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
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
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
Reviews
2,559 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
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
Nicole is awesome!, this is a great tour with a good size sprinter van and not too many people.
Mr F,Apr 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent tour! Nicole was amazing!, she did great on explaining things as we went and stopped plenty of times enough to get pictures but not take too long. She definitely was a great tour guide and made the day worth it! and would well be worthy of a raise!
We had a wonderful day in...
Christine M,Apr 21, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We had a wonderful day in Milford Sound with Katy as our guide. We were lucky to have a sunny day with a lovely boat cruise on the sound. Highly recommended.
Cool tour
L2170KJheathero,Apr 19, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Spectacular view, beautiful nature
Amazing tour and tour guide!
316linday,Apr 19, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What an amazing tour! It’s was a long day made easy by our driver/ tour guide. You couldn’t help but feel his pride and enthusiasm for his homeland. Beautiful viewing stops along the way to the Fjord. The boat trip …. well, we saw dolphins, mountains that surrounded us and many gorgeous waterfalls !! What great memories we now have. I highly recommend this tour
Superb!
Sanchi S,Apr 17, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00It was very well organised ! Great experience! The tour guide - FEMA was really very nice. Very friendly, helpful and easy going. Overall the trip to Milford was mind blowing!
Fabulous Milford Sound trip
outandou,Apr 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fabulous trip made all the more special by our guide Will. Will balanced fun, detailed information and great stories to bring the whole day alive. He was very focused on safety, treating everyone individually and keeping us on track with timings for the day. He had a great repertoire of music that was well appreciated for the downtime.
From NZ$379.00
Was NZ$379.00
Want a private experience? Upgrade to a private tour
Related Experiences
Operated by Altitude Tours Milford Sound Experience