Milford Sound Premium Small Group Tour & Cruise from Queenstown
Overview
Available languages
13 hours
Mobile ticket
Milford Sound is arguably the most scenic destination in New Zealand and a must-see for any traveller. Whether seen in sunshine or rain, the incredible views are guaranteed to leave you awestruck. This globally award winning small group tour is for travellers seeking an all-inclusive, uniquely-kiwi, personalised trip from Queenstown to Milford Sound and back.
Our fleet of modern Mercedes vans are fitted with leather seats, panoramic scenic windows, Wi-Fi and Spotify. Enjoy a small-group journey with 15 people maximum for ultimate comfort and undivided attention from your guide.
Let your Altitude Tours guide entertain you with in-depth knowledge of the area, as you travel from Queenstown into the Fiordland National Park on the famous Milford Road. Enjoy many scenic photo stops at both famous locations, as well as your guide's favourite spots.
Enjoy a 1hr 45min boutique uncrowded cruise and picnic lunch while taking in the incredible beauty that Milford Sound has to offer!
Additional Info
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please bring walking shoes, warm clothes and rain jacket.
Please be aware that Milford Sound is a 5 hour drive from Queenstown (one-way with sightseeing stops). This is a full day excursion, and including the 1hr 45min cruise on the fiord, allow approximately 13 hours door to door.
A packed picnic lunch is included in your experience. The default choice is a chicken, however you can request a vegetarian lunch until 5pm the day prior.
Please bring a reusable water bottle on tour with us. There are multiple locations to refill during the day.
The cruise operator requires all passengers need to be able to board and disembark the vessel without assistance in case of an emergency.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Start your day by meeting our friendly local guide at or near your Queenstown accommodation. You'll travel in style in a premium Mercedes van designed for touring with only 15 seats onboard. The first leg of our journey to Milford Sound transports you from Queenstown through the picturesque Southland farming country and the charming town of Te Anau, where we'll make a brief stop by the lakeside for refreshments.
Lake Te Anau
Lake Te Anau is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The lake covers an area of 344 km², making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand and the largest in the South Island. It is the largest lake in Australasia by fresh water volume.
What‘s Included
Packed picnic lunch is included
WiFi on board
Convenient pick up and drop off locations around Queenstown
Tea & coffee available on the nature cruise
Knowledgable and friendly local driver/guides
1hr 45min nature cruise on Milford Sound
Off-the-beaten track scenic photo stops en route
To reduce single-use plastic, we do not provide water bottles. We recommend anyone travelling NZ to have their own reusable water bottle. There are several locations to refill during the day.
Pickup points
Mercure Queenstown Resort
21 Sainsbury Road, Fernhill Queenstown New Zealand
The Rees Hotel, Luxury Apartments and Lakeside Residences
377 Frankton Road, Lake Wakatipu Queenstown New Zealand
Hotel St Moritz Queenstown - MGallery Collection
10-18 Brunswick Street, Queenstown New Zealand
Copthorne Hotel & Apartments Queenstown Lakeview
88 Frankton Road, Queenstown New Zealand
QT Queenstown
38-54 Lake Esplanade, Queenstown Queenstown New Zealand
Kamana Lakehouse
139 Fernhill Road Queenstown New Zealand
Rendezvous Heritage Hotel Queenstown
91 Fernhill Rd Queenstown New Zealand
Queenstown Holiday Park Creeksyde
54 Robins Road, P O Box 247 Queenstown New Zealand
Crowne Plaza Queenstown By IHG
93 Beach Street, Queenstown New Zealand
Options
7.30am Departure & Lunch
Nature Cruise: This tour includes a two hour nature cruise on Milford Sound Packed Picnic Lunch: This tour includes a packed picnic lunch. The default option is chicken; please get in touch if you would prefer a vegetarian Standard Van: Our 7.30am departure is conducted in out standard premium Merceds touring vans Pickup included
6am Summer Departure & Lunch
Nature Cruise: This tour includes a 1 hr 45 min nature cruise on Milford Sound. Packed Picnic Lunch : This option includes a packed picnic lunch box. The default selection is chicken, with options to change to vege. Standard Van: This tour is conducted in our standard premium Mercedes touring vehicles. Pickup included
6.30am Glass Roof Van & Lunch
Cruise : This tour includes a 1 hr 45 min nature cruise on Milford Sound Packed Picnic Lunch: This tour includes a packed picnic lunch. The default option is chicken; please get in touch if you would prefer a vegetarian Glass Roof Mercedes Sprinter: This option connects to our 6:30am departure which offers a guaranteed glass-roof top van. Pickup included
Reviews
2,568 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Touring Fjord Lands Park & Milford Sound on New Zealand's South Island with Altitude Premium Small Group Tours
kentjA569GC,May 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We thoroughly enjoyed our trip through the Fjord Lands Park and Milford Sound on New Zealand's South Island. Altitude Premium Small Group Tours was amazing. James was our Tour Guide and made every effort to ensure we had a memorable experience. He spent a great deal of time highlighting the natural beauty of the South Island, including the geography, history, plants and animals that make up the Fjord Lands. We only had a few days on the South Island. James and Altitude Premium Small Group Tours helped us make the most of our time in beautiful New Zealand.
Fantastic experience… Loved our tour guide Allegra!
Damon B,May 4, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Milford sound was absolutely incredible, and our tour guide, Allegra, made the day even better!!! plenty of stops, great stories, and anecdotes, once in a lifetime scenery, perfect cruise, and Allegra was a great driver… Patient… Engaging… And a five star representative of the company… super personable and warm…she loved talking to all the guests…. very evident that she loves her job… My wife and I loved her!! Turquoise blue waterfalls, an exhilarating tunnel, tropical birds, and scenery that simply made your jaw drop around every corner. Also, they provided a gluten-free lunch for my wife who is celiac… And it was perfect. 10 out of 10… Incredible guide, and incredible tour!!!
Thomas was a great guide/...
Alexandra D,May 2, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Thomas was a great guide/ driver - good energy, information and stories. The drive there is long but the stops along the way make up for it - absolutely stunning. The cruise on Milford Sound was gorgeous and no words to describe the views. I ended up opting to fly back (organized by the guide on the day of) and this was well worth the cost.
Milford experience.
Stuart R,Apr 28, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Our guide Nicole's happy high energy and knowledge of the areas made the trip more enjoyable. Nicole was very organised resulting in a smooth trip, her driving skills were top rate allowing us to feel safe at all times. The cruise was spectacular, just as we had imagined.
Excellent all around experience. Our driver was entertaining and experienced. Beautiful weather! Wonderful boat ride:)
Ann C,Apr 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Pleasant way to spend an afternoon! Beautiful sights though Milford Sounds. Coffee, tea, cookies nice added extras.
Laughing All the Way to Milford Sound & Back
ncap57,Apr 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was an excellent experience from start to finish. The long road trip from Queenstown to Milford Sound (6 hrs to and 4 hrs back) prior to the Cruise itself was well worth it as we are able to see a lot of beautiful places and stunning views. It's a Premium Small Group tour of only 15 people in a very comfortable Mercedez-Benz Sprinter van. What made it super fun and special was our driver/guide Mr. Will Booker. Will is a safe driver, very courteous, respectful, funny, one-of-a-kind entertaining person. The whole trip was a laughing trip, thanks to Will, I call him "Mr. Entertainer"! It's like literally having a stand-up comedian with you throughout the trip, no dull moment! He is very knowledgeable about the area and all aspects of the scenic tour. He raised the bar so high that the next time we go on a tour we will always look for Will! Will is now our standard, he made our tour truly relaxing, enjoyable, full of fun & memorable experiences. The Cruise itself was excellent as we were able to get as close as possible to the waterfalls and around the best spots to see. The tour, cruise with lunch and the excellent experience were all well worth the price we paid. Thank you Will Booker, Thank you Altitude Tours!!!
Spectacular Milford Sound
Suzanne H,Apr 25, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Fantastic tour! Our guide, Chelsea, made this tour very fun and interesting. The bus was comfortable and the meal provided was delicious. Plenty of opportunities to take photos. The cruise on Milford Sound was brilliant.
Amazing tour to Milford Sound.
lambertojrc,Apr 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had a fantastic time on our tour to Milford Sound. An awesome experience not to be missed when you go to Queenstown. Our driver/tour guide from AltitudeTours (Will) kept us entertained throughout the trip with his knowledge, hilarious wit and humor - 10 out of 10 rating.
Great scenary
James M,Apr 24, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00It's a long drive (four hours each way) however, our guide Do broke the journey up with great photo stops and toilet breaks and interesting information that made the time fly by. Milford Sound was as beautiful as you'd hope and well worth it. We even saw dolphins and seals. Stunning waterfalls and all round great scenary.
Milford Sound 2.0
Michele W,Apr 23, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00This was my 2nd time to Milford Sound with Altitude Tours and it was just as good as the first time. Nicole, our tour guide was friendly, approachable and very knowledgeable
-10% off
From NZ$341.10Was NZ$379.00
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