Home > Queenstown > Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise from Queenstown
USD $194.00
Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise from Queenstown
Queenstown, New Zealand
Be struck by the beautiful silence of Doubtful Sound as you cruise the crystal waters and take in the breathtaking scenery. Journey across Lake Manapouri, cross over the 670-meter high Wilmot Pass and enjoy a 3-hour catamaran cruise through pure serenity that is Doubtful Sound.
Hidden in the south-west corner of New Zealand's South Island, deep in the heart of the Fiordland National Park, lies Doubtful Sound. Ten times larger than Milford Sound it is an unspoiled wilderness of many moods, one minute clear, blue and sun drenched, the next mysterious and mist shrouded. A wild place of dense rainforest, rugged peaks, cascading waterfalls and deep still waters - quiet, serene and green!
Your Doubtful Sound adventure begins as you cruise the crystal clear waters of Lake Manapouri. Then enjoy a road trip over Wilmot Pass, stopping along the way to experience some of Fiordland's densest rainforest and to view the colorful alpine moss gardens.
On reaching Deep Cove, you will board a spacious catamaran for a three hour cruise that takes in the most dramatic scenery of Doubtful Sound. The skipper provides a detailed commentary and point out highlights. Keep a look out for wildlife as bottlenose dolphins frequently come alongside the vessel, fur seals bask on the rocks around the fiord and rare penguins can at times be observed.
Fantastic Tour. Well worth the time and travel. Very professionally done. Beautiful scenery. And, we saw humpback whales, seals and a penguin! I recommend this tour.
Review by: Nicole W, October 2017
doubtful sound was great, however it did take 3 coach trips and one river trip before we even started on the wilderness cruise. Consider the amount of travelling time that is required
Review by: Smitha K, September 2017
Incredible!!! The captain stopped the boat for a minute in the sound, you could only hear the water and birds!!! What a rich experience this was!
Review by: Eileen R, September 2017
A great tour into the beautiful sound - a long day but well worth it to experience the beauty of this area.
Review by: Caitlin H, July 2017
This tour left myself and my family reeling for days afterwards. Doubtful Sound is truly one of New Zealand's most magical and beautiful places. Everything about the tour was extremely well organised which meant no stress they even picked us up directly from our hotel door. The coach ride was comfortable and the drivers were able to offer insightful facts about the area as we drive through the landscape. Upon arrival at Manapouri Station, we hopped on another bus with another wonderful driver to be taken to the ferry. The cruise itself was incredible. We got to see dolphins play, got taken out to see the local seal colony, and most importantly had plenty of time to take in the beautiful views. Looking forward to booking the Milford Sound tour next year. Thanks for a brilliant experience!
Review by: Margot S, May 2017
Fantastic day, really great sights and commentary, saw dolphins, seals, fairy penguins. Well organised
Review by: Andrew R, April 2017
Amazing well organised day with perfect weather, dolphins and an albatross ! The coach drivers were friendly and informative and although a long day we had a fantastic experience and would definitely recommend it
Review by: roger r, March 2017
Having visited Milford Sound by both coach and plane in previous visits to Queenstown and been blown away by the experience, we decided to go to Doubtful Sound this time. We knew that it needed to rain a lot to benefit from the magnificent falls that pervade the Sound, but had experienced both wet and dry visits to Milford and found the scenery stunning in itself with the added benefit of a full visual experience which is not available in the mist and rain which is the most likely viewing situation statistically. What we did not expect on the trip to Doubtful was the friendliness, humour and knowledge of our driver. Mick was magnificent and a charming host. Two boat trips follow the coach ride the first of which, beautiful in itself, is the only access to the Sound followed by a winding drive in the mountains before descending to the sailing jetty. The following boat trip, helped no doubt by superb weather conditions, allowed us to travel out of the sounds and into the Tasman Sea to photograph some albatross and some seals. The scenery was for us more beautiful than Milford, and the scale of the landscape around us was breathtaking. We would urge everyone to experience this trip, not instead of Milford but as an addition, since you will definitely not be disappointed and we were assured that in wet weather the falls are spectacular. We will definitely be back!
Review by: Wendy W, February 2017
This was a truly amazing trip. The trip was very well organised and made very enjoyable by the humour, interesting information and photo opportunity stops given by our coach driver, Mike Thomas.The scenery was spectacular and the cruise along Doubtful Sound was very smooth with an interesting commentary pointing out sights of interest, wildlife and dolphins. In all the trip lasted 13 hours and was extremely good value for money.
Review by: Kat P, January 2017
We recommend package tours like these because it saves you the trouble of driving out to remote locations and arranging the boats on your own.
Review by: Chasen T, January 2017
Everything about this trip was great. The tour company even arranged a free taxi pick up and drop off at our hotel. The tour guide Craig, was very knowledgeable and insightful with a great sense of humor.
Review by: Alexandra C, January 2017
Great tour. A long way by bus and boat.
Review by: John B, August 2016
Excellent tour, amazing scenery, enjoyable cruise
Review by: Tea A, July 2016
We liked the tour very much even it was a very rainy day. All the staff we were involved with during the tour were professional and frienly. The busses and the catamaran were very suitable for the tour. We were even complimentary transfered to our private accomodation.
Review by: Bonnie S, July 2016
This was a great trip--my husband and I enjoyed it immensely! The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful, and the tour guides are excellent--very informative and willing to answer questions. It's a long day, but worth every minute. I especially loved seeing the blue penguins--what a bonus!
Review by: david p, May 2016
A very well run trip with the cruise it self very good, with the captain well versed in how to get the best for virtually everyone. The cruise was extremely enjoyable, seeing a lot of wildlife including Dolphins, a fjord land penguin and a number of different types of albatross. I would highly recommend this trip. The very sunny dry weather did help make the trip even better but, the tour company were great.
Review by: KEBeeler, November 2015
Such an awesome experience! It was a long day but flawlessly orchestrated. We were picked up by a van at our hotel and transported to a central meeting place where we boarded a very comfortable tour bus and met our driver/guide Dan. Dan was a wealth of knowledge on the drive to Lake Manapouri, and throughout the day. The 1.5 - 2 hour drive passed quickly listening to his humorous stories and comments and watching the beautiful countryside pass by. Once we arrived at Lake Manapouri we boarded a very nice boat that took us to the other side of the lake. This took about an hour. Coffee and tea was provided on the boat. Once on the other side we boarded another bus for a short distance then walked across a pedestrian bridge where the road had washed out and boarded another bus. This bus ride was about an hour, but we were now in a beautiful rainforest setting with several waterfalls along the way. We stopped for picture opportunities in route to Deep Cove, including an endangered kaka bird. Soon we made it to Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound and boarded the boat that would take us out into the sound and close to the Tasman Sea. The scenery was so spectacular, even on a misty overcast day. We would go back in a heart beat. The beauty and tranquility cannot be beat. It is simply amazing. It is so remote and untouched. A must see!
Review by: Pamela H, October 2015
We didn't get to go on the Doubtful Sound as the road was washed out that day due to heavy rains. We were able to get rescheduled the following day for Milford Sound and it was a wonderful journey! Viator does a great job making sure you have adequate stops and breaks. The drivers are great and it was a fabulous day!
Review by: vako, October 2015
A long day. Lots of travelling is involved to get to Doubtful Sound which is quite isolated we needed to catch 2 buses and a boat ride to get to the place. The cruise itself was beautiful and the guide was very knowledgable and provided us with very interesting information about Doubtful Sound. Doubtful Sound is 10x bigger than Milford Sound and was more serene and untouched.
Review by: P Ho, September 2015
Enjoyed the true wilderness. Good orientation and transportation. Very friendly service.
Review by: Elle, June 2015
Wonderful tour, the rain made it even better.
Review by: Lin, March 2015
Pleasant day although a long way from Queenstown. Better to do this trip from Te Anau.
Review by: John G, March 2015
Well organised, well worth seeing, good coaches, good vessels, cheerfully witty drivers. Nothing to complain about, everything to praise
Review by: Denis H, March 2015
A long day but excellent.
Review by: PEARL P, March 2015
A great day. From the moment we boarded the coach to our return to Frankton. The driver was a great guide and Eve who did the second bus trip was equally informative. Because the sun shone the whole day was amazing. Cannot find fault with any aspect of the trip.
Review by: William W, February 2015
The day was beautiful and great scenery and cruise on Doubtful Sound. Unfortunately, the scenery in Doubtful isnt as spectacular as Milford Sound. .,,so I was a bit disappointed after the Milford experience. However, it was still a great tour and worth every penny.
Review by: Alberto K, December 2014
Very good except for the looooooong time spent in bus and catamaran.
Review by: John W, December 2014
The service by teh company and the trip were superb. The only warning is that there is a lot of coach travel (but I am told less than Milford). Threre again, better to get someone else to drive it, rather than me. I would recommend the company.
Review by: KATHY W, December 2014
We chose to do this tour rather than Milford Sound because the long drive there was broken up with a boat ride and drive over Wilmot Pass. The drive over the mountain pass was very cool - you are driving right on the edge of the mountain and when you look out the window it is straight down, but beautiful! So it is a 2 hour bus drive from Queenstown to Lake Manapouri, hour boat ride to the Wilmot Pass road, hour bus ride over Wilmot Pass, and a 3 hour boat ride through Doubtful Sound. It is a long day and it is considered rain forest, so bring a rain coat. We had some sun and rain, lots of clouds. We saw a lot of waterfalls, a few penguins and several seals, but no dolphins that day.
Review by: stuart s, August 2014
Wow - long day but really worth it - this tour was the best. Including the bouncing trip into the Tasman and Manapouri power station. Highly recommended.
Review by: Wai Tik C, May 2014
The portal seemed to be confused with daylight saving times. We booked the trip before changing the clock and the voucher clearly said 8:15, but we were woken up at 7:15 with the bus expecting us. Other than that, the trip was great!
Review by: Gary M, March 2014
Very informative. Lots to see, especially when we found dolphins, penguins, and seals in the Sound. The 2-hour bus trip from Queenstown was also a good way to learn more about the area -- our driver for this part of the tour, Tracey, was very knowledgeable and answered any and all questions we had regarding the flora, fauna, and general lie of the land. The only thing the organisers couldn't fix was the weather, but it has rained for at least part of the trip every time I have ventured down to the south-west coast.
Review by: Paula E, February 2014
Really enjoyed trip although rather a long day. We had beautiful weather so don't know if it would be a different experience if the weather was bad.
Review by: Paul B, April 2013
breathtaking beauty
Review by: Kenneth H, March 2013
Superb trip - exciting going on the trip - 2 boat journeys, 2 coach journeys were brilliant but, and we were prior aware, that the return journey being the same naturally and understandably lost the "newness" and hating the Americanism "W*W" factor saying was lost on the return journey - superb just the same but wouldn't repeat the trip - flying back might be an option but not sensible because gaining little returning from Te-Anau.
Review by: Hazel B, February 2013
Very good
Review by: NATHALIE B, January 2013
Bonne organisation du voyage. Beau fjord. Dommage que le soleil n'ait pas été au RDV. Chauffeurs-guides très bavards. Attention au moustiques au point d'embarquement sur le bateau ! Je trouve qu'il manquait un point d'orgue à cette croisière !
Review by: Jackie R, December 2012
A fantastic day filled with gorgeous views. Very similar to the Milford Sound tour, but both are worth doing.
Review by: james w, December 2012
Good trip but poor service from Viator.
Review by: Gail M, November 2012
Had a really great day even though it rained, this was good as creates so mnay beuatiful waterfalls, did not seem much wildlife but great all the same
Review by: Geri B, October 2012
Beautiful area. A must when in New Zealand
Review by: Sally F, October 2012
Great boats, great scenery, great crews, great fun. So glad we did this one instead of Milford.
Review by: T W H, October 2012
we had an outstanding visit to the doubtful sounds.we were looked after from start to finish and thank every one for the care and attention..how ever booking on line cost a little extra due to money being put through the USA and the exchange rate . were not told THIS
Review by: siddles, September 2012
very professional outfit. Wonderful tour in to a unique wild and unspoilt scenery. Would d oagain if given the chance
Review by: Beverley D, September 2012
Doubtful Sound with Real Tours was great. Approx. 25 in tour group and commentary from driver Paul was very informative. Doubtful Sound is magnificant and although a long day it is really work the time to see this place. We saw dolphins, blue penguins and there was even a sighting of a whale which was very exciting. A great tour and thoroughtly recommended.
Review by: J.B. V, April 2012
It was a really awesome trip! Even the bustrips and the boattrip over Lake Manapouri were amazing, but Doubtful Sound was just fantastic! We saw penguins, fur seals and even bottlenose dolphins!!
Review by: RAJones, April 2012
Unfortunately the day I went it was very misty and so couldn't see much of Doubtful Sound. It was a relatively expensive trip though and going on a big bus tour-party isn't for everyone
Review by: Karen Y, March 2012
Good winery tour visiting 4 local wineries with a tasting plate for lunch at the first winery. Excellent value
Review by: Anthony S, December 2011
Excellently organised trip, with highly knowledgeable guides, in a beautiful setting. A long day given a c.12hr round trip, but well worth it for the experience of Doubtful Sound.
Review by: Michelle D, June 2011
What an amazing and beautiful trip this was! At first it was really cold and cloudy, but once we got to Doubtful the sun came out and we got to see beautiful dramatic landscape with lush green forests, some seals and even really cool bottlenose dolphins! Our Captain was a great commentator and really funny too. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone traveling to Queenstown or in the south island!! It's a must!
RSS Feed