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Milford Sound Cruise: Stunning Views & Optional Picnic or Buffet

Offered by Southern Discoveries

From

$165.00 per person

4.5 (237 reviews)

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Booking handled by our partner, Viator

1 hour 45 minutes (approx.) Mobile or paper ticket accepted Offered in: German, Portuguese, Korean, English, Chinese (China), French, Spanish

Cruise Milford Sound by catamaran through Fiordland National Park, with views of Mitre Peak, Lady Bowen Falls, Stirling Falls and local wildlife.

Tour Overview

Board a spacious, purpose built catamaran and explore Milford Sound with plenty of room to move between outdoor viewing decks and cosy interior cabins. Check in with staff at least 15 minutes before departure, then settle in for a cruise focused on the fiord’s sheer scale, waterfalls and wildlife.

The journey takes you through Fiordland National Park and into Milford Sound, where expert commentary explains the area’s geological formations and local wildlife. You can also use the free app for commentary in eight languages. As you travel beneath Mitre Peak, look out for the steep glacial walls of Sinbad Gully behind it, an area linked to the Sinbad Sanctuary Project. The cruise also brings you close to Lady Bowen Falls, Milford’s highest waterfall, and Stirling Falls, which drops 151 metres down the fiord’s side.

Milford Sound is also known for rainforests, fur seal colonies, penguins and dolphins, adding to the sense of being in a living, active landscape rather than simply passing through it. If you want to dine on board, you can pre order a freshly prepared picnic lunch, or choose the To Kai buffet on selected departures. Backed by more than 70 years of experience, this is a well run way to see the key natural features of Milford Sound from the water.

What's Included

  • Multi-lingual app for commentary available: App Store and Google Play search Southern Discoveries
  • Lunch (if option selected)
  • Sightseeing cruise on Milford Sound for up to 2 hours
  • Live commentary provided by the skipper
  • FREE tea and coffee are provided to all passengers

Not Included:

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • On arrival at Milford Sound you can park at the Milford Sound carpark at a fee of $10 per hour.

What To Expect

  1. 1

    Southern Discoveries - Milford Sound Visitor Centre

    Your journey starts here, check in with friendly staff at least 15 minutes prior to departure.

    15 minutes

  2. 2

    Fiordland National Park

    Fiordland National Park is in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island. It’s known for the glacier-carved fiords of Doubtful and Milford sounds. A beech forest trail on the sandy Milford shore offers views of towering Mitre Peak. Nearby, the craggy Earl Mountains are reflected in the glassy surface of Mirror Lakes. On the Cleddau River, the Chasm Walk passes over bridges with views of powerful waterfalls.

    2 hours

  3. 3

    Milford Sound

    Milford Sound is a fiord in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island. It’s known for towering Mitre Peak, plus rainforests and waterfalls like Stirling and Bowen falls, which plummet down its sheer sides. The fiord is home to fur seal colonies, penguins and dolphins.

    1 hour 45 minutes

  4. 4

    Mitre Peak

    Mitre Peak is a beautifully dramatic mountain in the South Island of New Zealand, located on the shore of Milford Sound. It is one of the most photographed mountain peaks in the entire country.

    Pass by without stopping

  5. 5

    Bowen Falls

    The stunning Lady Bowen Falls is Milford’s highest waterfall. It plunges 162m from a hanging valley into the head of Milford Sound and provides electricity for the Milford Sound township by feeding a small hydroelectric scheme, as well as being the water source for the settlement

    Pass by without stopping

  6. 6

    Sinbad Gully

    Nestled behind the world famous Mitre Peak, the Sinbad Gully is characterised by extremely steep glacially carved walls punctuated by near vertical granite cliffs. These walls slowed pest invasion into the gully and as a result a number of unique native species remain in the Sinbad. Southern Discoveries is passionate about preserving Milford Sound’s beauty for future generations which is why it’s a key partner in a major conservation project – the Sinbad Sanctuary Project. The aim is to see the valley of New Zealand’s most photographed mountain (Sinbad Gully is at the base of Mitre Peak) become a sanctuary for native species.

    Pass by without stopping

  7. 7

    Stirling Falls

    Milford’s second-highest waterfall is the Stirling Falls, a staggering 151m in height – three times the height of Niagara Falls, but the 1,300m mountain behind displaces this incredible height. This is the famous waterfall that Hugh Jackman ‘jumped off’ in the movie Wolverine. The sheer drop of the Stirling Falls allows boats and brave kayakers to get right underneath – it’s an incredible feeling to have the power of 151m worth of glacial water falling on top of you.

    Pass by without stopping

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Southern Discoveries - Milford Sound Visitor Centre

Freshwater Basin, Milford Sound Highway 94, Milford Sound 9679, New Zealand

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End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Important Information

From December 3 2021, we will be requiring vaccination certificates to be shown prior to joining any Southern Discoveries experience. • If you will not be arriving at your destination within the specified reconfirmation period, please reconfirm with the local service provider prior to travel, or upon arrival at your destination. Please note that departure times and locations may vary slightly.

Additional Info

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • All passengers please advise country of origin at the time of booking
  • Car Parking: On arrival at Milford Sound you can park at the Milford Sound carpark at a fee of $10 per hour. Please allow 10 minutes to walk from the main carpark to the Milford Wharf Visitor Centre. Alternatively, you can park free of charge at Deepwater Basin Carpark and walk over to Freshwater Basin to the Cruise Terminal. This walk is approximately 30 minutes in duration, so additional time will need to be allocated in order to do this comfortably and arrive at the terminal 15 minutes prior to your cruise for check-in.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.