Fiordland Tours FAQs
Fees, the road, the parking, the weather, the flights, children and cancellation, answered from the operators' own listings and DOC's pages. Ready to book Fiordland guided tours? The answers below settle most of what you need first.
Two answers matter more than the rest. First, there is no park ticket: you pay for the cruise, the coach or the flight, and on some days for parking at Milford Sound. Second, the two fiords are reached in different ways. Milford Sound has a road and Doubtful Sound does not, so a Doubtful Sound day always crosses Lake Manapouri and Wilmot Pass, and a Milford Sound day runs up the Milford Road or flies in over the mountains to the foot of Mitre Peak.
Is there an entry fee for Fiordland National Park?
No. Fiordland National Park has no gate and no entry fee. What you pay for is the cruise, coach seat or flight, plus parking at Milford Sound if you drive, and most international visitors pay New Zealand's NZ$100 visitor levy with their visa or NZeTA.
Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound: which should I choose?
Milford Sound is the one you can drive to, with a cruise of up to 2 hours on a 16 km fiord below Mitre Peak. Doubtful Sound has no road: you cross Lake Manapouri and Wilmot Pass first, then cruise a fiord 40 km long for 3 hours, with far fewer boats. Choose Milford for the famous view, Doubtful for the quiet and the time on the water.
Can I visit Milford Sound as a day trip from Queenstown?
Yes, but it is a long day. The road trip is about 600 km return and the coach days run 11 to 13 hours, leaving between 6:30 and 7:30 am. The fly-cruise-fly days cover the same ground in about 5 hours by flying 30 to 40 minutes each way.
How long is the drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound?
About 120 km, which DOC puts at 2 hours without stops. Most people take closer to 3 with the viewpoints and short walks. There is no fuel between Te Anau and Milford Sound, so fill up before you leave.
What happens if it rains in Fiordland?
Cruises run in the rain, and rain is when the waterfalls are at their biggest. Fiordland gets around 7 m of rain a year, so pack a rain jacket whatever the forecast says. Scenic flights are the exception: they are rebooked or refunded when the weather closes in.
What happens if my scenic flight is cancelled?
The flight operators rebook you or refund you in full when weather cancels a flight. On the drive-in, fly-out day you return to Queenstown by coach instead, and the flight part of the fare is partly refunded. Book a flight early in your stay so there is room to reschedule.
Can I cancel a Fiordland tour?
Most tours here refund in full up to 24 hours before. The overnight cruises are the exceptions: the Doubtful Sound overnight needs 14 days' notice, and the Fiordland Jewel on Milford Sound is non-refundable. Each card states its own policy.
How much does parking cost at Milford Sound?
The main car park costs NZ$10 an hour, paid by card at the machines, about 10 minutes' walk from the terminal. A free car park at Deepwater Basin is about 40 minutes' walk away. DOC advises allowing 45 minutes to park and walk in before your cruise.
Is food available on the Milford Sound cruises?
Not on the small day boats: Cruise Milford and Mitre Peak Cruises sell no food, though they serve tea and coffee and you can bring your own. The small-group coach days from Queenstown and the walks day from Te Anau include a picnic lunch. On Doubtful Sound, RealNZ's boats sell food and drinks, card only.
Can I drive to Doubtful Sound?
No. There is no road to Doubtful Sound: every visit crosses Lake Manapouri by boat to West Arm and then Wilmot Pass by coach to Deep Cove. The day trips from Manapouri, Te Anau and Queenstown include all of it.
Will I see dolphins, seals or penguins?
Often, but no tour can promise it. Fur seals bask on the rocks in Milford Sound, and Doubtful Sound has one of the southernmost populations of bottlenose dolphins. Fiordland crested penguins, tawaki, are seasonal.
Where is the best place to stay in Fiordland?
Te Anau. It is the largest town in Fiordland, 2 hours from Milford Sound and 20 minutes from Manapouri, and DOC recommends planning the Milford trip from there rather than from Queenstown. Queenstown works if you take a coach day or a flight.
What should I bring?
A rain jacket, warm layers and insect repellent, whatever the season: the sandflies are the reason almost every listing names repellent. Bring food on the small Milford boats. RealNZ's boats take cards only, so cash is no use there.
Are Fiordland tours suitable for children?
Most are. The jet boat rides take children from 4, the bike version from 2, and the premium small-group day from Queenstown supplies booster seats for children 7 and under. The 13-hour days from Queenstown are long for young children, and a Te Anau base shortens them.
How long is a Milford Sound cruise?
Between 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hours on the day boats. The 2-hour boats run the full 16 km out past St Anne's Point into the Tasman Sea before turning back under Mitre Peak. The overnight boat stays about 17 hours.
How deep is Milford Sound?
Up to 265 m, DOC says. Doubtful Sound goes to 421 m, the deepest of New Zealand's 14 fiords.
Why is Milford Sound called a sound?
It was named by the sealer John Grono after Milford Haven in Wales; geologically it is a fiord, carved by glaciers. Its Māori name is Piopiotahi, after the piopio, a native thrush.
How tall is Mitre Peak?
1,692 m, rising straight from the water, DOC says. The classic view is from the Milford Sound Foreshore Walk near the terminal.
What is the difference between the 1h45 and the 2-hour Milford cruises?
The 2-hour boats go the full length of the fiord past St Anne's Point into the Tasman Sea. The shorter cruises also turn under Mitre Peak and stop at the waterfalls.
What are the overnight cruises like?
On Doubtful Sound, the Wanderer anchors in a sheltered cove, with kayaks or a tender boat, a three-course dinner and twin-share cabins. On Milford Sound, the Fiordland Jewel has kayaking and a top-deck hot tub after dinner, and it is non-refundable.
How long is the Doubtful Sound day from Queenstown?
About 13 hours, with a coach to Manapouri, the lake crossed there and back and Wilmot Pass crossed there and back for a 3-hour cruise. From Manapouri the same cruise is a 7-hour day.
Is Fiordland a World Heritage Site?
Yes. It has been World Heritage since 1986 and is part of Te Wāhipounamu, the 2.6 million hectare South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.
What is the Homer Tunnel?
The 1.2 km tunnel, 945 m above sea level, that carries the Milford Road into the Milford valley. In summer peaks it runs on traffic lights, with delays of up to 20 minutes.
Is the Milford Road open in winter?
Yes, but from May to September it can be icy and snow-covered, chains may be required, and a stretch below the Homer Tunnel is an avalanche no-stopping zone. DOC advises taking a bus if you are not confident driving in those conditions.
Is there mobile signal at Milford Sound?
Limited. DOC lists reception at Te Anau Downs, Totara Campsite, The Divide and Milford Sound, and little else between Te Anau and the terminal.
What time do the Queenstown coach days leave?
Between 6:30 and 7:30 am, with hotel pickups before that. They return to Queenstown in the evening, 11 to 13 hours later.
Are there toilets on the coach?
Not on the premium small-group vehicle from Queenstown, which lists no restroom on board. The coach days stop at Te Anau and at the public toilets along the Milford Road.
Can I walk the Milford Track in a day?
The full Milford Track is walked one way over 3 nights and 4 days, with booked huts. The cruise-and-track day from Te Anau adds a self-guided 11 km return walk from the Milford end to Giant Gates Falls, reached by water taxi from Deepwater Basin.
Are the Milford cruises wheelchair accessible?
The Cruise Milford boat is listed as wheelchair and stroller accessible, with disability parking outside the terminal. The coach days and the Doubtful Sound trips are not suitable for wheelchairs.
Do scenic flights have a weight limit?
Yes: 150 kg per passenger on the Queenstown fly-cruise-fly days, and 130 kg on the fly-back option of the premium small-group day. Infants under 11 kg fly on a lap.
What is the NZ$100 levy?
The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, paid with most visitor visas and NZeTAs. Travellers on Australian or New Zealand passports, and on most Pacific Island passports, do not pay it.
Can I see Lord of the Rings locations?
The Waiau River near Te Anau stood in for the River Anduin, DOC says. The jet boat rides run down it to Lake Manapouri.
What is there to do in Te Anau in the evening?
A champagne cruise on Faith, a 1935 motor yacht, or a walk along the lakefront. The jet boat rides run in daylight hours.
Still deciding? The practical detail is in the visitor guide, what travellers made of each tour is in the reviews, and every fare sits side by side on Fiordland Tours.