Cardrona Summer Gondola Sightseeing: Experience Alpine Adventure with McDougall’s Express Chondola

Experience an alpine adventure with McDougall’s Express Chondola at Cardrona. Take the gondola to the top of the mountain for stunning views and explore walking trails for all levels of hikers.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Cardrona Alpine Resort - A short drive from both Queenstown & Wanaka, come and explore our alpine playground as you take in the incredible views across the Southern Alps, the Cardrona Valley & the Wakatipu Basin.

A sightseeing ticket includes a return trip on McDougall’s Chondola. Make sure you hop out at the top & take some time to explore our alpine hiking trails.

What's Included
  • Gondola ride included
  • All taxes, fees, and handling charges covered
What's Not Included
  • Transportation to/from resort
Additional Information

McDougall’s Express Chondola offers an exceptional way to explore the mountain on foot. Featuring 10 gondola cabins on the innovative ‘combined’ lift of gondola cabins and chairs, it ensures a comfortable and stylish journey to the mountain’s peak!
Conveniently located next to our Base area, McDougall’s Express Chondola will have you at the mountain’s…

Location
Cardrona Alpine Resort
Cardrona Valley Rd
Cardrona Alpine Resort is located off the Cardrona Valley road, 14km up an unsealed mountain road. On arrival, guests will be guided to a car park. On approach from the car park, look for the ticket office, which is the first immediate building with red strip lights.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(7 Ratings)
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Canucks583
Feb 13, 2023
Enjoy the Sights of Cardrona the Easy Way - We wanted to take the gondola up the mountain and do a walk at the top. We were concerned though about the long gravel road which you have to travel to get to the gondola base because of risking damaging the bodywork on our rental car. Fortunately, Cardrona offer a shuttle service for $10 up the hill and $5 backdown, bookable on their website. We took the shuttle, had lunch at the base station and then took the gondola up. The views on the walk which we then did were magnificent. We can definitely recommend experiencing this trip up the mountain.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ubique105
Jan 19, 2020
Great Day Out. Fantastic Views - We went for the walking trails. Took chair from resort base and walked around the tops. Best views by far and great watching the bikes and carts. Staff were friendly and helpful. Couldn't ask for more. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kiwitraveller5103
Oct 27, 2019
Awesome view - My Mum use to ski & wanted to go up to see Cardrona. The day was as perfect as you could ever want. Beautiful blue skies & sunshine. We went up the Gondola and one of the lovely hosts took our photos. Then popped into the Mezz Cafe for a very tasty lunch.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mkkcdf
Sep 14, 2019
Great sightseeing day out - We wanted to do some sightseeing so decided to go to Cardrona. Our little 2wd made it right up the hill to the carpark with only a little scary corner! No chains on this day as per the daily update from the resort. The carpark is muddy so be prepared. Super easy to purchase a gondola ticket and the trip up to the top is quick and comfortable. Views from the outdoor bar area were stunning! Little bar serves warm drinks, snacks and even a cheeky bottle of bubbles! Take a walk to the totem poles for more amazing views.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Russ
Sep 11, 2018
Chondala Magic ! - As part of our Queenstown holiday, decided to visit Cardrona to give our little ones their first real romp in the snow. The alpine resort's infrastructure had grown since the last visit and is now a real alpine village. The "Chondala", a chairlift inter-dispersed with gondalas, was a real hit with the family and provided really easy access to the higher parts of the skifield. A memorable day made all the better by a beautiful clear day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ross_h
Jan 9, 2024
top of the experience - Wonderful views from Wanaka to Queenstown. Efficient staff. The 14km dirt road up and back was a surprise!
Review provided by Viator
Kerri
Jan 7, 2019
Great views - Cardrona is a lovely little town and a great alternative to the hustle and bustle of Queenstown - even in summer, when were visited. We took the gondola to the top of the mountain (after a fairly ‘hairy’ drive to the base of the resort, along 12km of unmade road!). There’s not much there if you are only after a superb view and a couple of photos (and not into go-carts, mountain biking and such) so the ride price of $35 seemed a little steep. Overall though, it was worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $21
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).