Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Queenstown, Queenstown, Otago Region, South Island
Trip departs Queenstown at 6.45am. Travel on a brand new, premium glass-roof coach, equipped with reclining seats, extra legroom, air conditioning, USB charging ports and on board toilet. Enjoy as your local coach driver provides you with interesting and informative commentary as the breath-taking scenery unfolds around you.
They'll show you all the best short walks and photo stops along the Milford Road. This coach will connect with our 1hr 45min Milford Sound Nature Cruise. After your cruise, you will meet your pilot and make your way to the Milford Sound Airport for a truly unforgettable Scenic Flight from Milford Sound back to Queenstown. The ultimate Milford Sound experience!
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Te Anau, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park, Southland Region, South Island
Te Anau is a beautiful town on the South Island of New Zealand. It’s known as a gateway to Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound. The region is home to endangered, flightless takahē birds and abundant trout in Lake Te Anau. Enjoy a short break here on your way to Milford Sound, in order to break up the journey, grab a coffee, and stretch your legs.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Eglinton Valley, Milford Sound New Zealand
This beautiful valley is glaciated with steep sides and a flat floor. It's between half a kilometre to two kilometres wide and has a shingle riverbed floor, which is constantly being changed by the Eglinton River. This is an incredible stop you will make as apart of your journey to Milford Sound with Southern Discoveries.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Mirror Lakes Walk, Milford Road,, Fiordland National Park New Zealand
Enjoy a stroll among small lakes with stunning reflections of the Earl Mountains, should weather be permissive on the day. This is an easy, short walk off the Milford Road.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Eglinton Valley Camp, 6178 Te Anau Milford Highway, Fiordland National Park 9679, New Zealand
Interpretation panels show the effect of avalanches on the Milford Road and provide information on the wildlife of the Eglinton Valley. Visitor amenities include toilets and a telephone (card payment only).
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Lake Gunn, State Highway 94, Fiordland National Park New Zealand
Lake Gunn is a strikingly beautiful lake in the South Island of New Zealand.
Pass By: Cleddau River, Southland 9679, New Zealand
The Cleddau River is a beautiful river of New Zealand. It flows into the head of Milford Sound. You'll see many parts of this river as you journey along the Milford Sound road.
Stop At: Monkey Creek, Milford Sound New Zealand
Take in great views of the upper Hollyford Valley while you fill up your water bottle from this glacier fed spring. Friendly Keas (a New Zealand alpine parrot) love this area so it's a great stop for some kea spotting.
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Homer Tunnel, 94 S.h., Milford Sound New Zealand
At an altitude of 945 metres above sea level and 1.2 kilometres in length, the unlined road tunnel allows access through sheer rock to Milford Sound with a gradient of 1 in 10. Completed in 1953, traffic lights control the traffic flow through the tunnel. An incredible part of your journey along the Milford Road.
Stop At: Milford Sound, Milford Sound, Southland Region, South Island
Milford Sound is a fiord in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island. It’s known for towering Mitre Peak, plus rainforests and waterfalls like Stirling and Bowen falls, which plummet down its sheer sides. The fiord is home to fur seal colonies, penguins and dolphins. Milford Discovery Centre and Underwater Observatory offers views of rare black coral and other marine life. Boat tours are a popular way to explore.
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Stop At: Southern Discoveries - Milford Sound Visitor Centre, Freshwater Basin, Milford Sound Highway 94, Milford Sound 9679, New Zealand
Exchange your pass and board your Nature Cruise. Your journey on the water starts here!
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Bowen Falls, Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound 9679 New Zealand
The stunning Lady Bowen Falls is Milford’s highest waterfall. It plunges 162m from a hanging valley into the head of Milford Sound and provides electricity for the Milford Sound township by feeding a small hydroelectric scheme, as well as being the water source for the settlement.
Pass By: Stirling Falls, Milford Sound New Zealand
Milford’s second-highest waterfall is the Stirling Falls, a staggering 151m in height – three times the height of Niagara Falls, but the 1,300m mountain behind displaces this incredible height. This is the famous waterfall that Hugh Jackman ‘jumped off’ in the movie Wolverine. The sheer drop of the Stirling Falls allows boats to get right underneath – it’s an incredible feeling to have the power of 151m worth of glacial water falling so close to you.
Pass By: Sinbad Gully, Southland 9679, New Zealand
Nestled behind the world famous Mitre Peak, the Sinbad Gully is characterised by extremely steep glacially carved walls punctuated by near vertical granite cliffs. These walls slowed pest invasion into the gully and as a result a number of unique native species remain in the Sinbad.
Southern Discoveries is passionate about preserving Milford Sound’s beauty for future generations which is why it’s a key partner in a major conservation project – the Sinbad Sanctuary Project.
The aim is to see the valley of New Zealand’s most photographed mountain (Sinbad Gully is at the base of Mitre Peak) become a sanctuary for native species.
Stop At: Milford Sound Airport, Milford Sound 9679, New Zealand
Your Pilot will escort you to the Milford Sound Airport, where you will depart for your return Scenic Flight to Queenstown. Marvel at many of the pristine alpine lakes and waterfalls that Fiordland National Park is recognised for, including the Sutherland Falls which span 580m (1900ft). This is an unforgettable way to see this beautiful part of New Zealand. Flight time is 35 minutes.
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Mitre Peak, Southland 9679, New Zealand
Mitre Peak is a beautifully dramatic mountain in the South Island of New Zealand, located on the shore of Milford Sound. It is one of the most photographed mountain peaks in the entire country.
See Availability.
Southern Discoveries - Queenstown Visitor Centre, St Omer Wharf 110 Beach Street, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
07:00 AM
9 hours(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
Not wheelchair accessible
Please advise of your country of origin at the time of booking
All passenger weights MUST be advised at the time of booking
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Sunscreen and insect repellent advisable
Appropriate child restraints are not provided by the operator. These must be provided by the parent or caregiver - without this you may be turned away and unable to travel - please be prepared.
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers
Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Posted By : weijiang9
Fantastic experience. Everyone is super friendly. A big applause for our coach driver Keith for very detailed introduction along the way and get me a spot in a heli back to town. #SDShareandWin #SouthernDiscoveries
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-29
Posted By : FarAway37675665539
When the flight is cancelled and have to spend extra 2 hours getting home in a bus, you will only get refunded $350 for 2 person, making the coach and cruise to be about $350 per person. Contacted them several times, they said that they told Expedia to refund, but nonetheless I still did not get refund for the flight portion. I will never ever use them again and will caution fellow travelers of using them. I understand flight is weather dependent. But refund the money when flight can’t take off.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-08
Posted By : Compass48942360941
What an amazing experience!
From start to finish Southern Discoveries delivered a first class product.
We were picked up from our accommodation by a taxi and transported to the bus pickup from where we were in the very capable and safe hands of Roland, our driver. We thoroughly enjoyed his informative commentary and professional organisation.
We were saying “wow” at every turn and loved every minute of the trip. Simply stunning scenery. We had considered flying both ways but were so pleased with our decision to add the coach experience.
Next onto our Milford cruise for a delicious buffet lunch while gazing out the huge picture windows at the passing vista.
An unforgettable experience.
Upon disembarking we were greeted by smiling Megan, our Glenorchy Air pilot (with over 20 years flying experience), who ensured that we enjoyed fantastic views of the fjords and an unforgettable adventure overall. As nervous flyers, we felt so confident with Megan at the controls and will always remember that wonderful flight.
We highly recommend this combination and after a lifetime of travel all around the world would rate this trip with Southern Discoveries as one of my all time favourite experiences.
#southerndiscoveries
#SDShareandWin
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-03-23
Posted By : corrinb236
The whole experience was amazing. Our driver, Roland, was just perfect with his commentary along the way and provided a number of stops for us to take photos, have toilet breaks and get our morning coffee! Everything was so well organised, from initial pick up, to coach trip, to cruise, to fly back. Everything communicated and co-ordinated to perfection . The lunch on board the cruise is definitely worth doing and worth paying the extra to reserve front seats in the coach (if this is important to you).
An all round great experience and would really recommend doing.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-03-22
Posted By : tgbascon
This was my first bad experience with Viator. I had booked a “coach, cruise, fly” from Queenstown to Milford Sound and back. I waited for a confirmation (as per instructions) via email and was saddened to know that it was cancelled. But not to be discouraged, I tried again and I thought the 2nd time was a charm, I got in. Email confirmation and all. As the date got closer, I got my email reminder that I was going to get charged. I got charged on my credit card, and I knew for sure, this was all a go. When we got their at 6:30am, the Southern Discoveries meeting point, wide-eyed and ready to go, our eagerness was shot down when we were told that we were not on the roster. I told them the story what had happened, showed both bookings (cancelled and confirmed)
The saving grace was the people at Southern Discoveries, most especially our bus driver, Sonia, who was so accommodating. She put us up on her bus and took it upon herself to book us on another airline (Glenorchy Air) when Air Milford was already booked. A great driver at that and an amazing tour guide.
The drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound (through Te Anau) was so beautiful and then when you enter the Fiordland National Park, it turns magical.
The buffet on the Milford Sound cruise was decent (a mix of western and eastern). Did not expect the waters to be choppy but it was, but not too bad.
The highlight of the trip was the flight from Milford Sound to Queenstown. One word: breathtaking. Worth the money, you get a better perspective and appreciation of the Sound. Just nonstop oohs and aahs (wow moments) throughout the whole short 45-minute trip back. Thank you to the young pilot (whose name I forget) and his co-pilot for a job we’ll done.
This honestly would have been a 1-star rating if not for the quick credit for the “fly” leg that was credited back to my account.
I always believe, that if I don’t have any good thing to say, I’d rather not say it. But I feel I needed to be heard. I would not want this to happen again to some couple who visit a country for the first time, pay a decent amount for the service, only to be told that they were not on the list.
That said, everyone has to experience this beautiful trip.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-03-05
Posted By : azwanisa2024
We were very satisfied with our day trip to Milford Sound. Southern Discoveries picked us up from our apartment in the morning to our coach. The coach was comfortable, airconditioned, with glass roof ceilings just like in the photos. The bus driver/tour guide was very skillful, informative and had some funny stories to keep us awake. The cruise was great too, spacious and not too crowded. The views of course were amazing. But the highlight of our tour was the flyback home with Milford Air. We had a lovely pilot. It was safe and definitely worth it. Not just because its only 40 minutes back to Queenstown but we had the most amazing views from above. We were a family of 7 with kids youngest 5 yo and the eldest 15 yo, so this combination was great for us. And they even shuttled us back to our apartment afterwards.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-02-22
Posted By : Ken_C
The Cruise on Milford Sound is not to be missed but we were unable to take the flight back due to changing weather &, as yet, have not received a refund of the flight portion after 8 days.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-02-20
Posted By : lescoffey
This was our last big excursion of our trip to New Zealand from US. Our driver over on the coach, Shayle, was excellent. Very knowledgeable and it was easy to understand his instructions and details. He took good care of us. The fly back was just breathtakingly beautiful-I highly recommend going back this way. The eight seater plane was operated by Emma at Air Milford. She explained what we were seeing and the aerial view-I was awestruck by the beauty.
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Posted On : 2024-02-20
Posted By : 733kartikk
Upon the cancellation of my flight back from Milford Sound, I was assured that a refund would be processed. I provided my card details on November 21st for the refund. The company claimed to have processed the refund on November 22nd but failed to provide any transaction number or solid proof of the transaction.
After a 10-day waiting period with no refund appearing in my account, I contacted Southern Discoveries again. They provided only a screenshot of the refund transaction with an internal terminal ID and the last four digits of my card, yet no refund was received on my end. This prompted me to raise a dispute with my travel card company, Wise, but even after 15 days, there was no resolution or substantial update from their side.
As a customer living in Melbourne, Australia, physically approaching Southern Discoveries' office is not feasible. The lack of clear communication, transparency, and prompt resolution has made this experience extremely frustrating. I am still waiting for a proper resolution and feel left in the dark regarding my refund.
I am sharing this experience to alert potential customers of the challenges that may arise, especially regarding refunds and customer service responsiveness. I hope this issue gets resolved soon, and better practices are put in place to handle similar situations in the future.
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Posted On : 2023-12-26
Posted By : Robert_S
The coach driver was superb! Too bad we couldnt fly back as planned. Not sure of reason. Weather improved greatly in afternoon. Refund for flight return was same day! Coach driver did a great job on four hour trip back to Queenstown.
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Posted On : 2023-12-16
