Stop At: Southern Discoveries - Milford Sound Visitor Centre, Freshwater Basin, Milford Sound Highway 94, Milford Sound 9679, New Zealand
This is where your experience will begin. Check in with friendly staff 15 minutes prior to your cruise departure, and let the journey begin.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Milford Sound, Milford Sound
An all-inclusive nature experience with excellent wildlife viewing, this package gives you the longest, best value daytime cruise experience in Milford Sound. The Cruise, and underwater observatory package enables you to really explore the beauty of the fiord. With a visit to the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory included, it’s the complete cruise experience.
Milford Sound is home to species such as black coral which are usually only found at depths of more than 50 metres. Our Milford Sound Underwater Observatory allows you to experience this amazing world beneath the surface. You’ll descend 64 steps (10 metres) underwater into a large, fully air-conditioned viewing area where windows with excellent clarity open your eyes to this underwater haven. Unlike an aquarium, the fish are free to come and go; it’s the people who are contained. No Milford Sound experience is complete without a visit to this phenomenon.
Duration: 2 hours
Pass By: Mitre Peak
Mitre Peak is a beautifully dramatic mountain in the South Island of New Zealand, located on the shore of Milford Sound. It is one of the most photographed mountain peaks in the entire country.
Pass By: Stirling Falls, Milford Sound
Milford’s second-highest waterfall is the Stirling Falls, a staggering 151m in height – three times the height of Niagara Falls, but the 1,300m mountain behind displaces this incredible height. This is the famous waterfall that Hugh Jackman ‘jumped off’ in the movie Wolverine. The sheer drop of the Stirling Falls allows boats to get right underneath – it’s an incredible feeling to have the power of 151m worth of glacial water falling so close to you.
Pass By: Bowen Falls, Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound 9679
The stunning Lady Bowen Falls is Milford’s highest waterfall. It plunges 162m from a hanging valley into the head of Milford Sound and provides electricity for the Milford Sound township by feeding a small hydroelectric scheme, as well as being the water source for the settlement.
Pass By: Sinbad Gully, Sinbad Gully, Southland 9679, New Zealand
Nestled behind the world famous Mitre Peak, the Sinbad Gully is characterised by extremely steep glacially carved walls punctuated by near vertical granite cliffs. These walls slowed pest invasion into the gully and as a result a number of unique native species remain in the Sinbad.
Southern Discoveries is passionate about preserving Milford Sound’s beauty for future generations which is why it’s a key partner in a major conservation project – the Sinbad Sanctuary Project.
The aim is to see the valley of New Zealand’s most photographed mountain (Sinbad Gully is at the base of Mitre Peak) become a sanctuary for native species.
Stop At: Southern Discoveries - Milford Sound Underwater Observatory, Milford Wharf, Harrison Cove, Milford Sound
Our Milford Sound Underwater Observatory is a unique opportunity to visit New Zealand’s only floating underwater observatory, accessible only by boat. Descend by spiral staircase to 10 metres beneath the water’s surface.
See rare black coral growing in its natural habitat and meet colourful sea creatures. Relax as our guide tells you more about the unique history, geology and wildlife of Milford Sound. Learn about the story of Milford Sound and our conservation efforts with entertaining and easy to read information panels
Duration: 45 minutes
