Milford Sound Sunrise Trip from Te Anau

This tour is available from 1st December 2023 – 29th February 2024. If you are looking to travel outside of these dates, book our Milford Sound tour here.

Take an unforgettable journey into the heart of Milford Sound, New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination with guided commentary from your driver throughout the day. You’ll experience the world-famous fiord in all its natural glory – surrounded by dense rainforest, glacier-carved valleys and beautiful waterfalls.

Leaving Te Anau, travel along the lake and into Fiordland National Park. Enter the picturesque Eglinton Valley, a place of ancient alpine forest and gushing waterfalls and one of only a few road-accessible glacier valleys in New Zealand, and take advantage of the photo opportunities on offer along the Milford Road, like the stunning Mirror Lakes, where on a calm day the surrounding mountain ranges are perfectly reflected in the still waters, and Knobs Flat, where glaciers have carved their mark on the terrain.

Your glass-roof coach will provide amazing views of the dramatic skyline as you cross the Main Divide of the Southern Alps, with stunning mountain peaks all around. Stop at Monkey Creek and sample some of the purest water in the world (but watch out for cheeky kea – native mountain parrots!). Travel under the mountains through the Homer Tunnel, a 1.2km passageway drilled into solid rock, and descend through native forest into Milford Sound.

At Milford Sound, board your 1 hour 45 minute modern and spacious cruise on board the Maiden of Milford, and set off to explore the region that Rudyard Kipling called the ‘eighth wonder of the world’. On your cruise you can enjoy a delicious picnic lunch (optional extra) as you travel the length of the fiord and out to the Tasman Sea, gliding past glacier-scarred rock walls and waterfalls that tumble into the sea. Lush native rainforest clings to steep cliffs, while wildlife including seals, penguins and dolphins are regular visitors to the icy waters. Mountain ranges surround the fiord, including Mitre Peak which rises dramatically from the depths to a height of 1,692 metres above sea level.

Your cruise will take place on the super spacious Maiden of Milford, that features two open plan indoor decks, as well as a open top deck, allowing for complete 360 degree viewing. With two bars on board; one on the lower deck with café service, and a mini bar on the second floor, the Maiden provides an incredible cruise experience from start to finish.

After your cruise, return to Te Anau by coach. Alternatively, you can book a scenic return flight option (optional extra, see below for terms) with True South Flights and wing your way back high over the mountains, lakes and rivers of the South Island.