Milford Sound scenic flights cross the Southern Alps from Queenstown in about 40 minutes. Most pair two flights with a cruise; one flies you home after you arrive by road.
A 35-minute one-way flight back to Queenstown for up to 12, at 12:30pm, with pilot commentary and drop-off at central hotels. Poor weather means a full refund, so keep a road plan.
From $383 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Hotel pickup in Queenstown, 40 minutes each way on two different routes, and a 2-hour cruise between. Window seats are promised, and a weather cancellation is rebooked or refunded in full.
From $428 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A window seat, a landing at the fiord and a nature cruise of 1 hour 45 minutes, in about four and a half hours. The operator gives a dollar a passenger to kea conservation.
From $450 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Rated 4.9 on 1,841 reviews: hotel pickup in Queenstown, 40 minutes each way on different routes, and a 2-hour small-boat cruise.
Check availabilityA scenic flight here is a small fixed-wing plane over the Southern Alps, landing on the airstrip at the head of the fiord. Most leave Queenstown, fly for about 40 minutes, and hand you to a cruise before the flight back. The day takes four and a half to five hours, not thirteen.
There is also a one-way flight out. You drive or ride in by road, take a cruise, and fly back to Queenstown in 35 minutes, leaving at 12:30pm.
Fares run $428 to $450 a person for the fly-cruise-fly days, and $383 for the one-way flight.
Four and a half to five hours from Queenstown, against 12 to 13 on a coach. The rest of the day is yours.
The flights cross peaks, glaciers and lakes that no road reaches. T. found the flight along the fiord so striking that the cruise felt tame afterwards.
Both return flights promise every passenger a window seat.
You land, walk to the boat and sail. On one of the days you also take a short walk in the beech forest near the airstrip.
Most people weigh a flight against the road. Here is what each costs you, in money and in hours.
| A fly-cruise-fly day | A coach day | |
|---|---|---|
| Whole day | 4 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours | 12 to 13 hours |
| Getting there | About 40 minutes each way | About 4 to 5 hours each way |
| On the water | 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours | About 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours |
| Lunch | Not included | On most |
| If it is cloudy | Rebooked or refunded | Usually runs |
| Fare, per person | $428 to $450 | $151 to $201 |
Check the fly-cruise-fly day from $428
If your dates can move and the budget allows, fly. If they cannot, take the road, and think about the one-way flight home.
A window seat for everyone, a landing at the fiord, a short forest walk and a nature cruise of 1 hour 45 minutes, in four and a half hours.
Check availabilityOur guide to the best time to visit explains when flights are most likely to go.
Our guide to choosing a tour lays every format side by side.
Would the road or a helicopter suit you better? Every tour is compared on Milford Sound Tours.