The weather was unfortunately not in our favor but Ray made the tour so fun that we enjoyed every…read moreminute of it ! On our way to Milford Sound, we stopped at various places with unbelievable beautiful scenary/ backdrop of the Fiordland National Park. Despite of the gloomy day (as the storm was coming), my camera was in for a treat. What I love most about this tour is: - Small group (no more than 15!) that it almost felt like a private tour - Ray partnered with a small business owner who made delicious scones and lunches and that is a personal touch for me :) - Lovely stop-over for morning tea - Ray explained a lot about the town Te Anau, history of Fiordland/ Milford Sound - Ray never really rushed us , though some of us took a bit longer as we were busy clicking our cameras away I would highly recommend anyone to join Ray on his Milford Sound tour :)

From the owner: Exceptional Milford Sound Tours & Guided Hikes from Te Anau…read more Discover the best of Fiordland National Park with Fiordland Tours. We offer daily, award-winning sightseeing tours to Milford Sound, along with guided walks on the famous Routeburn, Kepler, and Lake Marian tracks. For something extra special, try one of our adventure combos, including jetboat & hike or heli-hike experiences. With small groups of no more than 16, you’ll enjoy a personalised experience led by expert local guides. Our tours are designed at a relaxed pace so you can fully immerse yourself in Fiordland’s natural beauty.

Both the Milford Track (hike) and Milford Sound trips were absolutely great. A must do. Everything…read morewent well and as planned. Guides "Rew" and Katie were energetic, fun, and informative. Highly recommended.

We just returned from the Coach, Cruise, and Hike trip. It was great. Our guide, Douglas, was…read moreknowledgeable and friendly, and narrated just the right amount. He gave us great tips for the cruise to get excellent photos and avoid the rain. He also was great as a hiking guide. I'd book again!

We had a wonderful day with Sam Kuprus doing an out and back hike on the Routeburn Track. He was…read moredelightful and very knowledgeable! We are American and he taught us so much about the unique flora and fauna of NZ, discussed conservation and anti predation efforts. He also answered many questions we had about this beautiful and welcoming country. What an amazing and gorgeous forest walk, with epic waterfalls at the top, the azure waters of the Routeburn accompanying us most of the way!

Paula and Phil planned out a fantastic day of wine touring during our visit to Queenstown. We had…read morenever been to New Zealand prior to our trip and they did a wonderful job of recommending places to visit and eat and we took their advice on several stops. They were wonderful hosts and we enjoyed our day with them!! Thanks again from the guys from Austin, Texas!!

After sailing for two days from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, we first arrived in New Zealand to…read moreenjoy its UNESCO World Heritage Park, Fiordland National Park, located on the southwest coast of the South Island. Milford Sound/Piopiotahi was our first New Zealand destination, after which we cruised by the other Fiordland parks, the Doubtful Sound/Patea and Dusky Sound/Tamatea, for another full day before reaching the lovely and historic town of Dunedin. Because our arrival at the Fiordlands Constituency's Milford Sound was scheduled for early morning before sunrise, the captain of our cruise ship scheduled a 7:00 am passenger call to enjoy the approach from the bow of the ship. When we got to the bow, only four other couples were standing outside in the very brisk, cold sea air under the still-dark skies, where we also managed to stargaze until I felt like my eyelids were frozen to my eyes. Several other fellow passengers came out with cups of hot coffee, but huddled together with blankets from their cabins because they hadn't brought cold-weather gear other than light sweaters. We stood at the bow for over twenty minutes, enjoyed the sunrise, and watched a small boat come out from Milford Sound to guide our ship in. We returned to our cabin, then seated ourselves for breakfast onboard while our cruise ship made its way into Milford Sound, soaking in the gorgeous scenery. Along the way in and out, our ship's guest lecturer provided us with facts about the formation, Maori and Scottish discovery, and the inhabitation of Milford Sound. The highlights of the scenery were Mitre Peak, Stirling Falls, Lady Bowen Falls, and the remote village of Milford Sound at the head of Milford Sound. Milford Sound, the village, is noted for its hydroelectric power plant, which the Bowen River and Lady Bowen Falls feed. After finishing breakfast, we rushed out to our cabin's veranda to see if we could spot dolphins, penguins, or New Zealand fur seals, but unfortunately, no one saw any. Still, we managed to view and enjoy the awesome scenery, landmark waterfalls, and low-hanging, almost ethereal clouds over the Milford Sound during our cruise ship's entrance and exit. We were told that we had come into Milford Sound on a "sunnier" day, so we missed seeing hundreds of waterfalls along the sheer cliffs that appear after the frequent rainstorms. We'd love to return and sign up for a guided 5-day/4-night, 33-mile hiking tour of the Milford Track during the Southern Hemisphere's Summer or Fall season. But that'll be in a couple of years from now, after I get my other knee replaced.

Coming here was a bucket list experience for me and seeing IS believing!! The fjords are beyond…read moregorgeous in person IF you are lucky and have good weather when you visit. I would suggest staying in the Queenstown or Te Anau region for 2 consecutive days if you are able to just to maximize your chances for having a day of beautiful weather. Getting here + trip planning suggestions: Whew, okay so you will likely start initially in Queenstown and then take a tour bus or do what we did and use your rental car to drive down. What we did which is what I recommend bc you will simply be physically and mentally exhausted trying to go to see the Fjords from Queenstown and come back in one day is this: - Drive down from Queenstown with snacks + breakfast packed away in the afternoon and arrive to Te Anau at a hotel overnight. - the next morning, EARLY around ~5:30 am, wake up and drive to the Fjords to arrive ~7-7:30 am - take either the cruise to explore (I did not do this) OR what I recommend is: Go to Roscoe's Kayaks and make a tandem kayak reservation in advance to go on the open water and kayak at the fjords. You will feel close to the water as opposed to being up on a boat, bring sunscreen and possibly sandfly repellent, warm clothes and layer up!! But it is a magical experience I cannot recommend enough. The Fjords themselves are gorgeous and deserve the ability to be experienced up close.

We cruised through Doubtful Sound today and it went by so fast maybe 30 min and we were done. Very…read morepeaceful and serene but saw no wildlife in the ocean. Less majestic than Milford Sound but still gorgeous and green.

Um...wow. We visited Doubtful Sound at the very end of our trip, and I thought we'd seen it all and…read morewould be numb to the natural beauty of New Zealand by then. We were not. Doubtful Sound is the lesser-visited, even *harder* to get to sister of Milford Sound...and that's exactly why we chose it. In our research, we found that most people go to Milford Sound because it has the iconic view and waterfall, but that it is rather touristy and crowded. We read that Doubtful Sound, though it may not have that iconic photo op, still has amazing fjords and views, and there are less boats on the water - which means more potential wildlife sightings. The path to Doubtful is much longer - even though to Doubtful is too - and includes a bus, a ferry, and another bus: just one way! We figured if we're going to make the trek to one or the other, might as well go all in on Doubtful and the journey it involves. And that paid off tenfold. We boarded the bus, then got to a ferry of what we *thought* were stunning fjords - but we hadn't seen nothing yet. Then, another bus! Through some narrow and steep roads with a hilarious and incredible driver. Finally, we reached our *real* boat experience on the Doubtful Sound. It was a misty morning with fog and clouds hanging onto the fjords, and it was just perfection. The water was glass, the views were unreal, and the boat had glass wall and ceiling interiors to see from inside - but being out on the front of the boat was indescribable. We saw one, maybe two other boats our whole time out there - it felt like we were alone in the world. We pulled up to the most incredible double-waterfall and felt the mist on our faces. We stopped and the tour guide had everyone stay silent for a minute so we could hear the peace and the native birds call. We got to go out into the sea and find a colony of seals with tons of babies and amazing views! Just when we thought we had seen it all: a group of dolphins followed our boat and jumped in our wake, giving us the most epic finale. I could cry thinking about how beautiful Doubtful Sound is. I am certain Milford is absolutely stunning and magical, but for us, the wildlife and peace found at Doubtful was a highlight of our trip.

We stopped in this small town on our tour to Milford Sounds. I immediately ran to this lake to…read morecheck out its beauty. They appear to offer daily boat and helicopter rides around the lake and immediate areas. Around the area of the lake are a few hotels, restaurants and plenty of tour shops to accommodate your travel needs. There were a few benches for you to sit and enjoy the beauty of this lake. This is definitely a place I wish I had more time to enjoy and would return.

The town of Te Anau is a great place to stay and enjoy this BEAUTIFUL Lake with all its activities…read more Lake Te Anau is the largest of the southern glacial lakes. Most of the the Lake is within the boundaries of the Fiordland National Park and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. This is a pristine wilderness area that should not be missed. It is also a great place to stay if you are planning to visit Milford or Doubtful Sounds or do walk/hikes in the Fiordland National Park. There are plenty of restaurants, stores and a great other activities from this location. I would also recommend checking out the Fiordland Cinema and Bar - worth seeing "Ata Whenua - Shadowlands" which is a short film of the Fiordland Wilderness - definitely worth seeing.

We chose Jucy because we figured we'd take advantage of the half-priced driver promo…read more The cruise wasn't busy at all. We had originally booked the 9:45am departure but decided it was just too early. I actually emailed them and it was changed to 11:45am by their customer service rep (thanks again!). We paid the difference in price upon arrival at the ferry terminal. Since the rain was ongoing, we actually preferred a shorter trip. Some of the other companies offer a longer cruise at a slightly higher price. We were happy with what we got. The weather... It was rough. The views though, gorgeous. The waterfalls were probably at their maximum due to the rainfall. I stayed outside for most of the time on the second level where there was coverage. This was not a five star only because I think if they actually reached capacity (200 people) it really would not have been enjoyable. Under our conditions and circumstances, it was a solid 4 star experience. The captain was very friendly and I was able to chat with him for a bit. That was cool.

The. Very. Best…read more Highly recommend JUCY Cruise at Milford Sound. A new vessel. Great driver who took us in from Te Anau. Friendly staff on board. And the view. All in all a great once in a lifetime experience. The drive to and back had a lot of stops with value added spots to see, capture and remember for life. Do. Not. Miss. This.