Milford Sound Nature Cruise and Scenic Day Tour
- A full-day return coach journey from Queenstown to your Milford Sound cruise aboard a premium glass-roof coach—with an expert driver-guide so you can relax and enjoy the scenery.
- On one of New Zealand's most picturesque road journeys, stop at locations like Mirror Lakes, Eglinton Valley, and Monkey Creek for unforgettable photos.
- Experience the ultimate Milford Sound Nature Cruise on a purpose-built catamaran, offering views of the majestic fiord, towering cliffs and cascading waterfalls. See local wildlife in the fiord, including fur seals, dolphins, and occasionally rare Fiordland crested penguins along the rocky shores.
- Free Southern Discoveries app for tour commentary in eight language options.
- Free tea & coffee and options for pre-purchased lunch onboard the boat
What to expect
The best way to experience Milford Sound from Queenstown. Travel in a premium glass-roof coach with expert commentary along one of New Zealand’s most picturesque journeys. At Milford Sound, connect with your two-hour Nature Cruise and sail the fiord to the Tasman Sea. Our purpose-built catamaran gets you close to Milford Sound’s famous waterfalls and iconic sites like Mitre Peak and Stirling Falls while spotting seals, dolphins, and maybe, rare penguins. Onboard commentary is also available in eight languages on our free app. Complimentary tea and coffee onboard the boat, plus choose to add a picnic lunch or To Kai buffet (on selected departures)— available to order when booking. Milford Sound is approximately a 5-hour drive from Queenstown. Trips depart daily.








Reviews
Upon arriving at the reception, after confirming your reservation information, the staff will give you your boat ticket. Keep it safe, then follow the staff's instructions to go outside and verify your reservation name with the driver. Once all guests are onboard, the driver will explain the day's itinerary and provide ongoing commentary. There will be stops along the way at several locations for photo opportunities, and there will also be some time spent in Te Anau for restroom breaks/eating/resting. Once you arrive at the boat launch, hand your ticket to the staff and board the boat. The captain will also provide commentary along the way. Free coffee, tea, and hot water are available on board for self-service. If you would like to purchase other hot food or drinks, they are also available on board. Milford Sound experiences a fair amount of rain, and when passing several large waterfalls, the boat will get quite close. If you are on the deck, you are likely to get wet, so it is recommended to bring a raincoat or wear a windproof and waterproof jacket. The fiord landscape is unique and not visible in many places. The scenery along the way is also beautiful and very worthwhile. I heartily recommend that anyone traveling to the South Island come and see it.
We had Stan as our tour guide and he was extremely funny and entertaining. we had such an amazing time and the views were so amazing. Stan stopped by a couple of places where we were able to take photos and we were lucky enough to catch the snowy mountains. highly recommend !
Our guide, Keith, was friendly, knowledgeable, welcoming and humourous! Stopped at great spots for pictures. His attention to detail was phenomenal, and every part of the trip was worth it! Thank you, Keith for your expertise!
Everything was perfect from pick up service in our hotel, the glass roof coach, our friendly and funny Greg (if I'm not mistaken his name) and the cruise in Milford Sound. Time schedule is on time and we come back to our hotel happy and satisfied.
An amazing trip ! I booked for 6 people and we were allowcated seats to sit together, which was really considerate. The coach driver Stan was a really nice and jolly guy, made the journey fun, insightful and that much better. The coach was beautiful with big windows and glass roof. The stop overs were beautiful, like mirror lakes, monkey flat, lake gun and also got to see keas ! The toilet breaks were perfect + cafe stopovers. The cruise was also beautiful and the buffet was really nice too, kept us from having to bring extra snacks or food. Southern Discoveries was a really great choice, definitely booking with them again in the near future.
Overall was ok. We opt for the buffet lunch, food was decent. The bus ride to and back from Milford Sound is a bit tiring but Stand the driver/tour guide makes it fun. We stopped by Te Anau for breakfast and toilet break. Milford sound cruise was ok, was expecting more of it but I guess it didn’t rain as much so the waterfall wasn’t really spectacular.
Such a worthwhile experience. Taxi picked us up from our hotel and took us to the bus station where the tour bus met us. Keith was an incredible driver and highly engaging and provided lots of commentary throughout the drive. The cruise was also super lovely. While it rained all day, we saw lots of waterfalls and Keith even stopped the bus to let us play in the snow. A long day but so worth it.
The trip was enjoyable. Small issue at the start as our taxi pickup from our hotel was late but we called the team and they were very responsive and helped us rectified it quickly. The coach was very spacious and comfortable and there was sufficient toilet breaks. Tour guide was friendly and knowledgable. The cruise was on a fairly large boat (can accomodate up to 400 pax) so we could not get too near to the cliffs or waterfalls. Captain boat driving was good as I get seasick easily but I felt fine. Captain was also very helpful to point out nearby wildlife, we got to see dolphins! We purchased the buffet lunch option on the cruise. The food was impressive but buffet closes in 40 min so there was a rush to get food and eat first. Probably won’t recommend the buffet option as it would be more valuable to focus time on taking photos.
We had an amazing one day tour to Milford Sound. The driver was very friendly and informative. We were amazed by the views along the way to the destination. The cruise was so comfortable and clean. We had a buffet food and it was so delicious. Really worth the price and time
You get what you booked. From taxi pick up in our hotel arrived on time. Our road trip with Southern Discovery bus and all the stop overs are on time and our driver Greg was very fun & informative. The lunch in the cruise was amazing! Just how amazing the view outside. Milford Sound is a place to be :) Cold cold days but amazing place.
Good to know
What To Wear/Bring:
- Non-slip shoes or boots
- Waterproof jacket
- Sunscreen and sunglasses
- Insect repellent
- Please indicate your hotel upon checkout. If your hotel is outside the service area, the booking team will arrange for the nearest hotel pick up location and all these details will be indicated on your voucher
Contact us
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