxury Boutique Lodge, Kamana Lakehouse, Commonage Villas, Reavers Lodge, Queenstown Gateway Apartments, The Dairy Queenstown, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Queenstown, Scenic Suites Queenstown, BreakFree The Point Queenstown, The Glebe, Wyndham Garden Queenstown, Alpine Village, Quest Queenstown, Eichardt's Private Hotel, Abba Court Motel, Alexis Motel and Apartments, Lomond Lodge Motel & Apts, Holiday Inn Queenstown Frankton Road, an IHG Hotel, Amity Queenstown Serviced Apartments, Melbourne Lodge, Hotel St Moritz Queenstown - MGallery, Queenstown House Boutique B&B, Oaks Queenstown Shores Resort, Whistler Queenstown, The Rees Hotel, Luxury Apartments & Lakeside Residences, Cranbury Court Apartments, Wakatipu View Apartments, Platinum Queenstown Villa Apartments, Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, Club Pacific Queenstown, The Carlin Boutique Hotel, Heritage Queenstown, mi-pad Queenstown Hotel, Browns Boutique Hotel-Book Direct Save 20%, The Spire Hotel Queenstown

  • Bus/coach

    (2.5 hours)

  • Te Anau

    Break time (30 minutes)

  • Bus/coach

    (45 minutes)

  • Eglinton Valley

    Photo stop (5 minutes)

  • Bus/coach

    (5 minutes)

  • Mirror Lakes

    Photo stop (10 minutes)

  • Bus/coach

    (1 hour)

  • main-stop-icon.svg

    Milford Sound

    Boat cruise (2 hours)

  • Bus/coach

    (2 hours)

  • Te Anau

    Break time (30 minutes)

  • Bus/coach

    (2 hours)

  • 59 drop-off locations:

    Mercure Queenstown Resort, Historic Stone House, Highview Queenstown Apartments, Oaks Queenstown Club Suites, Holiday Inn Queenstown Remarkables Park, an IHG Hotel, St James Apartments, Coronet View Apartments, Azur Luxury Lodge, Pinewood Lodge, Spinnaker Bay Executive Apartments, LQ Queenstown Hotel, The Waterfront, Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa, Oaks Queenstown Shores Resort, Earnslaw Lodge, Heartland Hotel Queenstown, Hotel St Moritz Queenstown - MGallery, Abba Court Motel, Lomond Lodge Motel & Apts, Ramada Suites by Wyndham Queenstown Remarkables Park, Amber Lodge Motel, Villa del Lago, Lakeside, Sherwood Queenstown, The Ridge Resort, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Queenstown, Haka Lodge Queenstown, Queenstown Gateway Apartments, The Spire Hotel Queenstown, Holiday Inn Queenstown Frankton Road, an IHG Hotel, The Central Private Hotel by Naumi Hotels, Scenic Suites Queenstown, Quest Queenstown, Heritage Queenstown, The Carlin Boutique Hotel, Kamana Lakehouse, Hulbert House: Award Winning Queenstown Luxury Boutique Lodge, The Glebe, BreakFree The Point Queenstown, Alexis Motel and Apartments, Commonage Villas, Reavers Lodge, Eichardt's Private Hotel, Coronation Lodge, Alpine Village, Melbourne Lodge, Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, Wakatipu View Apartments, Queenstown House Boutique B&B, Amity Queenstown Serviced Apartments, Cranbury Court Apartments, Whistler Queenstown, The Rees Hotel, Luxury Apartments & Lakeside Residences, Sudima Queenstown Five Mile, Club Pacific Queenstown, Wyndham Garden Queenstown, Platinum Queenstown Villa Apartments, mi-pad Queenstown Hotel, The Dairy Queenstown, Browns Boutique Hotel-Book Direct Save 20%

Main stop
Other stop

For reference only. Itineraries are subject to change.

Highlights

  • Drive along the magnificent Milford Road by coach
  • Discover some of the best short walks and photo stops along the way
  • Cruise beneath the waterfalls of Milford Sound and look for native wildlife

Full description

Take the hassle out of driving to Milford Sound and join a guided coach tour from Queenstown. Sit back, relax and enjoy magnificent scenery and informative commentary. Your experienced local coach driver will show you the best views along the Milford Road and connect you seamlessly with a 1hr 45min nature cruise. Travel in a spacious coach with USB charging ports. Marvel at the native rainforest, spectacular waterfalls and glacial lakes. Pause briefly in Te Anau before continuing along the spectacular alpine Milford Road. Admire incredible views at Eglinton Valley, Mirror Lakes, Knobbs Flat or Monkey Creek and pose for photos. Be wowed by the glaciar-carved Milford Sound as you approach the visitor terminal. Seize your cruise and lunch passes from the driver who’ll help you find your cruise departure gate.  Climb aboard a purpose-built catamaran for a nature cruise along the fiord’s deep blue waters. Savor a freshly prepared picnic lunch. Marvel at the impressive natural landscape and keep a lookout for native wildlife like dolphins, seals and penguins. Be fascinated by live commentary from your skipper in the open wheelhouse. Get within touching distance of impressive glaciar-carved rock walls and feel the full force of the powerful 15,000-year-old Stirling Falls on your face. Awed and satisfied, rejoin your driver for the scenic return journey to Queenstown. 

Includes

  • Transportation by bus
  • USB charging ports onboard
  • Live commentary
  • 1 hour 45 minute Milford Sound nature cruise
  • Lunch (if option selected)
  • Tea and coffee
  • Multi-lingual commentary by app
  • 30 sections of commentary from Queenstown through to Milford Sound
  • Headphones
  • Audio guide for the cruise component

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Important information

What to bring

  • Warm clothing
  • Sunglasses
  • Camera
  • Sunscreen
  • Insect repellent

Know before you go

  • Appropriate child restraints are not provided by the activity provider. Please bring your own as without this you may be turned away and unable to travel
  • Always be prepared to enjoy some rainfall during your visit. The landscape is especially dramatic during wet weather as rainfall creates dozens of temporary waterfalls
  • All vessels are fully licensed with a range of beverages plus a selection of snack foods. Note that smoking is not permitted on any of the vessels
  • Reservations may be amended to another date or time, subject to space and availability
  • It is an approximate 5-hour drive each way from Queenstown. Scenic flights are available on request for the return journey, weather permitting
  • In the interest of your safety, the activity provider may cancel the activity at any time due to unsafe weather conditions or maintenance
  • Guests are required to use their own headphones when using the app on the coach, as live English commentary is running and they want to minimize disruption

Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.7 /5

based on 721 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.8/5
  • Transportation
    4.7/5
  • Service
    4.6/5
  • Organization
    4.5/5

Filter

By star rating

Sort by:

G
GetYourGuide traveler – AustraliaJanuary 23, 2023  – Verified booking
It’s a nice long trip with glass roof bus, clean and a lot to see. The guide Ben is very knowledgeable and funny, you will not get bored. Each stops had been planned well and informed beforehand, for breakfast, quick sightseeing and toilet breaks. Toilets on each stops are remarkably clean is a plus. The buffet lunch on the cruise was great. You need to bring your own water, otherwise you can purchase it on the cruise. Tea and coffee are free on the cruise. The bus is on time, so don’t be late. You can choose to fly back by paying extra, otherwise enjoy the 4 hours trip from Milford back to Queenstown.
Helpful?
G
GetYourGuide traveler – New ZealandDecember 29, 2022  – Verified booking
I recommend my driver Benjamin. Such a thorough knowledge of the area and so well worth the drive to, cruise and drive from Milford Stound. A beautiful sparkling day with lots of memory's to take home. A shame there were a couple of stops I'd have liked to make but couldn't eg lupins & waterfalls. Maybe next time I come back.
Helpful?
G
GetYourGuide traveler – IndiaDecember 18, 2022  – Verified booking
The experience was good. Our guide kept us continuously occupied with the updates on the scenery and kept time. He was humorous and also very helpful. The cruise was well organised with a decent buffet lunch. In spite of rains everyone was eager to be on the deck as we cruised along the river. Everything went smoothly according to plan.
Helpful?

Product ID: 105404

Experiences in South Island

Things to do in New Zealand

Top destinations

Popular on GetYourGuide

Popular Attractions