Half-Day Milford Sound Nature Cruise and Flight from Queenstown

Name: Half-Day Milford Sound Nature Cruise and Flight from Queenstown
Brand: Air Milford
SKU: 38244P2
Price: 394.31 USD
Rating: 5.0 (141 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceQueenstown, New Zealand

From $394.31

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

5 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

See the sheer cliffs of Milford Sound from the air and water on a half-day tour from Queenstown by sightseeing plane and catamaran. Fly over Fjordland National Park, part of a UNESCO-listed landscape, then touch down at Milford Sound for a cruise with drinks and lunch (for the midday departure) served on board. This tour is perfect for photography and wildlife watching, and hotel pickup and drop-off from Queenstown hotels is included.

Sea and sky Milford Sound tour from Queenstown
Travel by sightseeing plane and catamaran
See native wildlife in a pristine environment
Choice of multiple departure times
Lunch (midday departure only) and drinks served on board
Hotel pickup and drop-off in Queenstown

What's Included

Live pilot commentary on board
Reserved Seating aboard the Nature Cruise
Hotel pickup and drop-off (centrally located hotels)
Coffee and/or Tea

Lunch

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

3 Tex Smith Lane, Frankton, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
Air Milford have free parking out the front of our base.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

We provide a pick-up/drop-off service from all centrally located Queenstown accommodation, please update us with your details. If your accommodation is not centrally located, please let us know and we will send through parking directions.

What To Expect

Start with pickup at your centrally-located accommodations in Queenstown, then head to the airport for a scenic flight to Milford Sound. The pilot points out key landmarks and topographical features on the way to the coast, where you land at the head of the glacially-carved fjord.

Board a catamaran boat for a cruise on Milford Sound: with room for 150 passengers, the catamaran is smaller than many Milford Sound boats, so you can get closer to the cliff walls and waterfalls, including the spectacular Stirling Falls. Wilderness guides are available during the cruise, and you’re welcome to head to the bridge of the boat to meet the skipper and get a captain’s view of the dramatic fjord. Keep your eyes on the water throughout the tour, as it’s common to see fur seals, dolphins, and many kinds of birds along the way, and the rare, Fjordland crested penguin can be spotted in spring and autumn. Lunch (midday departure only), coffee, tea, soda, beer, and wine are served during the cruise.

Following the Milford Sound cruise, meet the pilot for the return flight to Queenstown, with spectacular views of the landscape in the constantly changing light. This tour concludes with drop-off at your Queenstown hotel.

Air Milford

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Coronet Peak Ski Resort (Pass By)

Skippers Canyon (Pass By)

Glenorchy-Queenstown Road (Pass By)

Routeburn Track (Pass By)

Fiordland National Park (Te Wahipounamu) (Pass By)

Milford Sound (Pass By)

Mitre Peak (Pass By)

Milford Sound

Admission Ticket Free

Milford Sound Airport

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bowen Falls

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Milford Sound Airport

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Sutherland Falls (Pass By)

Cruise Milford

1 hour 45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Greenstone and Caples Tracks (Pass By)

Lake Wakatipu (Pass By)

Walter Peak Station Wharf (Pass By)

Air Milford

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lake Te Anau (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Subject to favorable weather conditions. If cancelled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund
Do not forget to bring a jacket and your camera
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking

Infant rates apply for 0 - 1 years of age, when the infant is sat on a parents lap, with an infant lap belt
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

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

Featured review

Jeffrey_S

Memorable trip led by superb pilot Tom Watson. Stunning aerial views followed by a wonderful cruise on a boat small enough to approach the waterfalls. Highlight of our time on the South Island. Worth every penny.

Reviews

5.0

141 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 141 reviews

Memorable trip

Jeffrey_S, Mar 2020

Response from Host, May 2020

Dear Jeff, Thank you for taking the time to review your experience with Air Milford on Viator. We 100% agree with you Tom is a superb pilot and passionate guide, he loves sharing his knowledge about our local area with his guests as they soar above the snow capped peaks of the Southern Alps. On behalf of both the cruise and scenic flight providers, thank you for choosing to fly with Air Milford and for your high recommendation to future travelers. All the best, Mary, Guest services, Air Milford.

Where is my refund???

Adam_B, Feb 2020

I still have yet to receive my refund as my trip was canceled due to the weather..... Growing very impatient. I put 5 stars as my friend used this tour and loved it. Still, I would like my money back considering I was approved for a refund 10 days ago.

Response from Host, Jun 2020

Hi Adam_B, Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear that bad weather caused us to be unable to host you on a trip to Milford Sound during your visit and that your refund through your third party booking agent has not been as swift as you, or we would expect. Usually a re-fund through Viator takes 5 - 10 business days to show up in your account, please contact us directly at info@airmilford.co.nz if these time frames have not been met and we will reach out to Viator on your behalf to determine what is going on and expedite the re-fund. Milford Sound is one of the wettest places in the world, with on average, 7 meters of rain falling annually. This high rainfall makes Milford a spectacular destination, but also means that on some days we are grounded due to bad weather. We fly about 70% of the time and the other 30%, it is either raining or very windy and so we do not fly. For future guest's benefit it is worth noting that we recommend booking in for your first available day in Queenstown, so that, should poor weather intervene on the first day, you have maximum flexibility to switch to a following fine weather day. To finish on a high, we are really pleased to her that your friend loved the tour and we hope that you are able to visit Queenstown again in the future, so we take you on a stunning trip to Fiordland National Park. All the best, Mary, Guest services, Air Milford.

No Boat and OK plane views

Mark_R, Feb 2020

No Boat only view of the sound and surrounding area. Pilot could have gone closer down in the Milford sound

Couldn’t have asked for more!

Akash N, Nov 2019

Excellent flight and cruise to Milford sound - well organised, beautiful sceneries and explanations.

Milford Sounds

RichardS3332, Jan 2019

Loved the flight, not quite as good on the boat. Jim our pilot was excellent, reassuring for those with a weak stomach or of nervous disposition flying in a small fixed wing plane. Sadly, part of the trip was ruined by the rudeness of a Chinese passenger - enough said.

Amazing experience. More than just a...

Matthew Y, Mar 2018

Amazing experience. More than just a taxi ride to Milford Sound, the views were stunning and managed to see some seals and dolphins along the way.

we enjoyed our flight there thanks...

Ramsey S, Jan 2018

we enjoyed our flight there thanks to the amazing scenery and great pilot. the cruise was just as good and got us up close and personal with the waterfalls. much to our surprise the flight back to us on a different route to take in even more scenery. great day!

The beauty of the scenery is beyond...

Peter_D, Feb 2017

The beauty of the scenery is beyond description. NZ is an amazing country and this region is spectacular. The pilot was cordial and professional as well as the rest of the staff. In general, everything was exceptional. Thank you for such a great service.

Our flight was breathe taking! We...

Colleen B, Jan 2017

Our flight was breathe taking! We did not get to do the cruise due to getting socked in by clouds. They refunded us in full for the cruise which was a very professinal thing to do considering it was a weather caused cancellation. Our pilot was very knowlegable and safe. We would definitely reommend this tour!

We lucked out with a beautiful day...

Matthew U, Sep 2016

We lucked out with a beautiful day. This was totally awesome!!!!

Wegen schlechtem Wetter ausgefallen...

Dirk_G, Feb 2017

Wegen schlechtem Wetter ausgefallen! Da kann man natürlich nichts machen. Absage lief aber nicht gut, Rückzahlung des Geldes hat extrem lange gedauert. Das liegt aber wohl an Viator.