Private Milford Sound Tour with Cruise & Lunch from Te Anau

This fully-guided, private day trip combines the amazing return journey to Milford Sound with a boutique Milford Sound Cruise aboard the No.1 Trip Advisor rated cruise company, Cruise Milford.

Highlights:
• Milford Sound Cruise with Cruise Milford
• Fiordland National Park
• Lake Te Anau, Eglinton Valley, Mirror Lakes, Hollyford River, Homer Tunnel and Mitre Peak
• Wildlife Spotting

While the destinations you will be visiting are truly spectacular, we at Cheeky Kiwi Travel believe it is our guides, the journey and the little details that set our tours well apart. Secret stops, wildlife viewings, specially designed vehicles and many other pleasant surprises ensure our tours are an experience to remember.

Our tours are led by our famously passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge, and run in modern, comfortable minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Te Anau, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park, Southland Region, South Island

Your tour starts in stunning idyllic town of Te Anau, after maybe meeting some of the local animals or wildlife we continue along the lake. Stopping at Te Anau Downs, the starting point for the Milford Track, you will be able to hear the stories and admire the views.

Stop At: Eglinton Valley, Milford Sound New Zealand

Leaving Te Anau and entering Fiordland National Park we stop in Eglinton Valley. With views worthy of Lord of the Rings, this valley follows the path of an ancient glacier through Fiordland, one of the first major attractions as you enter the park. It really sets the scene for a journey that only get more impressive the deeper you get.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Mirror Lakes Walk, Milford Road, , Fiordland National Park New Zealand

Our next stop on this epic adventure is Mirror Lakes for a short stroll to see the famous reflections of the Earl Mountains. Get the right day, take a good picture and no one will be able to tell which way is the right way up for the photo.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Lake Gunn, State Highway 94, Fiordland National Park New Zealand

Continuing along the Milford Road we come across Lake Gunn. Named after a famous explorer and popular for fishing, often we will stop at Lake Gunn for some photos and to enjoy the peace.

Duration: 10 minutes

Pass By: Hollyford River / Whakatipu Kā Tuka, Southland 9679, New Zealand

A short drive away we start passing the Hollyford River, a gorgeous and powerful river full of large boulders and rapids. Feeding into the river at Falls Creek is the first of our extremely impressive waterfalls of the area, one of many to come.

Stop At: Darran Mountains, Southland 9679, New Zealand

Climbing in altitude we go deeper into the Darran Mountains and these views require another stop to admire and take photos. We are also entering the area where Kea (the world’s largest alpine parrot) likes to live. Start keeping an eye out for these large, cheeky and colourful birds that never fail to thrill and entertain when found.

Duration: 10 minutes

Pass By: Homer Tunnel, 94 S.h., Milford Sound New Zealand

To make our way back down towards the sea we enter the mind-blowing, hand-built Homer Tunnel, hearing the incredible history and stories. Emerging from the tunnel, the valley descends sharply towards Milford Sound and on a rainy-day hundreds of waterfalls can be seen cascading down the mountain side.

Stop At: Milford Sound, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park 9679 New Zealand

Following the valleys to the sea we arrive at Milford Sound where you will board your cruise with Cruise Milford (the No. 1 Cruise operator in Milford Sound on TripAdvisor). The Cruise Milford experience offers a boutique cruise on a smaller boat which is less crowded and a crew that offers a much more informative and personal tour of Milford Sound. The smaller boat means you get closer to the wildlife and nature (including the New Zealand fur seals basking on the rocks), massive rock faces rising for hundreds of metres out of the sea and the waterfalls cascading from the ancient rainforest high in the mountains. This cruise is unbeatable.

Duration: 2 hours

Pass By: Mitre Peak, Fiordland National Park New Zealand

While on the boat cruise you will be able to marvel at the awe-inspiring Mitre Peak, the iconic Milford Sound mountain, with its steep triangular peak rising high up above the reflective waters of the Milford Sound.

Stop At: The Chasm Walk, State Highway 94, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park 9679 New Zealand

After your cruise, do not fear the adventure is not over, there is the return journey with many more amazing stops. One of the stops during this journey (weather and timing dependent) is The Chasm. A spectacular bush walk and dramatic views of powerful waterfalls and water sculpted shapes in the rocks.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Pops View Look Out, Milford Sound New Zealand

Next we pull over to admire the elevated amazing views of the divide in the Southern Alps, close to the start of the Routeburn Track. While here the guide will tell you the stories of ancient Maori explorers.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Te Anau, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park, Southland Region, South Island

Sadly we must start to head back to Te Anau but your day is not over with a fully guided return trip and many stops and breaks along the way.

Duration: 5 minutes

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.