Half-Day Milford Sound Nature Cruise and Flight from Queenstown

based on 136 reviews

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

From $386.73

Book in 2 easy steps:

1. Select A Date

2. Enter Total No Of Travellers

Infant (Age : 0 to 1)

CHILD (Age : 2 to 12)

ADULT (Age : 13 to 99)

Free Cancellation

Upto 24 hours in Advance.

Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Top Selling Tours & Activities

Sightseeing Cruises

Excellent Quality

Viator Plus

Half-day Tours

Private and Luxury

Water Tours

Nature and Wildlife Tours

Coffee Cruises

Day Trips

Day Cruises

Air Tours

Adventure Tours

PRODUCT DETAILS
TRAVELER REVIEWS
TRAVELER PHOTOS

Air Milford hosts you on an intimate experience, combining two incredible scenic flights into Fiordland National Park with a Nature Cruise through the fiord itself. Enjoy reserved seating for Air Milford passengers aboard the cruise and commentary from the passionate skippers while exploring the nooks and crannies along the edge of the fiord, nudging into sheer rock faces to examine flora and fauna in detail. Enjoy return flights to Milford Sound so you can experience its beauty from all angles.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Air Milford
Each tour begins with a complimentary pick-up from your centrally located Queenstown accommodation. After check-in completion, your pilot will give a thorough pre-flight briefing on the route and scenic highlights likely to be encountered, before embarking on your Scenic Flight to Milford Sound. The flight time to Milford Sound is 35 minuets.
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
Fly from Queenstown to magnificent Milford Sound
10.
After landing in Milford Sound, your pilot will escort you to the boat docks to board your Milford Sound Nature Cruise.
11. 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!
12.
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.
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.
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. when the boat returns your pilot will meet you for your return flight.
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 : Expedition42281
Antony and Emma were excellent! Very confident and professional. Explained all aspects of the flight. We had a fabulous live time experience. Would highly recommended them.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-12-02 01:41:01

Posted By : DavisonWanderers
Our pilot, Antony Sproull is part of this family run business and his love of the area and flying shone through. It’s hard to describe the amazing experience of flying so close to the alps and cruising Milford Sound. We saw seals and a penguin on this gorgeous day.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-11-25 14:33:54

Posted By : 685ameer
Incredible day out. You get two different flying routes going there and coming back and the commentary as you take those adds a lot. The cruise is spectacular. Really informative and amazing experience. Couldn't recommend it more.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-08-27 05:20:53

Posted By : shellsmoments
Top-class experience with a wonderfully run operation - purchased this experience for my father's 89th birthday. He absolutely loved it. The flight was incredible, the plane was fantastic and the cruise was awesome. Can't recommend this experience enough and I would only go with Air Milford!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-06-14 02:42:49

Posted By : HLW55
We were very lucky to have brilliant weather and the whole day was fabulous. On arrival at the small airport we were given a very friendly welcome and a briefing about the trip (what to look out for etc). We then headed to the plane (I think there were 12 of us) and took to the skies. The views were sensational and the pilot gave us a commentary as we flew. We landed at the tiny airstrip and boarded the boat and had an amazing trip across the Sound. We were lucky enough to see a pod of bottlenose dolphins playing at the front of the boat and some seals basking on the rocks. The scenery - towering cliffs and beautiufl waterfalls - is breath-taking. We then flew back. An awesome day. Would thoroughy recommend this company, they were extremely professional, friendly and made us feel very relaxed.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-05-14 03:17:59

Posted By : ELP732
The weather was perfect for an up close view of the alps before flying the the length of the gorge and landing at Milford Sound. Ossie, our pilot, made us all comfortable and talked us calmly through a couple of minutes of turbulence. His flying skill is exemplary.

The cruise on Milford Sound calmed the breath, opened the senses and was a good length before the return flight over a slightly different route back to Queenstown.

Somebody gets the option to sit up-front with the pilot in each direction. The best view is from the back row and has the most leg room.

A day out that is etched in memory forever. Your phots can only be spectacular.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-04-22 07:57:25

Posted By : JoanieM620
I've never been in a small plane before, but had no problems with this flight. Before we took off, the pilot said that the weather in Milford Sound would prevent us from taking the cruise, so he would spend a little extra time in the air to give us a fuller experience there. The views of the mountains were great from the air. We flew over Milford Sound, so we could see the waterfalls at the Sound from the air. The pilot was friendly and competent, giving us a great experience in the air.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-11-18 10:36:42

Posted By : HeleneHumby
An absolutely spectacular day! We highly recommend doing this tour if you are visiting Queenstown or are nearby. We did the fly in/cruise/fly out tour and every single moment was fabulous. Staff were all very friendly and helpful, special thanks to our pilot Antony Sproull from Air Milford whose commentary and flying skills were top notch.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-11-11 23:11:39

Posted By : Peter O
Outstanding tour with a great pilot in Tom. Very informative and the scenic flight there and back can not be described in words, just amazing. The cruise is also awesome with amazing scenery and waterfalls everywhere. A must do!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-10-12 17:39:00

Posted By : Wamble404
This is hands down the best thing to do when visiting Queenstown! the flight is jaw-droppingly beautiful and the sound itself is stunning. The staff and crew at Air Milford were super friendly and professional. The flight allows you to get a unique perspective as to exactly how remote and relatively inaccessible the area is and of cause showcases the beauty of those mountains and Fjiordland national park.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-07-15 21:23:07