Fiordland Tours from Te Anau
Hours, prices and access verified by the Fiordland Tours team — last checked 2026-09-21.
Fiordland tours from Te Anau start in the park's own gateway town, so the fiord days are shorter and the lake and river are on the doorstep. Several collect you where you sleep.
Fiordland tours from Te Anau, from the fiords to the lake
Best value
★★★★★ 5.0 (184 reviews · 3 hours)
Lake cruise and guided walkTe Anau historic wharfTea and drinks on board
Board Faith, a 1935 motor yacht, at the historic wharf behind the visitor centre. Three hours across the lake toward the South Fiord, a guided walk of about 40 minutes to the Hidden Lakes, and tea on board.
From $94 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.9 (50 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes)
Evening cruise on FaithTe Anau historic wharfChampagne and canapés
Ninety minutes on Lake Te Anau in the evening aboard Faith, with champagne and wine poured freely and canapés on deck. You can take a turn at the helm before the boat anchors in a sheltered cove.
From $94 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.9 (109 reviews · 2 hours)
Jet boat and nature walkJet boat office, Te Anau
Check in at the Fiordland Jet office in town, with free parking behind it, then a short bus ride to the river. Seventy-five minutes by jet boat to Lake Manapouri and a 15-minute forest walk. Children from 4.
From $117 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.8 (22 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes)
Jet boat, walk and bikeJet boat office, Te Anau
The river by jet boat and a short walk with a local driver-guide, then you ride 11 km back to town on the Lake2Lake trail. Standard bike or e-bike and a helmet supplied; most riders take 1.5 to 2 hours.
From $151 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.9 (919 reviews · 1 day)
Coach, cruise and walksTe Anau pickupPicnic lunch includedMax 15 guests
Collected from your Te Anau accommodation, not a Queenstown hotel. A nature guide leads short walks at the lake and in the valley, you cruise for two hours to the sea, and lunch is packed for you.
From $157 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.7 (450 reviews · 8 hours 30 minutes)
Lake, pass and 3-hour cruiseLakefront Drive, Te Anau
Coach from 85 Lakefront Drive to Manapouri, across the lake to West Arm, then over the pass for a three-hour cruise. Eight and a half hours in all; drinks from the licensed bar on board are extra.
From $218 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.9 (18 reviews · 11 hours)
Cruise and Milford Track walk1 Lakefront Drive, Te Anau
The Great Walks Bus meets you at 1 Lakefront Drive. After a cruise of up to two hours, a water taxi drops you on the track for an 11 km return walk to Giant Gates Falls, which you walk without a guide.
From $219 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The walks day with a nature guide
Collected from your Te Anau bed, 15 guests at most, short walks on the road, a two-hour small-boat cruise to the sea and a packed picnic lunch.
Check availability
What a tour from Te Anau is
Te Anau is the largest town in Fiordland and, in DOC's words, its gateway. It sits on the
shore of Lake Te Anau, 120 km from Milford Sound and 21 km from Manapouri, where the
Doubtful Sound boats leave. A tour from Te Anau starts in town, often at your door.
That gives you two kinds of trip. The fiord days take you to Milford Sound or Doubtful
Sound and back inside a day. The short trips stay close: a 1935 motor yacht on the lake, or
a jet boat down the Waiau River. You can fit one of those around a fiord day, or into an
evening.
Why choose a tour from Te Anau
Your days are shorter
From Queenstown, the Milford road trip is about 600 km return. From Te Anau it is 240
km. The Doubtful Sound day from town takes 8 hours 30 minutes, against 13 from
Queenstown.
You get the lake and the river too
Lake Te Anau holds more fresh water than any other lake in Australasia, DOC says, and
Faith, a motor yacht built in 1935, cruises it. The Waiau River stood in for the River Anduin in the films.
No day out of Queenstown stops for either.
The walking days start here
The walks day leaves room for short walks at Lake Gunn and in the Hollyford Valley. The
cruise-and-track day drops you on the Milford Track for an 11 km return walk to Giant Gates
Falls. The Great Walks Bus meets you at 1 Lakefront Drive.
You can fill an evening
The champagne cruise on Faith lasts 90 minutes on the lake. After a long fiord day, it is
the shortest trip on offer.
Tours from Te Anau vs tours from Queenstown
The same fiords from the other bed. Here is what a night in Te Anau buys you.
| From Te Anau | From Queenstown |
|---|
| Road to Milford Sound | 240 km return | About 600 km return |
| Milford coach day with lunch | $157 | $215 |
| Doubtful Sound day | 8 hours 30 minutes, $218 | 13 hours, $273 |
| Lake and river trips | $94 to $151 | None |
| Scenic flights | None | $428 to $540 |
| Hotel nights | At least one | None extra |
Check the walks day from $157
Choose Te Anau if you have two nights or more, and Queenstown if you have one day or
want to fly. The tours from Queenstown are compared on their own page.
What you get, and what you don't
- Pickup: the walks day collects you from central Te Anau. The other trips
start at a named meeting point in town.
- Lunch: packed for you on the walks day. On the cruise-and-track day you
can add a buffet or picnic lunch on board.
- On the lake: champagne, wine and canapés on the evening cruise; tea and
drinks on the three-hour one.
- On the river: spray jackets, life jackets and warm gear on the jet
boat.
- Not included: a Queenstown pickup on the walks day, and drinks from the
bar on the Doubtful Sound boat.
The quiet fiord in a day from town
Coach to Manapouri, the lake to West Arm, the coach over the pass and three hours on the water, back in 8 hours 30 minutes.
Check availability
Planning a tour from Te Anau
- Budget: $94 to $151 for a trip on the lake or the river;
$157 to $219 for a fiord day.
- Nights: two let you do both fiords, one a day. Our
Fiordland itinerary from Te Anau sets out two-, three- and four-day plans.
- Driving to Milford yourself: DOC puts it at 2 hours without stops, and
there is no fuel between town and the terminal.
- Refunds: every trip from town refunds in full up to 24 hours
before.
The things to do in Fiordland page lists the walks and caves you can add, and the Fiordland FAQs has the
rest.
Who should choose something else
- If you only have one day, in Queenstown. Moving beds for one trip rarely
pays. Take a coach day or a flight from town.
- If you want to fly. No flight here leaves Te Anau; the
scenic flights all start in Queenstown.
- If you want to walk the whole Great Walk. The track takes 3 nights and 4
days with booked huts. The day trip covers only a section.
- If you want a young child on the water. The walks day is not suited to
under-fives; the jet boat tour takes children from 4.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the Te Anau tours start?
Each card names its own start: the historic wharf behind the visitor centre for Faith, the Fiordland Jet office for the jet boats, 85 Lakefront Drive for Doubtful Sound, and 1 Lakefront Drive for the Great Walks Bus. The walks day collects you from your accommodation.
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.
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 can I do in Te Anau with only a few hours?
The jet boat ride takes two hours and the Faith cruise with a walk three. The champagne cruise on Faith is 90 minutes in the evening, at $94.
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.
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.
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.
Staying in Queenstown instead? Every trip in the park is compared on Fiordland Tours.