Travel from Queenstown to the much-loved UNESCO-listed Milford Sound. Your guide will ensure you make the most of your trip with commentary along the way—pointing out scenic viewpoints and areas where Lord of the Rings was filmed. Once you reach Milford Sound, you won’t have to worry about waiting in visitor lines as entrance tickets are included. Enjoy a Milford Sound Discovery Cruise where you’ll see stunning views of waterfalls and Mitre Peak. You’ll also have free time to explore the waterfalls of Lake Marian on foot.

Visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site—Milford Sound
Ticket for Milford Sound Discovery Cruise included
See views of filming sites from Lord of the Rings
Travel between dispersed sites in a comfortable vehicle

What's Included

Small Group & Fully Guided Tour
Cruise Entry
Lunch
Bottled water
Snacks

Alcoholic beverages (available to purchase)
Gratuities
Optional extras and activities - please select the tour option you want at time of booking

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Hotel Pick Up Points & Times: Please be ready, waiting outside your hotel lobby or at the pick up point at least 10 minutes prior to your pick up time listed below. Hotel pick-ups are from the below hotels only. If you do not see your pickup location please select the closest one to you to be picked up from. 15 minutes before tour start time: Kamana Lakehouse, Heritage Hotel, Mercure Hotel 10 minutes before tour start time: Crowne Plaza, Hotel St Moritz, Rydges Lakeland Resort 5 minutes before tour start time: Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, Nomads Backpackers, Sofitel Queenstown, Queenstown Central Pick Up Point - The Station Information centre (Corner of Shotover & Camp street) At tour start time: Scenic Hotel, Copthorne Hotel, Heartland Hotel, Millennium Hotel, Rees Hotel 15-25 minutes after tour start time: Frankton Bus Terminus (near Queenstown airport), Wyndham Gardens Hotel 20-30 minutes after tour start time: Hilton Hotel & Resort 2 hours 20 minutes after tour start time: Te Anau Bus Stop, 95 Te Anau Terrace, Te Anau

What To Expect

Queenstown (Pass By)

Lake Wakatipu

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Devil's Staircase Lookout Point (Pass By)

Lake Te Anau

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Eglinton Valley

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Mirror Lakes Walk

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Lake Gunn

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hollyford River (Pass By)

Darran Mountains

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Homer Tunnel (Pass By)

Milford Sound

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Milford Sound

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

The Chasm Walk

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Pops View Look Out

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Queenstown

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Mitre Peak (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
Stroller accessible
A moderate amount of walking is involved.
Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
Near public transportation

Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
Children aged 7 years and below are required by law to travel in a child safety car seat. If you don't have a car seat one can provided (with 24 hours’ notice).
Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
Scenic flight weight restrictions are 130 KG
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Shelley_E

Beautiful surrounds - a must see ! Our tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Lots of stops along the way to break the trip up. It’s a long day but worth it !

Reviews

5.0

956 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 956 reviews

Awesome

KwangHoon_K, Sept 2023

Going through tunnel. And feeding alpaca in the farm. And the guide who is also driver was very kind and informative.

Amazing! Everyone should do this tour

Kylie_M, Sept 2023

The day is quite long, but the whole experience with Cheeky Kiwi was easy. Sarah our tour guide was very knowledgeable and I loved her storytelling, it made the journey more memorable. In addition we enjoyed the stops along the way learning more about the South Island. The boat cruise to Milford Sound was beautiful and a highlight of our trip!

My new favorite place on Planet Earth

Rachel_B, Sept 2023

Our entire trip to New Zealand was incredible and memorable, but this experience to Milford Sound took the cake. Our tour guide, Crystal, was absolutely amazing, and the beauty of Milford Sound is unmatched! Plus, getting to see filming locations for LOTR was a big added bonus. Thank you for such an amazing trip—we loved every second of it!!!

Best Milford sound tour

Jake_s, Sept 2023

Our guide n driver Chris was the best. He made our day with his explanation and music selection. Also he guided place to eat of after tour . We were lucky to have him today. Thank you Chris!!!!! Of course, we stopped several good spot way to Milford. Milford sound was super with great fall and seal plus Penguins. Way back,he stopped near lake and show is southern cross ✨ stars.

Magical Experience....

Ruby_B, Sept 2023

Excellent trip, Chris was very friendly guide. Picnic lunch was great, hot drinks offered at Cruise were bonus specially after the cold windy experience. Value for money

A very long and uncomfortable day

John_E, Sept 2023

Some spectacular waterfalls, but the drive there and back from Queenstown is something we would not recommend.

Excellent trip and great guides!

Kelsie_B, Aug 2023

Sinchan was an excellent tour guide! He was very enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable. He shared so much wonderful information throughout the trip and he was very good at personalizing what he talked about to match the interests of all of us in the van to make for a very specialized and unique experience. Would definitely recommend this experience for anyone who wants to visit Milford Sound, and also enjoy themselves during the drive there.

Fantastic tour well worth...

Danny_F, Aug 2023

Fantastic tour well worth the affordable price. Pete was our guide and he was the best, very knowledgeable, funny, and caring.

Such a great experience....

Ngaia_G, Aug 2023

Such a great experience. Our driver Collin took extra good care of us and showed us the beauty of Aoteroa

The cruise is absolutely...

Francesca_F, Aug 2023

The cruise is absolutely sensational ! The guide is very prepared and available to all your need. I recommend this trip.

Unmatched Experience in Milford Sound !

Tania_R, Aug 2023

Kia Ora, Cheeky Kiwi tour operations were simply Unmatched. They have incredible crew & very knowledgeable of history, culture & they share their love for nature generously. They went above & beyond to arrange a ride back to Queenstown as we were stuck in snow storm in Milford Sound Lodge. Special Thanks to Reese ( a tour manager ) for his effort & patience. Will definitely travel with them again in the future. Thanks

Excellent tour

Benjamin_G, Aug 2023

Excellent service, nice well informed tour guide (Sarah) plenty of stops, reasonable food. Nice picnic lunch though. Well worth the long day. Would probably do it again next year.

Just shy of perfection!!

pmickela, Aug 2023

Our driver was fantastic in some challenging winter weather and so fun and informative!! Picnic lunch was delicious and the transition to the boat was smooth as good be. One star from perfect because sitting in last row was quite tight and uncomfortable for the four of us squished there. Not expected when you pay extra for a “premium small group tour”.

Beautiful cruise of the Milford sound!!

Elizabeth_P, Aug 2023

Absolutely amazing tour! We had a blast- and our guide Sarah was amazing! She taught us a lot about the local area and flora and fauna! We had an amazing day with amazing views! Highly recommend this trip!!

Perfect

Noof_A, Aug 2023

Milford sound, the stars gazing , the cruise , keen with timings and stops attractions. Thank you so much

Milford Sound was beautiful

Shaunak_S, Jul 2023

It’s a full day tour. Breathtaking views at the Milford Sound and our tour guide Krystal was amazing.

Great tour

Catherine_A, Jul 2023

The tour guide was good he has experiences and knowledge on history and good stop points . Beautiful sceneries. The service was great and convenient.

A really enjoyable day.

Edward_P, Jul 2023

A full geographical field trip in a day with the most stunning scenery ever. I learnt a great deal not just about the area but NZ too from driver and tour guide Sin Chan.

My Day at Milford Sound

GERALDINE_F, Jul 2023

The cruise along Milford Sound, was so beautiful far more spectacular than I expected, seeing a fur seal, the beautiful scenery eg the water falls. I also enjoyed the different scenery on the way to Milford Sound fully explained by your tour guide. A day that will never be forgotten.

Brilliant tour, well worth it

Carherine_M, Jul 2023

We had an amazing day on the tour.There was 8 of us including 2 children under 4 yrs old. Sarah the tour guide and driver was very cautious and was so informative.She has the best storyteller voice. The scenery was absolutely beautiful and Milford Sound was stunning and the boat experience was well worth the trip. Sarah was very helpful and made several stops along the journey for us to take photos and freshen up. It’s a long day but a very pleasant experience was had by all of us.Thank you

...