Half-Day Milford Sound Flight and Cruise from Queenstown

based on 554 reviews

Duration:5 hours (approx.)
Location: Queenstown, South Island

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Milford Sound is an area of extraordinary natural beauty. It offers a majestic fiord, dramatic and awe-inspiring scenery and prolific flora and fauna. This tour with Air Milford allows you to combine the stunning flight to Milford Sound with a beautiful cruise on the fiord. Relax as you enjoy the best of both worlds from above and from the sea.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Air Milford
On arrival that the Air Milford base you will meet your pilot, for a full pre-flight briefing, before embarking on your 35 minuet scenic flight over the Southern Alps, to Milford Sound.
2. Coronet Peak Ski Resort
After takeoff, view Coronet Peak, one of New Zealand's premiere ski fields.
3.
Fly over the Shotover river and Skippers canyon, this is where gold was discovered in the 1860's. This river became the world's 2nd highest gold bearing river in the world, next to the Klondike in Alaska.
4. Glenorchy-Queenstown Road
Fly over the small settlement of Glenorchy, located at the head of Lake Wakatipu. Here you enjoy wonderful views of two braided river mouths joining the lake. The two rivers are the Dart and the Rees, both glacial fed, display wonderful colors as they mix with the lake.
5. Routeburn Track
Fly over the dense beech forest of the Routeburn and Hollyford. valleys. One of new Zealand 'great walks' traverses the Routeburn valley, its a 3-day hike through the valley and over an alpine pass into Fiordland National Park.
6. Fiordland National Park (Te Wahipounamu)
Fly over the main divide of the Southern Alps and into Fiordland National park. One of the first sights you will encounter on arrival in Fiordland National Park is Mt Tutoko, at over 8,900ft / 2,700meters it is Fiordland's highest peak. There are two main glaciers to view here, the Donne and the Age.
7. Milford Sound
Fly the full length of the fiord, right out to the Tasman sea where you will turn and descend, before coming into land. This part of the flight really makes you appreciate the sheer size of the towering cliffs of the fiord, which rise over a mile high in some parts!
8. Mitre Peak
View the highest peak in Milford Sound, Mitre Peak. It impressively rises directly out of the water of the fiord, to it's summit at 5,560ft / 1,690 meters, which is just over a mile of vertical gain!
9. Milford Sound
Experience the overhead beauty of Milford Sound
10.
When your cruise returns, your pilot will meet you and escort you back to the airport. If time allows, the pilot will take you on a short bush walk through the native beech forest. The flight time back to Queenstown is 35 minuets.
11.
After landing in Milford Sound, your pilot will escort you to the boat docks to board your Milford Sound Nature Cruise.
12.
On your cruise, numbers are capped at 150 passengers and on this intimate experience, nature guides offer a personal commentary. The boat explores nooks and crannies along the edge of the fiord, nudging into sheer rock faces to examine flora and fauna in detail. The boat traverses the full length of the fiord, right out to the Tasman Sea, allowing guests to relax and take in the stunning scenery.
13.
After taking off in Milford Sound the flight path first takes in another view of the fiord, before tracing south, down the Arthur valley. At the head of this valley, the Sutherland Falls can be viewed, this is New Zealand's highest waterfall, falling impressively 1,900ft / 580 meters to the valley floor below.
14. Bowen Falls
During your cruise, view the Bowen Falls, it is one of Milford Sound's two permanent waterfalls and at 530ft / 162 meter is it's highest. After rainfall, there are hundreds of waterfalls to be viewed in the fiord!
15. Greenstone and Caples Tracks
After once again crossing the main divide of the Southern Alps, taking in stunning views of small alpine lakes and jagged snow capped mountains, the route then traverses the densely forested Greenstone and Caples valleys.
16. Lake Wakatipu
After emerging from the Greenstone valley, fly over Lake Wakatipu. Lake Wakatipu is New Zealand's longest lake at 46 miles / 75 kms, it is also incredibly deep, up to 1,250ft / 380 meters at some points! Queenstown is nestled on the lake's shores, so some great views of the town are enjoyed before landing.
17.
View the Walter Peak high country station, which is one of New Zealand's largest merino sheep farms.
18.
View the Remarkable mountain range and Queenstown, before landing back at the Air Milford base for your drop-off back to your accommodation.
19. Lake Te Anau
The flight path then begins to track east over the Southern Alps and back towards Queenstown. New Zealand's second largest lake, Lake Te Anau can be viewed, stretching out to the south.

ADDITIONAL INFO

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : Kelly_W
Absolutely incredible! Worth every penny for the views, ease, and time we saved by flying to Milford Sound vs driving the 5+ hours each way to get there. The Southern Seas cruise and our dedicated viewing area via Air Milford on the boat was also very nice. Flight is about 40 mins each way and the cruise 1.5 hours. We were fortunate with the weather and wind day of too. Our pilot Tim and all the Air Milford crew were amazing and we felt very safe throughout the whole experience. Highly highly recommend!
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Posted On : 2024-04-09 16:42:38

Posted By : Fiona_C
A must do experience! Our pilot Emma, flew us on the most incredible adventure, highlighting the main features with her commentary. The view from above just can’t be described - you just can’t see this beauty from the ground. Then adding the Milford Sound cruise - wow! Such a majestic place. We were escorted by seals & dolphins. A day we will never forget. Thank you
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Posted On : 2024-04-08 15:56:01

Posted By : peterhE1876JA
Wow! What a wonderful experience! Our flight from Queenstown to Milford Sound is undoubtedly the most spectacular flight we have ever taken. The mountain scenery was amazing and the clouds playing with the peaks looked almost unreal. The plane was a Cessna Caravan which was big enough for the job but still gave great views out the windows. Our pilot Tom was very professional. The cruise up the Sound was great and the boat was able to approach towering cliffs and waterfalls very closely. A truly beautiful place. I highly recommend this tour!
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Posted On : 2024-04-01 22:56:49

Posted By : Robert_S
We had a fantastic tour! We had a sunny day on the flight from Queenstown to Milford and flying over the mountains was beautiful! Tom, our pilot, was very professional and gave us great commentary while flying. The boat tour of Milford Sound was amazing too. Thanks to all the Air Milford staff (esp Sara and Mikayla) for a great trip, well worth the cost!
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Posted On : 2024-03-29 16:23:34

Posted By : Dreamer00058656919
The flight to Milford was out of this world! Our pilot, Tom, was great and let us know what we were seeing just outside our windows. The boat cruise was also wonderful, with an up close waterfall experience being the highlight. We only wished the flight was longer! If you only have a day in Queenstown, do this tour!
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Posted On : 2024-03-27 23:10:44

Posted By : 208edwards
Had an amazing half day flight and cruise with Air Milford. Our pilot Anthony was excellent. Had lots of interesting information for us and pointed out the sights to see from the plane. A must do if you are in Queenstown.
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Posted On : 2024-03-27 20:22:31

Posted By : ericbT5756QN
This is the must do thing from Queenstown. Riding in the Cessna over the mountains was amazing. If you get the opportunity, sit in the copilots seat!!
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Posted On : 2024-03-25 03:13:10

Posted By : sarahbW1305XP
If you’re lucky enough with the weather highly recommend the flight to Milford Sound. It was amazing! Can’t beat the views. Thanks to pilot Tim for a fantastic day!
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Posted On : 2024-03-25 03:12:36

Posted By : Joanne_Y
A great way to visit Milford Sounds … 35 min fly you are at Milford Sounds. Seamlessly board on the scenic cruise in a private lounge. Highly recommended
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Posted On : 2024-03-24 21:50:18

Posted By : Lyphe416
Great excursion and experience. Well run, stunning scenery, and exceeded all of our expectations. Thank you to Air Milford!
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Posted On : 2024-03-24 12:08:48