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Dart River Jet Boat and Wilderness Experience
Badge of ExcellenceQueenstown, New Zealand
From $188.64
Select Date and Travelers
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
- 4 hours
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Enjoy a thrilling jet-boat ride on the Dart River, taking you to places you couldn’t reach any other way. During the half-day tour, venture into the World Heritage–listed Mt Aspiring National Park from Glenorchy, a short drive from Queenstown. Surrounded by awe-inspiring peaks and hidden valleys, you’ll twist and turn down the glacier-fed Dart River. Listen to your guide’s stories about the area’s natural and cultural history along the way.
- Admire the beauty of Mt Aspiring National Park from the river
- Learn about unique vegetation and wildlife from your naturalist guide
- Meet in Glenorchy or take advantage of the transfers from Queenstown
- Lifejackets (mandatory) and spray jackets will be provided
What's Included
- Use of Life-Jackets (Mandatory) and optional spray jackets
- Round trip transport from Queenstown (selected departures)
- Jet boat ride
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Meeting point
- Dart River Adventures45 Mull Street, Glenorchy 9372, New Zealand
If you choose to self-drive to Glenorchy, please check-in at the Dart River base in Glenorchy 15 minutes prior to your selected trip time.
Pickup point
- The Station Building Duke Street, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
Check-in inside the Station Building in Queenstown for return transport 1 hour 15 minutes prior to your selected trip time
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Pickup details
If you select a trip with return transport from Queenstown, please check-in with the team inside the Station Building in Queenstown 1 hour 15 minutes prior to your selected trip time.
What To Expect
Hear enlightening commentary on the vivid landscapes as your guide provides commentary during the 28-mile (45-km) journey from Queenstown to Glenorchy, a township situated on the edge of UNESCO-listed Mt Aspiring National Park. This area of exceptional natural beauty has been featured in films such as The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
From Glenorchy, set out on a thrilling jet-boat ride down the Dart River. Hold on tight as the boat turns and spins at high speed. Your driver expertly maneuvers the jet boat through shallow channels and points out natural landmarks along the glacier-fed braided river system.
Your naturalist guide highlights the area’s native flora and fauna while sharing captivating stories of the region’s indigenous Maori inhabitants and early pioneers.
Afterward, enjoy New Zealand’s jaw-dropping South Island scenery with a relaxing journey back to town.
From Glenorchy, set out on a thrilling jet-boat ride down the Dart River. Hold on tight as the boat turns and spins at high speed. Your driver expertly maneuvers the jet boat through shallow channels and points out natural landmarks along the glacier-fed braided river system.
Your naturalist guide highlights the area’s native flora and fauna while sharing captivating stories of the region’s indigenous Maori inhabitants and early pioneers.
Afterward, enjoy New Zealand’s jaw-dropping South Island scenery with a relaxing journey back to town.
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately and wear a warm outer layer (Extra layers on colder days)
- Minimum child age 3 years old and minimum height of 3’3.5’’(1 meter) applies irrespective of child’s age
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
Traveler Photos
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Featured review
Tony_K
Great tour. Ed was superb. Will be recommending to friends as a must do when in Queenstown. Plenty to see and enjoy about the experience
Reviews
4.5
397 reviews
RAVI_S, Apr 2024
Fantastic experience. It was raining and we were skeptical, but it turned out to be an awesome experience with waterfalls and swirling currents we otherwise wouldn't have experienced. The views were amazing. And Dan, our guide was masterful on the boat and extremely friendly. Highly recommend this to anyone.
Bernard_B, Mar 2024
The scenery and the 360. The driver was super nice but it was not exilerating! White water rafting beats in hands down. Plus the boats are very old
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Kia Ora Bernard,
Dart River Adventures is not a white-water trip. It is hard to compare a 2-hour Jet boat ride, to a self-paddled journey.
We are glad you enjoyed the ride, and we hope you took some amazing photos of the gorgeous Mount Aspiring National Park.
jeffb, Mar 2024
Our guide was awesome very friendly and knowledgeable. Alkasy kept us informed on what was happening
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Kia Ora,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review.
The team here at Dart River, pride themselves on their customer service and are glad you enjoyed.
Jakob_M, Feb 2024
Very precise planning and execution of the trip. Outstanding experience in one of the most beautiful areas on this planet. All drivers super friendly and professional.
Susan_N, Feb 2024
Had a great time on the Dart River! Beautiful scenery, fast boat, fun, fun, fun! We drove ourselves to Glenorchy from Queenstown which was a very scenic drive
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kia Ora Susan!
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! Glenorchy is our favorite little place, and we are happy that we got to share this with you!
Margie_L, Jan 2024
We had a beautiful day and our guide, John, was very knowledgeable. I was hoping for a few more 360’s in the boat but we had a nice time. Our pick-up was very late but the Darr Tour people made up the time and we didn’t hold up the tour.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kia Ora Margie,
A happy tourist! We are glad to hear it!
Thank you for the review! We are glad you enjoyed your tour.
Our Drivers try there hardest to tailor the tour to the guests!
Margaret_P, Jan 2024
What a wild ride! Lots of fun, surrounded by gorgeous scenery. I am not an adrenaline junkie, so wasn’t too sure about booking this one — but it turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip to New Zealand. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kia Ora!
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a lovely review.
The scenery is truly spectacular, and we are thrilled to be one of your highlights of your trip in New Zealand!
Nga Mihi/Kind Regards,
Customer Service Team
Benjamin_C, Jan 2024
An amazing experience. Wasn’t as rough as I had expected. Certainly appropriate for all ages and fitness levels.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kia Ora Benjamin, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review and glad to hear you had a 5 star experience with us! E mihi ana, Customer Service Team
Phillipa_W, Dec 2023
The jetboat ride and excellent commentary from the delightful Pedro were amazing and very worthwhile doing for the adventure experience. However, I was really taken for a ride by booking through Aviator. Their promotion of a product including $22 extra for a guided nature walk was false advertising. This product does not exist any more and hasn’t done for some time. I have no idea where my $22 went and am very disappointed and unimpressed with Aviator. My visit to Queenstown is almost over so any offers of discounts are meaningless. I would like a refund. My advice it to always book through the supplier, not an agent.
Julie_Y, Dec 2023
Jet boats are a great way to experience New Zealand's beautiful scenery, and the Dart River trip is the best one to take. Andres was both thrill ride driver and informative guide and took good care of us.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Kia ora Julie,
Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit and felt you had a five-star experience. Andres is great at his job and we will be sure to pass your compliments on.
We hope to welcome you back to Glenorchy in the not-too-distant future.
Kind regards/Nga mihi,
Dart River Customer Experience Team
...
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Dart River Jet Boat and Wilderness Experience
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