Your tour starts in the stunning city of Queenstown. As we drive out of the city your guide will not only set the scene for your adventure today but also point out and guide you past some of the area’s top highlights.
Departing Queenstown we wind our way around Lake Wakatipu, with amazing views of ‘The Remarkables’ Mountain Range and the lake.
Continuing around the lake we will pass through Devil’s Staircase. This elevated windy part of the road is famous for dramatic photos and setting the scene for the day to come.
After more amazing mountain, river and farmland views we arrive in Te Anau, home to Lake Te Anau, New Zealand’s second largest lake. While in this idyllic town we will stop for a 30 minute break, so you can stretch your legs, have your morning coffee, and something to eat, and maybe meet some of the local animals or wildlife! Continuing along the lake we stop at Te Anau Downs, the starting point for the Milford Track, to hear the stories and admire the views.
Leaving Te Anau and entering Fiordland National Park we stop in Eglinton Valley. With views worthy of Lord of the Rings, this valley follows the path of an ancient glacier through Fiordland. One of the first major attractions as you enter the park, it really sets the scene for a journey that only get more impressive the deeper you get.
Our next stop on this epic adventure is Mirror Lakes for a short stroll to see the famous reflections of the Earl Mountains. Get the right day, take a good picture and no one with be able to tell which way is the right way up for the photo.
Continuing along the Milford Road we come across Lake Gunn. Named after a famous explorer and popular for fishing, often we will stop at Lake Gunn for some photos and to enjoy the peace.
A short drive away we start passing the Hollyford River a gorgeous and powerful river full of large boulders and rapids. Feeding into the river at Falls Creek is the first of our extremely impressive waterfalls of the area, one of many to come.
Climbing in altitude we go deeper into the Darran Mountains and these views require another stop to admire and take photos. We are also entering the area where Kea (the world’s largest alpine parrot) like to live. Start keeping an eye out for these large, cheeky and colourful birds that never fail to thrill and entertain when found.
To make our way back down towards the sea we enter the mind-blowing hand-built Homer Tunnel, hearing the incredible history and stories. Emerging from the tunnel the valley descends sharply towards Milford Sound and on a rainy-day you will see hundreds of waterfalls cascading down the mountain side.
Following the valleys to the sea we arrive at Milford Sound where you will board your cruise with one of our incredible cruise partners. This experience offers a boutique cruise on a smaller boat which is less crowded and a crew that offers a much more informative and personal tour of Milford Sound. The smaller boat means you get closer to the wildlife and nature including the New Zealand fur seals basking on the rocks, massive rock faces rising for hundreds of metres out of the sea and the waterfalls cascading from an ancient rainforest high in the mountains. This cruise is unbeatable.
While on the boat cruise you will be able to marvel at the awe-inspiring Mitre Peak, the iconic Milford Sound mountain, with its steep triangular peak rising high up above the reflective waters of the Milford Sound.
On our way home, we pull over to admire the elevated amazing views of the divide in the Southern Alps, close to the start of the Routeburn Track. While here the guide will tell you the stories of ancient Maori explorers.
Sadly we must start to head back to Te Anau but your day is not over with a fully guided return trip and maybe some surprise stops along the way. You will be dropped to your central accommodation upon arrival in Te Anau.
My tour guide was Raghav. Highly recommend. Was very friendly and loved his sense humor. Was very informative throughout the whole trip. Was great that was Sam all groups. Loved this tour would do it again and highly recommend!
Our tour guide Harry is friendly and helpful, with good driving skills and experience.
We very rarely do group travel. This one has been rewarding.
Excellent trip to Milford Sound. We had a fantastic guide, I think her name is Kim but I could be wrong, who took us everywhere and showed us great landscapes even though it was raining very hard. She is a tall guide, easy to find always and a with a great sense of humor. She was able to put up with my silly jokes. The trip on the cruise was amazing. Because if so much rain we got to see an amazing amount of waterfalls coming from the top of the mountains. The picnic food was great and there was plenty of water and snacks in the very comfortable van. The fact that it was a smaller group was also a positive aspect since we did not have to wait for 60 people to get in and out at every stop. An amazing day enjoying a beautiful part of New Zeland and one of the most unique in the world.
Really enjoyed the cruise but especially the stops along the drive. Our tour guide Paul was amazing. He was friendly and informative!
Epic experience! Danny did a fantastic job guiding us throughout the day - from stops and fun tidbits to special hidden LOTR gems and an exceptional playlist to the journey. Milford Sound was one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve ever had. Highly recommend!
My tour guide was Handsome guy.
We highly recommended Danny as our driver and tour guide to our Milford cruise. He was punctual , very organised with the stop overs eg coffee & toilet breaks, photo taking & been spoilt with snacks, water & lunch that has been provided. He was also entertaining & not boring, Danny had excellent knowledge about the country, professional, courteous and very easy to approach - He even took photos for everyone who asked him to. He ensure our safety is his responsibility. Our group were very looked after - from start to finish. He ensure my husband Jack is comfortable during the tour due to his motion sickness. He did go far and beyond. Danny is highly recommended.
What an amazing day. Amy was so informative and kept us all entertained the whole day. She was safe and professional! The small bus was comfortable and the boat tour the best. Milford Sound is breath taking. It’s a must do when in Queenstown and Cheeky Kiwi Tours are the ones to do it with!! Best day out.
Cheeky Kiwi Travel tour from Queenstown to Milford Sound with Amy - just book it. Easy pickup near our hotel, very comfortable coach and wonderful driving by our host/driver Amy. Amy was an absolute wealth of knowledge and her commentary throughout the journey to Milford Sound was really engaging/interesting. We learned about the history and features of the beautiful areas we drove through, plus opportunities to pull in to have a closer look at special locations. Smaller bus resulted in more personalised service and a better overall travel experience for us. We had regular breaks for rest stops & coffee thoughout the outbound journey with less required on return journey. The lunch pack provided was ample & generous. The cruise through Milford Sound was on a snaller boat that was comfortabie snd not overcrowded. The views and experience aboard the boat were unforgettable with the smaller boats able to get close to the waterfalls. Thanks Amy for giving our family a great day out with excellent driving whilst giving a superb commentary. We wouldn’t have been able to visit Milford Sound without a tour operator like Cheeky Kiwi tours as it would be too long a drive/day from us ex-Queenstown (plus some ice on roafs and twisty country roads, which Amy as a local experienced driver, navigated safely at a decent pace with our pickup at 7am to drop off at 8pm).
It was a wonderful trip. I had a great time thanks to Amy, who was a joy to have as guide. She kept us engaged and made our trip very comfortable.
Comfy pick up and drop off. Great scenic ride. Amazing tour guide took care of us
Jeff was an excellent story teller and super service provider . Hospitable and always on hand to help
We had a wonderful experience. The small group size is perfect. The tour guide provided lots of useful and interesting information, making the long journey easy. She took us to wonderful stops. We had appropriate time for bathroom breaks and for each stop. The bus is very comfortable; and the landscape is absolutely magical.
What an amazing tour it was. Amy from CK was an absolute legend as a guide. She managed to include all the major attractions on the way and shared the history of all the locations. It was quite informative. Amy is quite knowledgeable about the places she took us and fun to chat. Milford Sound cruise was absolutely stunning.
Amy was an excellent story teller. Snacks and water were ample and the coach comfortable. The many stops were perfect.
We had an amazing experience traveling for the day with our guide Amy. Super capable driver, lots of interesting stories & factoids about NZ, lots of little stops for photos & enjoy little vistas of the amazing landscape. Overall a lovely experience enhanced by Amy
We had the most awesome trip with Jeremy. He was so passionate genuine funny and caring. Great day out
This tour was first rate. Comfortable ride, nice packed lunch, good company. And the Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound are spectacular. We started out very early in the rain from Queenstown, but our guide Benny assured us that going to Milford Sound on a rainy day was not a bad thing. And he could not have been more right. The way the waterfalls grew in number and intensity throughout the day was breathtaking. Truly a day to remember. And being dropped in Te Anau at the end of the day (instead of going all the way back to Queenstown) gave me a chance to wander a bit and see some sights in Te Anau.
We had a wonderful experience which was very much as a result of the tour drivers which you allocated to our trips. They were all different in character but equally were all friendly, knowledgeable about the countryside through which we were travelling and above all professional in their approach to their tasks. Comfort breaks were offered regularly which was much appreciated. We also enjoyed the tours where my wife and I had the mini bus and driver to ourselves. Having said that fellow travellers on other occasions was much appreciated and enjoyed. All in all the tours all met or exceeded our expectations. Fun
I did a small group Milford Sound tour from Queenstown with Cheeky Kiwi. I’ve met A LOT of guides during my travels, most of them were pretty good. Our guide Danny was one of the best. He made the long journey pleasant with many interesting facts about the country, was very organised and funny, and even prepared some games and trivia quizzes to make our day better. He mentioned he was in finance before. I don’t know about that, but I know he was born to be a great tour guide! Thank you Cheeky Kiwi!
Colin was our driver/guide for our tour to Te Anau and Milford Sound. We had a great time on all of the stops and Colin was a wealth of good information and just a very nice fellow. We want to make a special call out and thank to him for taking the time to return the travel pillow we left on the van when he dropped us off. We really appreciate him for doing that. Great tour and a great guide.
Had a great experience with Cheeky Kiwi. Joe was an amazing driver. He was very knowledgeable about New Zealand and got us there in record time. He also tolerated our group’s terrible singing on the way back. He deserves a raise! Recommended!
Raghav was awesome! The tour was long and so worth it!!! There were beautiful scenic routes, crazy weather changes to experience, and all the kindness from our tour guide Raghav!
We booked onto the trip short-notice and were so glad that we did! Shura was an excellent guide who is incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. I particularly loved to learn about botany and birds. She made the long drive fly by! The organisation of the trip was seamless and the cruise of Milford magical.
We had Hanna as a guide for the tour and she was fantastic! She knew so much about the natural landscape and culture. The tour itself was beautiful and really well organised. I couldn’t recommend Cheeky Kiwi and Hanna enough.
Although the drive was long, the views were absolutely breathtaking and incredibly worth it! Shura was an amazing guide and made the time in the van fun!
Jason and Angelo took us on a day trip from Queenstown to Milford Sound. They were fantastic hosts and guides , providing a very enjoyable and informative day full of interest, fun and a deep appreciation of the sublime landscape we travelled through Jason’s personable approach and his local knowledge was a real highlight , making the day relaxed and enjoyable despite the ambitious agenda . The small group tour is an excellent way to engage with this overwhelmingly glorious landscape.
Jason was a great guide. Picked us up at Te Anau and the trip to Milford Sound was amazing and fun with lots of stops and Jason sharing his knowledge and life experiences. Totally recommend Jason as your guide and the small bus was so much better than a larger vehicle. Great lifetime experience!!
It was a long itinerary, but we were able to visit several spots with related stories and it was quick. The car was comfortable and I enjoyed it to the end, as I was able to rest well during the long journey. Milford Sound was the goal, but the Mirror Lakes Walk was so good! The cafe where we had snacks on the way was also delicious with pies. Our guide RAGHAV made the tour fun and exciting and gave us a good vibe.
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