ALL THINGS MILFORD SOUND

Milford Sound is one of the most well known sights in New Zealand. I didn’t make it to Milford Sound on my first trip to New Zealand so it was a must do on my second. I can honestly say, Milford did not disappoint! Queenstown being the city of thrills is filled with a number of activities so be sure to check out a few of my other articles on Queenstown. Click here for activities and here for a food guide on Queenstown.

Planning a trip to Milford Sound is so stressful because there are so many options! Milford is just over a four hour drive from Queenstown making for a VERY long day trip. There are a number of tour companies that offer either coach-cruise-coach, coach-cruise-fly, or fly-cruise-fly. Every option includes a 90 minute cruise through Milford Sound, the difference is whether or not you prefer a 4 hour bus ride or a 40 minute flight to and from Milford.

My boyfriend, Max and I opted for the coach-cruise-fly option which gave us the best of both worlds. We took the tour with Milford Sound Scenic Flights. This option tends to be the more expensive route however, we found it to be totally worth it. If you’re looking for a cheaper route, I would recommend sticking with the coach-cruise-coach route.

We chose the coach-cruise-fly option for a few reasons. A number of people told us we had to drive at least one way because the drive is absolutely gorgeous. Another reason we chose the coach-cruise-fly option is because we didn’t have a ton of time in Queenstown so we didn’t want to spend 8 hours hours on a bus. We also wanted to experience the flight over Milford.

Unfortunately for us, it was cloudy the day of our tour so we didn’t have much of a view. On a clear day, I am sure the drive is stunning! Our tour guide actually made the drive for us; he was excellent. He taught us SO much about New Zealand and the Māori History. He was a great driver and extremely informational while also not talking our ears off the entire drive.

The drive actually goes by very quickly since there is a long stop about half way through the drive as well as a few stops for photos. Since we didn’t have much of a view, I would have probably preferred to skip the drive…which probably has more to do with the fact that I’m not much of a driver. Max on the other hand, really enjoyed the bus ride. Unfortunately, since it was cloudy we didn’t have the best views but it was still a gorgeous drive.

The cruise through Milford is absolutely incredible! By the time we made it to Milford, the clouds opened a bit and the blue skies started shining through. We made it to Milford just in time for our cruise with Mitre Peak Cruises (to clarify – we booked our tour with Milford Sound Scenic Flights however, the cruise portion of this excursion is with Mitre Peak Cruises).

Since it rained earlier in the day, there were so many waterfalls! I’m low key obsessed with waterfalls so I love this part. Our boat pulled up to a massive waterfall and everyone outside got soaked (the captain warned us if we didn’t want to get wet to come inside before making it to the waterfall)! We passed a number of seals laying out throughout the cruise. We were also lucky enough to spot a few dolphins!

The flight was by far my favorite portion of the tour! We had the BEST view of Milford and I couldn’t stop staring out the window. It was SO insane. I was honestly just into the flight option because it was quicker than driving back four hours. I had no idea our view was going to be so epic. Max and I were the obnoxious people in the front with our camera out the entire time. No shame in our game :). Our Pilot was awesome! She was relaxed and pointed out a few cool sights along the way.

Our excursion with Milford Sound Scenic Flights was $565 NZD ($395 USD while we were there). It was definitely one of the pricier options but it was SO worth it! If you are looking for a cheaper route, I would recommend the coach-cruise-coach option as most of the tours I was looking at were around $100 USD. The fly-cruise-fly option is also cheaper than the coach-cruise-fly excursion and is $480 NZD ($336 USD during our trip).

A trip to Milford Sound makes for a very long day! Be sure to be prepared for the day. I recommend packing a few snacks and water. If you’re taking the bus, there will be a stop to and from Milford where you can grab something to eat. The cruise in Milford offers coffee and tea however, if you want a lunch, you have to order it ahead of time. There is honestly nothing around Milford so I highly recommend being prepared. I also recommend bringing a waterproof jacket, Milford Sound is known for having a lot of rain so it will come in handy! It is also a good idea to pack a few extra layers just in case. As always, make sure you have your camera because you are bound to get a few epic shots.

I hope you enjoy your excursion to Milford Sound :)

Safe Travels,

Sarah :)