Absolutely majestic. Our captain of Milford Sovereign was fantastic! Cruised up so close to waterfalls we felt the spray of the water. The views were spectacular, it is truly a breathtaking experience. The captain took us out to the Tasman Sea and we even got to see some seals. The views of the mountains with dozens of tiny falls was like being in a movie set. You can see the snow covered peaks in the distance and when the sun comes out the water turns turquoise. This is a must do if you are visiting the South Island of New Zealand. The staff was super friendly. They have coffee, soda, wine, beer, even champagne on board. You can also get boxed lunches or snacks. Fantastic cruise! read more

Milford Sound is often referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World," and it's easy to see why. Milford Sound was named after Milford Haven in Wales by a Welsh settler, but its Maori name, Piopiotahi, references a now-extinct bird called the piopio. My visit to Milford Sound was the most magical day of my New Zealand trip. From the air, it looks like a green and blue jewel amongst the mountains, and from the water, its towering peaks are overwhelming. Milford Sound is part of Fiordland National Park, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. It was discovered by Europeans in 1812 but was known to Maori for centuries, who considered it a sacred place. You must fly. You must cruise. You must see this place. read more

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Deemed the 8th Wonder of the World by Rudyard Kipling, Milford Sound is truly a majestic beauty to behold. Coming from Hawaii I am no stranger to waterfalls and tropical mountains but there is something different about Milford Sound, on my adventure there were 18 beautiful waterfalls with its own personality, the weather was sunny with a cold breeze during the summer time with light showers on and off. I strongly recommend visiting Milford Sound if you're ever in New Zealand, it is worth going to the South Island for and even if you don't, anywhere in the South Island is breathtaking. Safe travels to you! read more

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My wife and I had heard Milford Sound was the 8th Wonder of the World according to Rudyard Kipling. Hobbit was filmed here, and in a lot of ways, you can understand. We were driven from Queenstown and then stopped by a few other places along the route and back. A few photos may be included from the vehicle. This was in October, and weather was good. Trivia: It's Maori name is Piopiotahi. It is within the Fiordland National Park and a fiord. We took a 2-hour cruise. This fjord is one of the most visited sights on the South Island. Beautiful waterfalls, snow capped mountains, incredible landscapes, glaciers, fur seals (look for them on the rocks in my photo), blue penguins, kea birds, dolphins, lots of trees, and coral. Lots of waterfalls, as well as hanging gardens. We got a basket lunch of Ham sandwich, desserts, chips and an apple. It was ok, but we weren't expecting a super meal for a 2-hour cruise. read more

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On the southwest of the South Island, there is a majestic wilderness of rocks, ice, & beech forest where glaciers carved mile deep notches into the coastline. This terrain makes up Fiordland National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Area. Milford Sound is the most accessible scenic highlight of this area and maybe all of New Zealand. Trees cling to tremendous rock faces that plunge into the sea, rare species of coral. We had a beautiful morning and watched the sunrise from behind the fiords. We saw waterfalls, snow capped mountains, rare blue penguins, dolphins, glaciers, fur seals and incredible landscapes. I understand why the Hobbit was filmed here. These photos were taken with my iPhone, I'm not behind glass but there is glare from the morning sun. I can't stop shooting & sharing photos it's so magnificent, I took hundreds of photos, videos & panorama pics here read more

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The weather was not our friend during this tour. It rained the majority of the day and had a nerve to be cold too. However, life goes on as we headed out to Milford sounds. Our bus ride was thankfully entertaining due to our cool bus driver, Grant from Go Orange tours. We had several stops in between for bathroom breaks and photo stops which were cool. We didn't have a large group once on the boat that left on time. We found some seats and enjoyed our boat ride in the pouring rain. The views were still beautiful as we went in and out to take pictures. We couldn't understand everything the captain explained but we knew when he started taking it was generally a photo opportunity outside. We saw some beautiful waterfalls. I got a lot wetter than I expected but it was worth it. I went under one of the large waterfalls that was gusty and soaked you if you stayed in its direction. My friend ordered some fish and chips that she enjoyed and said was better than the ones she got in Queenstown. I had purchased my own lunch and just ordered some hot tea. The staff on the boat were friendly. I was able to get some decent pics despite the gusting winds and rain, lol. Definitely a must see trip that takes an entire day. Be prepared. read more

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Nigel was our tour guide, a wealth of information One of our stops we got coffee and meat pie. It was excellent Bbq that was provide was good Chicken lamb and beef on a skewer Bring water and drinks or you can buy them at one off the three stop on the way to Milford sound read more

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This is just one of those places that is truly Heaven on Earth. I suppose most of us have a bucket list of things we want to do and see in life and this place should be added. In our busy lives we often forget the simple things in life and the sheer beauty around us. Within the first minute of the boat ride on Milford Sound you forget whatever it was that was stressing you out, whatever was on your mind, bothering you, etc. This place takes you to a place of remembering what is important...the simple things. Other than the boat fee, the view, fresh air, scenery, etc....is free. It is an amazing place to see and words can't seem to describe just how beautiful it is. Not even any pictures can capture the beauty or the firsthand experience of seeing this in person. It is truly a "must see". A little trivia: The real name of Milford Sound is Piopiotahi. It is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island, within Fiordland National Park. Milford Sound is named after Milford Haven in Wales and the Māori named the sound Piopiotahi after the thrush-like piopio bird (extinct). Piopiotahi in Māori means "a single piopio", harking back to the legend of Māui trying to win immortality for mankind. When Maui died in the attempt, a piopio was said to have flown here in mourning. Milford Sound runs 15 km inland from the Tasman Sea at Dale Point. The mouth of the fiord is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) or more on both sides. A few of the peaks are the Elephant (resembling its head) at 1,517 metres (4,977 ft) and Crouching Lion at 1,302 metres (4,272 ft). There are two constant waterfalls year round, they are the Lady Bowen and Stirling Falls. If you are lucky enough to be there after a heavy rainfall you will see many more. Milford Sound is known as the wettest inhabited place in New Zealand and one of the wettest in the world. Wildlife such as seals, penguins, and dolphins can often be seen, but you are probably guaranteed to see seals for sure. History: Overlooked explorers, because its narrow entry did not appear to lead into such large interior bays. Sailing ship captains (like James Cook) bypassed Milford Sound on his journeys for just this reason. It remained undiscovered until around 1812 by Captain John Grono who named it Milford Haven. Captain John Stokes later renamed it to Milford Sound following the passage of the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, the name of the fiord was officially altered to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. You can get to Milford Sound in a few ways. You can drive, take a tour bus or fly. Any of these can be taken from Queenstown, Te Anau, or Invercargill. Due to the distance you will leave very early in the morning. Be careful if you choose to drive on your own as the road there may close and there is really nothing out there emergency wise. The drive itself passes through mountain landscapes before entering the 1.2 km Homer Tunnel which emerges into rain forest canyons that descend to the sound. The winding road is a very good road, but is very prone to avalanches and closures during the winter which is half of the year. For this reason, we took a tour bus. Plus, the tour leader gave us a history lesson and gee whiz information along the way. Not to mention it was nice having everything set up in advance for us. This place deserves a zillion+ stars! But I wish I had the heart to only give it 1 star to keep people away in an attempt to keep it to myself for our next visit. read more

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Milford sound , giving star rating to this place is injustice but DAMNIT yelp does not allow me to proceed without it. There are no proper adjectives which are describe the beauty of this place . With almost 60,000 water falls , hanging gardens , ocean and sea , dolphins and penguins , clouds and sun to rainbows : this is place might be replica of heaven on earth .Period!!! read more

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We started the day early - after a super quick snack, we boarded the tour bus at 7.00am. It was going to be a long day and a very long drive to Milford Sound, with a short break at Te Anau, mid-way between Queenstown and Milford Sound. The drive from Queenstown to Te Anau was through narrow and windy roads skirting the Wakatipu Lake and passing by The Remarkable Mountain Range, which turns into a popular skiing destination in winter. The views of the Wakatipu Lake were gorgeous, shimmering in the sunlight. Looking behind we saw the beautiful Queenstown fading away at a distance. After passing the end of Wakatipu Lake, the scenery opens us to the rolling green lands, a familiar sight in most of New Zealand, stretching as far as the eye can see. With patches of agricultural farmlands to patches of wild vegetation, the views are fantabulous. Every now and then you see sheep and deer farms. Almost the entire herd is keenly bending down busy eating the grass, whereas a few curious ones look up to the occasional passing vehicles. Sprinkles of yellow flowers on the valley add a much needed contrast to the abiding shades of green. However these yellow flowers are weeds that were brought into the country by the first Europeans who came here in search of gold. These weeds were used to protect the cattle against the strong winds, but eventually the pollens spread, causing these flowers to massively spread across this island. After a two hour journey, we reached Te Anau, a popular mid-point between Queenstown and Mildford Sound. There is no dearth of tour buses that stop here for a break. If you are driving by yourself, it's a good idea to fill up the gas tank here because there are no gas stations between Te Anau and Milford Sound. The drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound turned out to a striking contrast to the first half of the journey. While the first half of the drive was full of lake views and agricultural farmlands, the second half of the drive was full of breathtaking views of tall, soaring mountains, waterfalls falling down from every nook and corner, pure white glaciers on the peaks, rivers flowing by and lovely lakes. Just one of those drives where you need to stop every five minutes to admire the beauty of these unique landscapes. Just a few minutes before reaching Milford Sound, we passed through a one-way tunnel that opened up to The Valley of thousand Waterfalls. Granted the weather wasn't the best that day and the clouds were hanging heavily covering up the mountains and making the views hazy, but the rains opened up all the waterfalls that would have otherwise been locked up on a sunny day. At least that's what we repeatedly told ourselves so that the bad weather wouldn't throw a damper on our mood. I was hankering to become that little girl who wants to step outside and dance, singing "rain rain go away, come again another day". Well, I kinda did secretly in my head, but I think a real dance might have helped. Anyways, when we reached Milford Sound, we were greeted with fog and grey color water, which was a complete contrast to the blue water, brown mountains I had seen in other perfect pictures. We boarded our cruise and started the journey through the Milford Sound. The very first view was the Lady Bowen Falls waterfalls; water was gushing down the tall, snow covered mountains. As we maneuvered through the Milford Sound, we saw tall mountains, waterfalls flowing everywhere. Literally everywhere. Though it was raining and cold and windy, we climbed up to the top of the cruise to enjoy the breathtaking views. I only wished my eyesight was powerful enough to pierce through the fog and see what's behind them. The Milford Sound opens up to the Tasman Sea, from where it's almost impossible to see the Milford Sound, the very reason Cook and several others missed the Milford Sound when they sailed by. The boat took a U-turn as soon as we reached the end of the Milford Sound, and steered towards a rock where adolescent male seals were fighting amongst themselves to find space on the rocks. These seals were active, a lot more active than the seals I've seen in the California Pacific Coast. It was hilarious how they were flapping their wings to move from one rock to another and driving away the seals that were already basking on the rocks. Just after that, we encountered a pod of bottlenose dolphins that decided to compete with the speed of boat and they succeeded. From the big dolphins to the little ones, they relentlessly swam by our boat, gracefully jumping in and out of the water and flipping underwater. One of the dolphins decided to put on a show for us by jumping above the water, flipping itself and doing a nose dive into the water. What a wonderful sight! Then our boat cruised towards the Stirling Falls, one of the two permanent waterfalls in Milford Sound. It went so close to the waterfalls, that the spray from the falls got us completely wet. Loved it! So that was Milford Sound for us. read more

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The Milford Sound is one of the most beautiful sights I've seen in all of my travels. There's no such thing as a bad time to see it. If it's cloudy, you get to see the stark contrast of the mountains against the sky. Raining? No worries, because you will most likely get wet even on a sunny day. And if you're blessed with beautiful weather like we were, well that's even better because catching multiple rainbows in a single shot isn't an uncommon thing. Starting from the entrance of the Fiordland National Park in Te Anau, through the stunning valleys and passages, the drive to the Milford Sound is just as breathtaking. It is a photographer's dream! Once you get to the sound (which isn't actually a sound, it's a fiord because it's carved by glaciers), most tourists will opt to take a cruise down through the fiord to the Tasman Sea, as we did, and I highly recommend it (roughly 3 hour roundtrip). We were very fortunate to have seen a pod of dolphins following our boat for about 30 minutes of the ride. They were just playing in the surf and we even got to see a baby dolphin poke its little head out! I would also recommend taking a smaller boat cruise because only those boats can get right up close to the waterfalls. We could taste the mist and could've leaned out and touched the side of the mountains - that's how close we were. Overall, highly recommended! I would definitely visit again, and I would like to do a hiking/camping trip next time. It truly is a magical place. read more

Loved it, peaceful and beautiful. A must see if you are visiting New Zealand. You can take a boat ride out on the sound for terrific views of the landscape, waterfalls and take in the serene beauty. read more

Beautiful. On a lucky, clear day, you might see dolphins playing / swimming in the boat's wake, and later, seals soaking up some sun. Perfect cruise with Mitre Peak Cruises. They have a smaller boat which gets you closer to the falls. read more

I first visited Milford Sound with my family when I was 8. Since then, it's the often-evoked high point of the New Zealand scenery. And when I decided to visit New Zealand again this year, my parents were very keen to insist I visit again. With a bit of planning and a bit of luck, we managed to do as they suggested. An early start from Queenstown (6.45am) was followed by a long drive through Te Anau and then to Milford Sound. And then we hopped on a cruise boat to visit the fjord properly (carved by a glacier, rather than a river so wrongly named, as the tour guide told us!). And my memories and imagination had not done justice to the awe inspiring scenery. From beautiful permanent and 'temporary' waterfalls (which only appear after rainfall), to lush vegetation and towering peaks, it was enough to take your breath away. And we even got to see some seals and a penguin making his way up the beach. If you're in New Zealand, and there's any chance of visiting Milford Sound go for it! It's a trip you'll definitely never forget! read more

Milford Sound - Tours Near Me - Queenstown, STL

It certainly isn't a secret that this is one of the must do things to visit when on New Zealand's South Island, but I have to say that I had no idea it would be that amazing and beautiful. You will not be disappointed. It is an awe inspiring location full of stunning scenery at Milford Sound and the journey from Ta Anau through the Fiordland National Park. Whenever you see a stop along the road, stop for a short hike/walk to the waterfalls, or rainforest - it's worth the stop and won't take that much time. There are several ways to see Milford Sound, so find the right way for you. Boat, kayak, helicopter.... I loved being on the water in a cruise boat - the size of the mountains are astonishing - some waterfalls are 3x the height of Niagara Falls. It is hard to get perspective until you see the large boat you are boarding against the large mountains left behind from the glaciers. read more

Milford sound was paradise, and taking the BBQ Bus really made the experience even better. I wouldn't want to drive this long, windy route and miss out on all the beautiful scenery and worried about driving. Our driver made sure to inform us about the location's we drove through and stopped to stretch our legs a couple times and walk around some picture perfect areas. Note: the larger buses do not stop as often, allowing you to see more areas of Fiordland National Park. Around Lunch time, We did get to enjoy an amazing BBQ lunch which was super tasty and there was plenty for everyone! Using BBQ bus for your travels to Milford Sound you will not be disappointed its the best route to travel when heading to paradise, that is Milford Sound. read more

Absolutely stunning crusing along Milford sound, enjoying the spectacular scenery -- what mother nature has to offer. The waterfalls, fiordlands, panaromic view of the Mitre peak, the cliffs, seals, dolphins. Absolutely breathtaking. read more

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Went to Milford Sound from Te Anau with a six-person tour group (Trips & Tramps). The guide was great, the drive was breathtaking, the cruise was fantastic,--we saw whales!!!--and we hiked up to the Key Summit on the way back to Te Anau. This is not to be missed if you are in NZ. read more

Definitely happy we made drive here. One of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Looking back I wish we planned more activities than just getting on the ferry but that's really all you need to do to see it. Pictures don't really do this place justice. read more