Premium Milford Sound Small Group Tour, Cruise & Picnic Lunch from Te Anau
Overview
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Milford Sound Tour from Te Anau, this small group, fully-guided 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. 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.
Description
Highlights:
Milford Sound Cruise with Cruise Milford
Fiordland National Park
Lake Te Anau, Eglinton Valley, Mirror Lakes, Hollyford River, Homer Tunnel & Mitre Peak
Wildlife Spotting
Itinerary:
1. Te Anau - 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.
2. Eglington Valley – 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.
3. Mirror Lakes – 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.
4. Lake Gunn – 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.
5. Hollyford River & Falls Creek – 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.
6. Darran Mountains – 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.
7. Homer Tunnel – 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.
8. Milford Sound – 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 tourof 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.
9. Mitre Peak – 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.
10. The Chasm – 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.
11. Pop's View Lookout - 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.
12. Te Anau – 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.
Cancellation Policy
Terms: Tours will only run if at least 5 people have booked on the tour, we reserves the right to alter the tour due to weather or operational needs.
A full refund will be issued for cancellations made a minimum of 10 days prior to the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Small Group & Fully Guided Tour
Cruise entry
Picnic Lunch
Water available & snacks provided
Picnic lunch for infants (0-3)
Pickup from hotels not listed
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
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Reviews
903 reviews
Only pick up point was difficult
810yunau,May 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00I enjoyed the beautiful scenery and guided tour. Regarding the pickup, I checked the designated location on the map and waited, but then I received a call saying they were waiting for me at different point. They were a little further away, causing delays for other people. The pickup location was difficult to find.
Outstanding experience
Lyn B,May 15, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00What an incredible day trip from Te Anau to Milford Sound! From the moment we left, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking with towering mountains, cascading waterfalls, and stunning views around every corner. The cruise itself was fantastic, with plenty of opportunities to take photos and really soak in the beauty of Fiordland. Our driver, Sonya, and the crew on board the cruise, were friendly, knowledgeable, and made the whole experience enjoyable and relaxing. We were lucky enough to spot a seal which made the trip even more memorable. Milford Sound truly lives up to the hype and is one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever visited. A must-do experience for anyone visiting New Zealand!
Cheeky Kiwi Travel - Perfect!,
stevem588,May 12, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Awesome experience. Cheeky Kiwi Travels were a great company to do business with. Great communication, fantastic guide (Abbey) and a quality lunch (we couldn’t finish it). It was a wet day to go to piopiotahi (Milford Sound) as the waterfalls were amazing. Don’t let anyone tell you to go on a sunny day as it won’t be half as impressive. We gave the wrong info to the company as to where to pick us up but they responded professionally and picked us up at our new location. We had a few stops on the way and Abbey was so knowledgeable & funny it made for a great tour. Being only a small group (16) max made it very personable. I would recommend that you do a small tour as opposed to the larger groups as you don’t get lost. Thanks Cheeky Kiwi, you were great,,
Friendly, thoughtful tour
740treenam,May 8, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Trip was extremely well organised, very friendly and professional tour guide, excellent driving and commentary. Lunch was healthy, fresh and thoughtfully presented. Definitely recommend.
A great day out
melaniethomas1974,May 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Abbie was our guide and she was absolutely lovely. Very knowledgeable and shared so much local information. She was really approachable and even had fitting songs to parts of the drive! Regular informative stops and photos taken. Milford sound was spectacular as was all of the scenery along the way. Lunch was beautiful also. It was a lovely day out. 10/10
You highlight my NZ experience
Lindawaty D,May 5, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00We picked the program of this company over others after reviewing the itinerary. It has 'more' to see. We get to go to all although felt rather rushed. The highlight would be the weather! Absolutely thrilled to get beautiful Sunshine and fair wind for our cruise trip- which we have been told a rarity at Milford.
Go Cheeky Kiwi tours!
Jacalinka,May 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Cheeky Kiwi tours are so so good!! Small groups. Wonderful guides! Shout out to Jess! Lovely insightful friendly easygoing!!!
Great trip with Cheeky Kiwi
roblG7328DX,May 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a very enjoyable trip with Steve. He was polite, friendly, funny and very knowledgeable about Fiordland and many other subjects. The pouring rain enhanced the waterfalls and made the day even more enjoyable. We would definitely recommend this great tour to others.
Great tour
TAMARA S,May 2, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Steve was a very informative guide. He pointed out and explained many areas you wouldn't see on your own.
Milford Sound April 2026
Laura S,Apr 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Very scenic! Lots of waterfalls and spectacular views! Our guide was very informative. Just the right amount of time.
From A$250.31
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