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  • Fiordland National Park
Water activity

From Queenstown: Milford Sound Full-Day Trip by Bus & Boat

4.7  / 5
609 reviews
Activity provider:Southern Discoveries
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Water activity

From Queenstown: Milford Sound Full-Day Trip by Bus & Boat

Activity provider:Southern Discoveries
4.7  / 5
609 reviews
Likely to sell out

From US$ 175.25 per person

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.
Covid-19 precautions
Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.
Duration 12.5 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide
English

Experience

Itinerary
  • getyourguide-logo-icon.svg

    Starting location:

    Southern Discoveries

  • 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)

  • Arrive back at:

    Southern Discoveries

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
  • Enjoy a delicious lunch, freshly prepared by the on-board chefs
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 coach
  • USB charging ports on coach
  • Live English commentary
  • 2-hour Milford Sound nature cruise
  • Lunch
  • Tea and coffee
  • Coach commentary highlights.
  • Multi-language commentary app in English, Chinese (simplified), French, German, Japanese, Korean (South Korea), Portuguese, and Spanish
  • 30 sections of commentary from Queenstown through to Milford Sound
  • Headphones
  • Audio guide for the cruise component

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Meeting point

Meet at the Southern Discoveries - Queenstown Visitor Centre.

Open in Google Maps ⟶
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
Likely to sell out

From US$ 175.25 per person

Reserve now & pay later to book your spot and pay nothing today
Reserve now & pay later to book your spot and pay nothing today
  • Give this as a gift

Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.7 /5

based on 609 reviews

Review summary

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

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The trip is amazing. Definitely recommend! It’s a long bus trip but it gets broken up with cafe/toilet stops and photo opportunities. Our guide Ben was knowledgeable and passionate, keeping us entertained and educated with local history and legends as we drive to our destination. The boat trip was awesome - we chose the buffet lunch add on which was delicious. Such a wonderful experience!

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August 20, 2023

R
Rachel – AustraliaVerified booking

Helpful?

What a fantastic day from start to finish. Keith our guide was an absolute wealth of knowledge, literally a walking encyclopedia. The bus was super comfy, from reclining seats through to usb charging docks. We were told to expect unpredictable weather, but for us, it drizzled then turned into a beautiful day. The highlight absolutely being 7 or so dolphins cheekily cruising along side the boat for a good 15 mins or so. Apparently a rare sight so we felt extremely lucky. The buffet lunch was nice but what was really appreciated was when we mentioned my partner being celiac, the chef literally brought up 2 full plates of food plus fruit prepared fully separate to the main food. Very considerate. Would highly recommend Southern Discoveries.

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July 11, 2023

A
Alison – AustraliaVerified booking

Helpful?

Had an absolutely wonderful day with our tour guide Greg! The bus journey was long but every part was enjoyable with the commentary. If you’re staying in Queenstown I’d highly recommend doing the Milford bus and cruise to see more parts of New Zealand.

Read more

July 6, 2023

L
Laura – AustraliaVerified booking

Helpful?

Product ID: 105404

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