Milford Sound Cruise: A Comprehensive Nature Experience with Optional Kayaking
4.7
121 Ratings
Milford Sound
Embark on a comprehensive nature experience in Milford Sound with a cruise, picnic lunch, and visit to the underwater observatory. Optional kayaking adds to the adventure!
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Milford Sound - Fiordland National Park is in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island. It’s known for the glacier-carved fiords of Doubtful and Milford sounds. A beech forest trail on the sandy Milford shore offers views of towering Mitre Peak.
What's Included
- Visit to the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory
- Local guide
- Picnic lunch
- All kayaking equipment included with kayaking option
- Sightseeing cruise on Milford Sound
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- On arrival at Milford Sound you can park at the Milford Sound carpark at a fee of $10 per hour.
Additional Information
An all-inclusive nature experience with excellent wildlife viewing, this package gives you the longest, best value daytime cruise experience in Milford Sound. This cruise option enables you to really explore the beauty of the fiord. With a Cruise of Milford Sound, a delicious picnic lunch and visit to the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory included - it’s the ultimate Milford Sound experience. Be sure to include 90 minutes of kayaking in the beautiful and serene Harrison Cove to complete your Milford Sound experience.
Our Milford Sound Underwater Observatory allows you to experience this amazing world beneath the surface. You’ll descend 10 metres underwater into a large, fully air-conditioned viewing area where windows with excellent clarity open your eyes to this underwater haven. Unlike an aquarium, the fish are free to come and go; it’s the people who are contained.
- Please advise of your country of origin at the time of booking
- Please note the minimum age to kayak is 5 years old and must be accompanied by an adult or guardian in a double kayak.
- Car Parking: On arrival at Milford Sound you can park at the Milford Sound carpark at a fee of $10 per hour. Please allow 10 minutes to walk from the main carpark to the Milford Wharf Visitor Centre. Alternatively, you can park free of charge at Deepwater Basin Carpark and walk over to Freshwater Basin to the Cruise Terminal. This walk is approximately 30 minutes in duration, so additional time will need to be allocated in order to do this comfortably and arrive at the terminal 15 minutes prior to your cruise for check-in.
Location
Southern Discoveries - Milford Sound Visitor Centre
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(121 Ratings)
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Shapiroglen
Apr 28, 2024
Terrific day on the sound - We just headed terrific day, cruising the Milford sound and having the optional underwater observatory and kayak tour. The amount of time on each activity was terrific for a one day trip. The cruise was beautiful, we had perfect weather which helped and the staff was very helpful and engaging. The kayaking was short, but gave us an opportunity to see a seal and some birds up close as well as the glacial water as it tumbled down into the river.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alasdair_s
Apr 17, 2024
Majestic and marvellous - Southern Experiences are an awesome tour operator, the kayak trip around Harrison’s Cove was the highlight for me, our guide, Byron was very knowledgeable about the local ecology of the sound. The underwater observatory is a unique look at the marine life under the sound.
Review provided by Viator
214dominiqueo
Apr 17, 2024
Amazing Kayaking and Tour Guide! - We did the kayak tour in Milford Sound, our tour guide Kaitlyn was amazing and so so passionate and knowledgeable about the area and New Zealand on the whole. We got an amazing weather day and the views were spectacular. The underwater observatory is also incredible, don’t miss this!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tmo6172xm
Apr 2, 2024
Highlight of my holiday! - Absolutely loved the cruise and kayak. We got really lucky with the weather so the views were unreal. Some good info on the cruise about the waterfalls + land. Definetely recomend doing the kayak tour- a great way to get close to the water and wildlife and take in the surroundings peacefully + quietly. Our kayak guide Byron was incredibly nice, knowledgable and helpful. Beautiful area!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carol_w
Mar 23, 2024
A perfect day on the fjord! - We started with a scenic cruise on the fjord. The guide was informative and steered the boat very close to some of the falls for an extra thrill. The next stop was kayaking on the cove, which everyone in our family would strongly recommend. We ended with a visit to the underwater observatory, which was a unique experience. The picnic lunch was very good quality. The whole organization was very professional.
Review provided by Viator
Kernowknockers
Mar 21, 2024
You just want to paddle inside the thing... No what you've done there is paddle past the thing. - We're going to name this sea cucumber Maverick...
Kyle was an amazing kayak guide and joined in on our completely infantile sense of humour while teaching us all about the fjord.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scottjoanne_s
Mar 18, 2024
Another outstanding New Zealand Experience - The skies cleared nicely for our afternoon cruise through the Sound. A well organized day with cruise, kayaking and underwater observation all guided. Total length was 4 hours.
Review provided by Viator
Cat_m
Mar 17, 2024
An amazing experience in all respects! - Do the optional kayak tour! You won't regret it. An amazing experience in all respects: a fantastic guide, excellent equipment, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience Milford Sound in a tactile way. While the boat cruise is awe-inspiring, being on the water in a kayak is a completely different and wonderful experience. Guaranteed to be bliss- and joy-inducing!
Review provided by Viator
Sharoon_g
Mar 12, 2024
Amazing Views, a must do! - Great experience. The guide was very helpful and professional, and eased me into the activity as it was my first time kayaking. Recommend doing it to see amazing views of Milford Sound.
Review provided by Viator
Burcu_k
Apr 29, 2024
The experience was good.... - The experience was good. Due to weather (which is most of the time terrible) kayaking and underwater observatory was cancelled. They promised a maximum of 90 people or so on the boat. There was 250. Please don’t be fooled by that. The company also didn’t provide a refund it’s been 3 weeks.
Review provided by Viator
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