Milford Sound hike tours put the walking first. You take a boat to the end of the great walk and hike it at your own pace, or spend a Te Anau day on guided walks.
A Te Anau day where the walking is the point: about three and a half hours of guided stops and walks, a 2-hour small-boat cruise, a picnic and a nature driver-guide.
From $157 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A boat across the head of the fiord and back, then three to four hours on the track at your own pace, for 20 at most. It is not guided, and it is the cheapest way onto the water here.
From $43 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Rated 4.9 on 919 reviews: about three and a half hours of guided stops and short walks, plus a 2-hour small-boat cruise.
See this tourA hike tour here is a day where the walking is the product, not a stop on the way. It comes in two shapes. The self-guided day walk takes you by boat to the end of the Milford Track, then leaves you to walk it and come back. The Te Anau day puts a guide with you for about three and a half hours of short walks, with a cruise in the middle.
The track day starts from the wharf at Deepwater Basin, a walk of up to 40 minutes from the terminal. The boat drops you at Sandfly Point, where the Great Walk ends, and you walk inland toward Giant Gate Falls and back. It takes three to four hours.
Fares run $43 to $157 a person. The track walk is the cheapest product on the site.
The full Milford Track takes four days and needs hut bookings. The day walk gives you its last stretch, with no booking beyond the boat.
Walk alone on the track day. On the Te Anau day, a nature guide stops for the plants and birds, which suits families.
The track walk costs $43, less than half the cheapest cruise.
From the boat you see the walls. On foot you are in the rainforest, among the ferns and moss, and closer to the birds.
One is a boat and a trail; the other is a whole day with a guide.
| The track day walk | The guided walks day | |
|---|---|---|
| Guide | None: self-guided | A nature driver-guide |
| Walking | 3 to 4 hours on one trail | About 3.5 hours of stops and short walks |
| Cruise | No, a boat transfer only | A 2-hour small-boat cruise |
| Starts | At the wharf by the fiord | Your Te Anau stay |
| Lunch | Bring your own | A packed picnic |
| Fare, per person | $43 | $157 |
See the guided walks day from $157
If you have a car and like walking alone, take the track day. If you want to be driven, told what you are looking at and fed, take the Te Anau day.
A boat across and back, then three to four hours at your own pace toward a waterfall, for $43. It is not guided.
Check availabilityThe trail, the falls and the boat are described on our page on the track.
Our guide to choosing a tour weighs walking against every other way to see the fiord.
Would a cruise or a road day suit you better? Every tour is compared on Milford Sound Tours.