A totally outstanding experience. Ray the owner was totally on to it. His communication was excellent and timely.
Gareth our driver was extremely knowlegable and passionate about Fiordland and what an absolute salt of the earth guy. He made the trip super fun and wonderfully interactive with local stories from his own family history in the region. It was both informative and entertaining.
One amazing highlight was a stop for tea and scones in the middle of nowhere overlooking a mountain with a glacier on it. A definite bucket list moment.
Because we went on a Monday the group was small (only two couples) and we thought that the trip may be cancelled, but it went ahead and we practically got a private tour.
The packed lunch we ordered was really delicious and was catered by a local restaurant in Te Anau ... What a nice touch.
At Fiordland, we were linked in with Mitre Peak cruises ...
There was no issues with tickets or boarding passes, we simply left the shuttle van, and boarded the boat ...
And what an Amazing experience! The crew were professional and courteous and keen to chat. Complimentary coffee and tea was available in the galley throughout the tour and was a warm welcome after being drenched under the waterfall (yup they put the bow under the falls for the adventurous few who wanted to experience the full force of nature)
All in all, a completely magical experience thanks to Fiordland Tours.
A big shout out to Ray and his fantastic team for one of the best...
Read moreExcellent tour to Milford Sound with Jason. We don’t usually do tours in NZ as I used to live there. A great decision to do the day with Fiordland Tours.
I had flown to Milford Sound from Queenstown many years ago, but was concerned we might hit weather that would cause flights to be cancelled. A good choice as the early morning was socked in with rain and very low cloud. I hadn’t realised what I’d missed by flying. The tour included a number of stops for photos and short walks. Jason’s commentary was great. If we had done self drive, there are many things we would have missed as we wouldn’t have understood the history or significance of what we were looking at.
We really enjoyed the small group (9 vs max capacity of 16). The boat tour was on a smallish catamaran. Small enough to feel private, large enough for a toilet on board and not to get thrown around as you got out to the Tasman Sea.
We got lucky with the weather. It looked as if it would rain hard all day, but it cleared enough to get good pictures, and all the temporary waterfalls were running from the rain. I’ve heard of some people cancelling their tours if it rains. The weather doesn’t matter. It’s a magical part of the country no matter what.
We were glad of our good waterproof jackets and that we’d sprayed with bug spray before our pickup in the morning. There were umbrellas on the bus if you wanted to use them. We only needed them at one stop....
Read moreTravelling in a group of 6, we were picked up on Easter Monday morning with our tour guide Tania. She was friendly and had a great sense of humour, very knowledgeable and you could ask anything. Our itinerary was maximised by using Tania's local expertise where we could maximise our time to capture the natural scenery at its best. I would say this is quality over quantity which is what I love about this tour.
Cruise was good, and not too packed. Because it was with Milford Cruise, the boats weren't too big and we could get reasonably close to the waterfall and have a refreshing shower.
Lunch packs were great value for money, we ordered all 3 flavours (chicken, ham, and seafood). Accomodating with our nut allergy child. Sandwiches weren't boring, but were like gourmet sandwiches and full of flavour and quality ingredients. Not just a sandwich, it also had a slice of cake made locally, Whitmans chocolate, some fancy juice, and a piece of fruit. Great value and very filling. We were also spoilt in the morning where we got fresh date scones baked locally, had a hot drink whilst enjoying the beautiful scenery.
Great experience for all ages, we ranged from 8 to 69 in our group. Just sit back and relax, let them do the driving and cooking,...
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