The 15 Best Fiordland Tours & Cruises

Premium Milford Sound Small Group Tour & Cruise from Queenstown - Te Anau gives you a sensible first break

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,001 reviews · from $216Our pick

Review of the 13-hour Milford Sound small-group tour from Queenstown, with scenic stops, guided commentary, picnic lunch, and a two-hour cruise.

“The trip and the experience and the scenery were all superlative. I do have a bit of a hearing problem, but with the fan motor going at the back of the van and the young lady, talking in a high-pitched voice may be a bit too fast and a lot of strange names and never repeating any of them. I had to ask her when we got to our stops what she had said about everything… And on the way back, she told about all the restaurants all the hotels all the bars, all the places to visit and everything. I then even could not think of that I needed…”

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Cruise Milford NZ Small Boutique Cruise Experience

2.Cruise Milford NZ Small Boutique Cruise Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,930 reviews · from $111

Cruise Milford Sound on a smaller boat with lounge seating, live commentary, hot drinks, waterfalls, seals, dolphins, and Mitre Peak views.

“Great experience, show up on time and get a good seat. The perfect amount of time. Captain did a great job!”

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Fiordland & Milford Sound Tours, Guided, Tour Reviews, Tours, Waitomo Glowworm Caves Tours

Te Anau: Glowworm Caves Guided Tour

3.Glowworm Caves Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 2,611 reviews · 2h 15m · from $77Best value

Cruise Lake Te Anau, walk through rushing limestone caves, then drift beneath hundreds of New Zealand glowworms in complete darkness.

“Awesome experience in the cave, definitely want to go se the bigger/older glowworm caves on the north island next trip!”

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2-Hour Experiences, Boat Tours in Fiordland, Cruises & Boat Tours, Fiordland & Milford Sound Tours, Milford Sound Tours, Tour Reviews

Milford Sound: 2-Hour Small Boat Scenic Cruise

4.2-Hour Small Boat Scenic Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,561 reviews · 2 hours · from $101

Cruise Milford Sound on a small boat, reaching waterfalls, cliffs, seals, dolphins, and penguins with live commentary and hot drinks.

“Long drive out to the ship from Te Anua. But worth it. Limited food options so don't go hungry. The Sound is awesome. And the 2 hour boat ride was just enough. We had a great time and very glad we took the time to do it.”

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1-Day Tours, Doubtful Sound Cruises, Fiordland & Milford Sound Tours, National Parks, Tour Reviews

From Manapouri: Doubtful Sound Wilderness Day Trip

5.Doubtful Sound Wilderness Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,621 reviews · 7 hours · from $208

Review of RealNZ’s 7-hour Doubtful Sound trip from Manapouri, with Lake Manapouri, Wilmot Pass, wildlife, waterfalls, and practical tips.

“Real NZ staff are amazing. dedicated to the cause they sell. shame as I was aNZMCA member I didn't get the discount”

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2-Hour Experiences, Boat Tours in Fiordland, Cruises & Boat Tours, Fiordland & Milford Sound Tours, Milford Sound Tours, Tour Reviews

2-Hour Milford Sound Scenic Cruise

6.2-Hour Milford Sound Scenic Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,520 reviews · from $104

Review of Mitre Peak Cruises’ 2-hour Milford Sound trip, with waterfalls, wildlife, hot drinks, practical tips, value, and honest drawbacks.

“My family enjoyed this tour. I booked with this company as it's advertised as less people on the boat than some of the bigger boats. The tour was fully booked as it was over the holidays, but it was still pleasant. We found a seat on the top Read more”

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Award Winning Milford Sound Full Day Tour & Cruise from Te Anau

7.Award Winning Milford Sound Full Day Tour & Cruise from Te Anau

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,198 reviews · from $185

Review of the small-group Milford Sound tour from Te Anau, with scenic stops, a two-hour cruise, wildlife, lunch details, and practical tips.

“We had an amazing experience with Fiordland Tours to Milford Sound. Being picked up right in front of our Airbnb was such a convenient and stress-free start to the day. Andy was our guide, and he was absolutely wonderful—so knowledgRead more”

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Milford Sound: Nature Cruise on a Modern Catamaran

8.Nature Cruise on a Modern Catamaran

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,006 reviews · 1h 45m · from $92

Review of Pure Milford’s 105-minute catamaran cruise, with waterfalls, seals, dolphins, live commentary, comfort, access, and practical tips.

“It was awesome!! Even tho it was raining there were waterfalls all around us !! We even got really close to 1 you could feel the spray from the falls!! The crew was very friendly and informative! The boat was very nice with great views from everywhere!! Definitely recommend it!!”

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Fiordland & Milford Sound Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Waitomo Glowworm Caves Tours

Te Anau Glow Worm Caves Tour

9.Te Anau Glow Worm Caves Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 960 reviews · from $80

Cruise Lake Te Anau, walk through water-carved caves, and see thousands of glow worms on this guided 2-hour-15-minute adventure.

“Amazing opportunity to experience glow worms in their natural environment and an opportunity to see an extraordinary cave environment formed by glaciers.”

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From Te Anau: Milford Sound Coach Tour and Cruise

10.Milford Sound Coach Tour and Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 868 reviews · 8 hours · from $110

Review of the Te Anau to Milford Sound coach and cruise, with photo stops, nature walks, lunch, guide commentary, and practical booking advice.

“A wonderful day. The guide (Sebastian) was so knowledgeable and conveyed information along the way in an entertaining way. The coach was comfortable and the sunroof gave an amazing view of the scenery. We had considered driving ourselves but are so glad that we didn't. It was the best excursion on our whole stay in New Zealand. Would highly recommend it.”

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From Te Anau: Milford Sound Coach, Cruise, and Walks

11.Milford Sound Coach, Cruise, and Walks

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 845 reviews · 1 day · from $164

Travel from Te Anau to Milford Sound by small van, nature cruise, and short forest walks, with local guides, lunch, and flexible weather plans.

“The part we most liked about was the drive there, our guide was really knowledgeable with the history of local terrains, flora and fauna, he explained very well how the landscapes were formed. We had very interesting conversations all the way. Lunches were great! Thank you Andrew (Roo)!”

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Premium Milford Sound Tour, Cruise & Lunch from Te Anau

12.Premium Milford Sound Tour, Cruise & Lunch from Te Anau

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 755 reviews · from $185

Review of the Te Anau Milford Sound tour with scenic stops, picnic lunch, small-group transport, and a two-hour cruise.

“It was a distinct advantage in starting this tour from Te Anau early as it meant we missed the crowds arriving from Queenstown at Milford Sound This was exceptional value for money with Steve, our driver and tour guide being very informative, friendly and helpful. We had the opportunity of several photo opportunity stops to take in the fantastic scenery and we were blessed with lovely sunny weather both on the tour and on the Milford Sound scenic boat journey.”

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Milford Sound: Nature Cruise – Grand Views & Optional Lunch

13.Nature Cruise – Grand Views & Optional Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 723 reviews · 90 - 135 minutes · from $98

Review of Southern Discoveries’ Milford Sound nature cruise, with waterfall views, wildlife, practical tips, lunch options, and value advice.

“Beautiful nature and Cruise is a must when you visit Milford Sound.”

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From Te Anau: Milford Sound Cruise and Coach Day Trip

14.Milford Sound Cruise and Coach Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 717 reviews · 7h 30m · from $136

Ride Milford Road from Te Anau, stop at Mirror Lakes and Monkey Creek, then cruise Milford Sound for waterfalls, wildlife, and Fiordland views.

“really amazing experience seeing Milford sounds, the scenery was stunning, definitely worth doing, can't exactly put into words how amazing Milford sounds is, we were lucky to have good weather and all the waterfalls were out too!”

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Full-Day Milford Sound Tour with Cruise and Walks from Te Anau

15.Full-Day Milford Sound Tour with Cruise and Walks from Te Anau

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 712 reviews · from $192

Travel from Te Anau to Milford Sound by minivan, cruise, and short walks, with a local guide, picnic lunch, and scenic Fiordland stops.

“Amazing day. Wonderful guide. No need to worry about the driving and having the chance to explore quite a few interesting short walking trails to add extra fun to the trip. Smaller boat can take you closer to the waterfalls.”

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