Doubtful Sound Wilderness Day Cruise: Explore Fiordland National Park's Remote Landmarks

342 Ratings

Manapouri

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Embark on an 8-hour day trip into the remote wilderness of Doubtful Sound in Fiordland National Park. Discover stunning landmarks, encounter dolphins and seals, and experience the unique ‘Sound of Silence’ on a luxurious cruise.

Duration: 7 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Lake Manapouri - Cruise across Lake Manapouri to the Wilmot Pass at the beginning of your journey.
Doubtful Sound - Take in the scenery and wildlife aboard our comfortable catamaran. Our on board nature guides will be giving an informative commentary throughout the journey.
Doubtful Sound - Take a comfortable coach journey through the breathtaking Wilmot Pass to reach Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound.

What's Included

On-board live commentary

What's Not Included

Food and drinks (available to purchase)
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Additional Information

Embark on a full-day excursion to the secluded Doubtful Sound located in the heart of Fiordland National Park with our experienced nature guides who will provide information and identify landmarks. This fiord is a natural habitat for bottlenose dolphins and fur seals, which are commonly sighted. During the season, you might spot the seldom-seen…

Location

64 Waiau Street

Waiau Street

Please be sure to arrive 20 minutes before your scheduled departure to check in.

Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings

4.8

(342 Ratings)

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1 star

Nicola

Sep 26, 2024

No Doubt that it was a great experience - We did this cruise today and we're really pleased that we chose Doubtful Sound over Milford Sound as the road to MS has been closed for a week. It was a 7 hour experience and even though it was a cold, wet day, the boats and coach were warm and comfortable. Food could be pre-ordered and collected at Lake Manapouri or you could bring your own. There was free tea and coffee aboard the boat taking us across the lake or you could purchase other beverages. Food and drinks could also be purchased on the boat which took us around the sound. All the staff were friendly and helpful and we picked up lots of interesting information from the commentary. The scenery is spectacular and it is just a lovely, relaxing day.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Michellerobsh

Sep 11, 2024

A great experience. - It was an excellent trip! A fantastic experience. The staff were great. All commentaries on the 3 legs were exemplary and very enjoyable. We wouldn't order the cheese platter again, very expensive for what you get. Much better to go with the food available on the cruise.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Richard_g

Aug 19, 2024

A superb trip from start to finish. - Round every corner there was a new vista to photograph. The English language is going to have to invent a few more adjectives for superlative if it is going to be able to describe Doubtful Sound adequately.

Review provided by Viator

Kelliel439

Jul 1, 2024

Spectacular scenery - Just getting to Doubtful Sound was an amazing experience. Our tour guide Warren filled us in on some interesting facts on the boat ride across the lake to the coach and throughout the cruise. Amazing views of the mountains as you cruise out to the Tasman Sea. We were lucky to experience dolphins playing around the boat and seals on the rocks at the start of Doubtful Sound.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Imcnichol66

Jun 22, 2024

No doubt about Doubtful Sound. - The entire trip was amazing from the moment we got on the boat at Lake Manapouri. Crew were welcoming and very informative and entertaining. The landscape is stunning and the Sound of Silence a very special moment in time.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Kd1289

May 27, 2024

Amazing trip! - Amazing trip! Epic views all day long, from the boat crossing Lake Manapouri to the bus ride over the pass to the cruise in Doubtful Sound. So peaceful given the lack of other boats, and different landscape vs. Milford Sound. Couldn't recommend more!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Kiwiwanderers02

May 23, 2024

Wilderness Two Night Cruise - like no other! - We chose to do the two night cruise and are so pleased we did. We had an unforgettable time with Captain Blake and his team. The service was great, food great (it seemed we were always eating), the ride in the tenders great, and the views were exceptional with three days of clear weather! Lots of memories made with photos of stunning reflections, sunsets, sunrises, nightscapes! Even got some great video of Bottlenose dolphins and an albatross who wanted to play behind the boat. Highly recommended!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Abigail_h

May 15, 2024

absolute must see! - this was the most memorable part of my trip to New Zealand. lots of people said doubtful sound was worth checking out in addition to Milford and they were so very right. it was really nice being able to spend a longer period of time marveling in the beauty of this fjord.

Review provided by Viator

Knefknok

Jun 9, 2024

Sound of silence - We did the overnight cruise where we spent a night on the boat. Unfortunately, the excursion started with a yes/no discussion at the counter about our booked lunches. After much insistence (which almost caused us to miss the boat), they checked the details and saw that we had indeed included lunch. Unfortunately we also received the wrong lunch, so it started disappointingly with unfriendly employees. The cruise itself was a lot of fun, unfortunately we had bad weather with a lot of rain. The sound of silence moment was very special and the nature was fantastic. You are truly cut off from the world for 24 hours, a special experience to have!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

William_m

Apr 27, 2024

Long day - Doubtful Sound is beautiful, but this tour makes for a very long day. 45-minute boat ride across the lake, 45-minute bus ride over the mountain, then a 3-hr boat around Doubtful Sound. Another 1.5 hrs to return to Manapouri.

Review provided by Viator

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up to 10 guests

1 Adult