Milford Sound Day Tour with Scenic Cruise from Queenstown

Depart Queenstown with views across Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand’s third largest lake, before travelling toward Milford Sound for a full day in Fiordland National Park. In the south west of the South Island, this World Heritage area is known for its remote setting and rugged terrain, and Milford Sound remains the country’s best known fiord and the only one reached by road.

Along the way, see the mirror lakes of the Earl Mountains, stop to fill your water bottle with fresh glacier-fed water, and, if conditions allow, pause at the valley tunnel for a photo stop. These moments on the journey add context to the scale and character of the landscape before you reach the fiord itself.

At Milford Sound, carved by glaciers during the ice ages, dark water sits below sheer cliffs, high mountain peaks and waterfalls that can drop as much as 1000 metres. Rain often changes the scene, multiplying the waterfalls across the rock faces. The day includes a cruise and lunch, giving you time on the water to take in the fiord from close range.

Milford Sound also carries a long human history. Maori are believed to have known the area more than 1,000 years ago, returning seasonally to gather pounamu, and in the early 1800s John Grono named it after Milford Haven in Wales.