Plan Your Visit to Fiordland National Park
You do not need a ticket for Fiordland National Park, because there is no gate and no entry fee. If you are weighing up Fiordland ticket prices, what you pay for is the day itself: a cruise, a coach seat or a flight, plus parking if you drive to Milford Sound.
No gate, and no entry fee
Fiordland National Park covers 1,260,740 hectares of the south-western corner of New Zealand. It was established in 1952 and has been World Heritage since 1986, and it is part of Te Wāhipounamu, the South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. Fourteen fiords cut into it, some reaching 40 km inland.
You can walk or drive into the park free. So the fares below buy transport to the water and a boat on it, and the few official charges you meet are for parking, huts and New Zealand's visitor levy, not for the park.
| What you pay for | What it costs | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Fiordland National Park | Nothing | No gate and no entry fee |
| Parking at Milford Sound | NZ$10 an hour, by card at the machines | About 10 minutes' walk to the terminal; free at Deepwater Basin, about 40 minutes' walk |
| Overnight parking at Milford Sound | NZ$30, from 2pm | For the overnight cruise, in the main car park |
| The visitor levy | NZ$100, paid with most visas and NZeTAs | Not paid on Australian or New Zealand passports |
| A hut on the Milford Track | NZ$152 a night, international adult, 1 November to 30 April | Booked ahead with DOC; only for the full 4-day walk |
| A tour | The fare, set by each operator | What each fare covers differs: read the card |
Where your day starts
Every tour here starts in one of four places, and the town you sleep in decides how long your day is. Te Anau is the largest town in Fiordland and DOC calls it the gateway: Milford Sound is 2 hours up the road and Manapouri 20 minutes away. Queenstown is further out, so its Milford days run 11 to 13 hours.
| Where your day starts | Where it is | What starts there |
|---|---|---|
| Queenstown | A hotel pickup, The Station on Shotover and Camp Streets, or 88 Beach Street | The coach days and flights to Milford Sound, and the Doubtful Sound day |
| Te Anau | A pickup in town, the lakefront visitor centres, the historic wharf or the jet boat office | Milford Sound by coach, Doubtful Sound by coach, and the lake and river trips |
| Manapouri | Pearl Harbour, about 20 minutes from Te Anau | The Doubtful Sound day and the overnight cruise |
| Milford Sound | The Milford Sound Visitor Terminal, at the end of State Highway 94 | The day cruises you drive to yourself, and the Fiordland Jewel overnight |
Your card names your own meeting point, so check it before you set off. In Queenstown some coach days collect you from your hotel and others meet at The Station. At Milford Sound you check in at your operator's counter inside the terminal.
What a day costs
The fares look far apart until you read what each one covers. A cruise from the terminal is the cheapest way onto the water, but you drive 240 km there and back from Te Anau. A Queenstown coach day adds 600 km of road and a driver who knows it. A flight buys you hours back.
| The day | What you pay | What the fare covers |
|---|---|---|
| A cruise from the Milford Sound terminal | $96 to $110 per person | 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours on the water; you drive and park |
| Milford Sound by coach from Te Anau | $157 to $219 per person | The coach, the cruise, and walks or a track section |
| Milford Sound by coach from Queenstown | $210 to $215 per person | 11 to 13 hours, the cruise and a picnic lunch |
| Milford Sound with a flight | $428 to $540 per person | Fly one way or both, and the cruise |
| A Doubtful Sound day | $205 to $273 per person | The lake crossing, the coach over the pass and a 3-hour cruise |
| A night on a fiord | $428 to $847 per person | Cabin, dinner, breakfast and kayaks; longer notice or none to cancel |
| The lake and the river at Te Anau | $94 to $151 per person | A yacht cruise on Lake Te Anau, or a jet boat on the Waiau River |
Every fare is shown in US dollars, as listed. The parking, the huts and the levy are in New Zealand dollars, because that is how the official sources publish them.
Not sure which kind of day you want?
The road, the air or a boat from the wharf, one fiord or the other: compare them side by side.
The two fiords, and how you reach each
Milford Sound, Piopiotahi in Māori, is the only fiord in the park you can drive to. The Milford Road runs 120 km from Te Anau through the Homer Tunnel to the terminal, and DOC puts it at about 2 hours without stops. There is no fuel on the way, and in winter chains may be required. The drive, stop by stop, is on getting to Fiordland.
Doubtful Sound, Patea, has no road at all. You take a boat from Pearl Harbour in Manapouri across Lake Manapouri, a coach over Wilmot Pass, and a cruise from Deep Cove on a fiord 40 km long. That is why every Doubtful Sound visit is a tour. The two are compared on Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound.
Weather, and when to go
DOC records about 7 m of rain a year here, over about 200 rain days, and cold, wind and heavy rain can arrive in any month. Pack for at least one wet day. The cruises sail in the rain, and that is when the waterfalls are at their biggest.
The scenic flights are the exception: they are rebooked or refunded when the weather closes in. The Milford Road can be icy from May to September. Month by month, the detail is on the Fiordland weather page.
On the day
Bring a rain jacket, warm layers and insect repellent whatever the forecast, and your own food if you are on a small Milford boat, because they sell none. Fill up with fuel in Te Anau. Mobile reception is limited: DOC lists it at Te Anau Downs, Totara Campsite, The Divide and Milford Sound.
Dogs are not allowed in the national park, even in a vehicle, and you need a permit to fly a drone. If you drive yourself, DOC advises allowing 45 minutes at Milford Sound to park and walk in before your cruise.
When a tour is worth paying for
You can do Milford Sound on your own. With a car, a cruise from the terminal and an early start from Te Anau, it is a full, manageable day. What you cannot do on your own is reach Doubtful Sound, because no public road goes there.
A coach day spares you 240 km of mountain road and the parking, and DOC notes that a guided tour or coach reduces your footprint. A flight trades the road for the view from the air. The walks and viewpoints on the way are set out in things to do in Fiordland.
Asked before you go
Is there an entry fee for Fiordland National Park?
What is the NZ$100 levy?
How much does parking cost at Milford Sound?
How long is the drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound?
Can I drive to Doubtful Sound?
Where is the best place to stay in Fiordland?
Is the Milford Road open in winter?
Next: see the Fiordland map, read what travellers said, or compare every tour on Fiordland Tours.