Milford Sound Coach and Nature Cruise with Buffet Lunch from Te Anau
Overview
Discover native wildlife, towering waterfalls and majestic mountains on our extended Milford Sound Nature Cruise. Get within touching distance of impressive rock walls and close enough to feel the full force of the powerful 15, 000-year-old Stirling Falls Waterfall. Specialist nature guide on board sharing their local knowledge with lively and informative commentary.
Freshly prepared Lunch included alongside FREE tea and coffee with a licensed bar on board.
Inclusions
- Return transport from Te Anau to Milford Sound on a premium coach
- USB charging ports on board coach
- Informative commentary provided by local coach driver
- Milford Sound Nature Cruise
- Skippers providing informative commentary on board cruise
- Freshly prepared Lunch
- FREE tea and coffee on board cruise
What to expect
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Te Anau, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park, Southland Region, South Island
10.00am Coach pick-up from Southern Discoveries Visitor Centre (80 Lakefront Drive Te Anau)
• Travel on a premium glass-roof coach, equipped with reclining seats, extra legroom, air-conditioning
• USB charging ports and onboard toilet
• Experienced, local coach drivers provide engaging and informative commentary, and show you the best short walks and photo stops along the Milford Road
• Coach connects with our Milford Sound Nature Cruise 1 hour 45min cruise of Milford Sound
• Skipper provides entertaining and informative commentary
• Freshly Packed Picnic Lunch is included if purchased
• FREE tea and coffee
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Te Anau, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park, Southland Region, South Island
Te Anau is a beautiful town on the South Island of New Zealand. It’s known as a gateway to Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound. The region is home to endangered, flightless takahē birds and abundant trout in Lake Te Anau. Here is where your day trip will start from, you can meet us at the Southern Discoveries Visitor Centre on 80 Lakefront Drive at 9:45am.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Mirror Lakes Walk, Milford Road, , Fiordland National Park New Zealand
Enjoy a stroll among small lakes with stunning reflections of the Earl Mountains, should weather be permissive on the day. This is an easy, short walk off the Milford Road.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Eglinton Valley Camp, 6178 Te Anau Milford Highway, Fiordland National Park 9679, New Zealand
Interpretation panels show the effect of avalanches on the Milford Road and provide information on the wildlife of the Eglinton Valley. Visitor amenities include toilets and a telephone (card payment only).
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Monkey Creek, Milford Sound New Zealand
Take in great views of the upper Hollyford Valley while you fill up your water bottle from this glacier fed spring. Friendly Keas (a New Zealand alpine parrot) love this area so it's a great stop for some kea spotting.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Eglinton Valley, Milford Sound New Zealand
This beautiful valley is glaciated with steep sides and a flat floor. It's between half a kilometre to two kilometres wide and has a shingle riverbed floor, which is constantly being changed by the Eglinton River. This is an incredible stop you will make as apart of your journey to Milford Sound with Southern Discoveries.
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Lake Gunn, State Highway 94, Fiordland National Park New Zealand
Lake Gunn is a strikingly beautiful lake in the South Island of New Zealand.
Pass By: Homer Tunnel, 94 S.h., Milford Sound New Zealand
At an altitude of 945 metres above sea level and 1.2 kilometres in length, the unlined road tunnel allows access through sheer rock to Milford Sound with a gradient of 1 in 10. Completed in 1953, traffic lights control the traffic flow through the tunnel. An incredible part of your journey along the Milford Road.
Pass By: Cleddau River, Southland 9679, New Zealand
The Cleddau River is a beautiful river of New Zealand. It flows into the head of Milford Sound. You'll see many parts of this river as you journey along the Milford Sound road.
Stop At: Milford Sound, Milford Sound, Southland Region, South Island
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. Milford Discovery Centre and Underwater Observatory offers views of rare black coral and other marine life. Southern Discoveries cruises are a popular way to explore.
Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes
Pass By: Southern Discoveries - Milford Sound Visitor Centre, Freshwater Basin, Milford Sound Highway 94, Milford Sound 9679, New Zealand
Exchange your pass and board your Nature cruise. Your journey on the water starts here!
Pass By: Bowen Falls, Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound 9679 New Zealand
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: Sinbad Gully, Southland 9679, New Zealand
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: Stirling Falls, Milford Sound New Zealand
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 to get right underneath – it’s an incredible feeling to have the power of 151m worth of glacial water falling so close to you.
Pass By: Mitre Peak, Southland 9679, New Zealand
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.
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Please advise of your country of origin at the time of booking
- Stroller accessible
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Sunscreen and insect repellent advisable
- Appropriate child restraints are not provided by the operator. These must be provided by the parent or caregiver - without this you may be turned away and unable to travel - please be prepared.
- Most travelers can participate
- If you booked before 24th November 2022 you will receive a picnic lunch not buffet. You do however have the option to upgrade to buffet lunch at an additional cost on check in
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 49 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
Cancellation
Every minute of the day was awesome and the sights were stunning. We are kiwis being tourists in our own country and this part of NZ is something so different to anywhere else and so special. Snow had just fallen the week before our visit so the mountains were breathtaking beautiful, my camera ...
Every minute of the day was awesome and the sights were stunning. We are kiwis being tourists in our own country and this part of NZ is something so different to anywhere else and so special. Snow had just fallen the week before our visit so the mountains were breathtaking beautiful, my camera is full of white majestic peaks now. From our departure at dark in the morning in Queenstown, to the stopover in Te Anau to the cruise in Milford and the lunch and the trip back to Queenstown again in the dark it was wonderful. We felt lucky to have such a great driver as Roland, his driving was efficient and comfortable, you could tell he knew what he was doing at every part of the road and his commentary was perfect, very interesting, I don't think I've learned so much in one day, his voice was pleasant to listen to, at the right pace and volume so it wasn't intrusive. Milford Sound was the destination but the journey there was one highlight followed by another highlight! Going by coach is definitely the way to go, they know where to stop to get the best photos and little gems on the side of the road that if you didn't know you'd drive right past like the "mirror lake". Plus you can doze off on the way home. Highly recommend this tour and Southern Discoveries, We saw the other operators doing the same trip but I would definitely pick Southern Discoveries again just in the hope to get Roland to show us the way. The cruise was equally as good with the Captain giving an entertaining commentary and leisurely stops on the way. The lunch option is good too, we had enough in our snack bag to have nibbles on the way home and supper! Katsu chicken was also very tasty.Amazing day trip, we are highly recommended this trip to everyone. The coach was great&the driver we had I think Greg (Friday 21st December Te Anau to Milford Sound) he was amazing, friendly & knowledgeable he knows what he doing.
Amazing day trip, we are highly recommended this trip to everyone. The coach was great&the driver we had I think Greg (Friday 21st December Te Anau to Milford Sound) he was amazing, friendly & knowledgeable he knows what he doing.My sister & I we really enjoyed our 2nd trip to Milford Sound. We visited the place on early September 2018, it was not too crowded at this season & we really enjoy the cruise & food. Our 1st trip in year 2010 almost 8 years difference, the place not much change. This trip we manage to see pengu...
My sister & I we really enjoyed our 2nd trip to Milford Sound. We visited the place on early September 2018, it was not too crowded at this season & we really enjoy the cruise & food. Our 1st trip in year 2010 almost 8 years difference, the place not much change. This trip we manage to see penguin & sea lion, & the bus guide is very knowledge at the landscape & very skill driver.Reese was a great bus driver an guide on our trip from te anau to milford. Great staff, very friendly, great experience. Would recommend them!
Reese was a great bus driver an guide on our trip from te anau to milford. Great staff, very friendly, great experience. Would recommend them!We did the trip with Carina as our driver and she was just fantastic! Very interesting and educational commentary the whole trip up to Milford Sounds - she’s definitely a very knowledgeable person and will happily look things up if she doesn’t know. Considering all the black ice on the road this...
We did the trip with Carina as our driver and she was just fantastic! Very interesting and educational commentary the whole trip up to Milford Sounds - she’s definitely a very knowledgeable person and will happily look things up if she doesn’t know. Considering all the black ice on the road this time of year, we felt safe the entire time, big up for driving skills! The trip itself was also stunning and delivered on all aspects!Driving to Milford sound is not what you want to do, so take this trip instead. The roads are really curvy, tiny and steep but the main reason is you want to be able to see all of the sights rather than pay attention to driving. So take a bus! The cruise was wonderful. The boat was brand new,...
Driving to Milford sound is not what you want to do, so take this trip instead. The roads are really curvy, tiny and steep but the main reason is you want to be able to see all of the sights rather than pay attention to driving. So take a bus! The cruise was wonderful. The boat was brand new, very spacious and the buffet was delicious too. We were able to see dolphins, NZ fur seals and little blue penguins. The water falls are breathtaking as well. Just couldn't have asked for a better day.