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Doubtful Sound Wilderness Day Cruise: Explore Fiordland National Park's Remote Landmarks
4.7
421 Ratings
Manapouri
Embark on an 8-hour day trip into the remote wilderness of Doubtful Sound in Fiordland National Park. Discover stunning landmarks, encounter dolphins and seals, and experience the unique ‘Sound of Silence’ on a luxurious cruise.
Embark on an 8-hour day trip into the remote wilderness of Doubtful Sound in Fiordland National Park. Discover stunning landmarks, encounter dolphins and seals, and experience the unique ‘Sound of Silence’ on a luxurious cruise.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Lake Manapouri - Cruise across Lake Manapouri to the Wilmot Pass at the beginning of your journey.
- Doubtful Sound - Take in the scenery and wildlife aboard our comfortable catamaran. Our on board nature guides will be giving an informative commentary throughout the journey.
- Doubtful Sound - Take a comfortable coach journey through the breathtaking Wilmot Pass to reach Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound.
- Lake Manapouri - Cruise across Lake Manapouri to the Wilmot Pass at the beginning of your journey.
- Doubtful Sound - Take in the scenery and wildlife aboard our comfortable catamaran. Our on board nature guides will be giving an informative commentary throughout the journey.
- Doubtful Sound - Take a comfortable coach journey through the breathtaking Wilmot Pass to reach Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound.
What's Included
- On-board live commentary
- On-board live commentary
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks (available to purchase)
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks (available to purchase)
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
Embark on a full-day excursion to the secluded Doubtful Sound located in the heart of Fiordland National Park with our experienced nature guides who will provide information and identify landmarks. This fiord is a natural habitat for bottlenose dolphins and fur seals, which are commonly sighted. During the season, you might spot the seldom-seen…
Embark on a full-day excursion to the secluded Doubtful Sound located in the heart of Fiordland National Park with our experienced nature guides who will provide information and identify landmarks. This fiord is a natural habitat for bottlenose dolphins and fur seals, which are commonly sighted. During the season, you might spot the seldom-seen Fiordland crested penguins. Cruise through the expansive waterways of Doubtful Sound on a deluxe ship. One of the highlights is the unique ‘Sound of Silence’, a moment when the ship’s engines are turned off and you can listen to the melodic bird song whilst drifting on the fiord.
If you are interested in reserving a picnic lunch in advance, please get in touch with the provider once your reservation is confirmed.
Ensure to arrive 20 minutes prior to departure time for check-in.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- It is recommended to wear comfortable shoes, warm clothing, and a rain jacket or hat, as necessary
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Please note: During survey the Patea Explorer will be substituted with another vessel from the RealNZ fleet
Location
64 Waiau Street
Waiau Street
Please be sure to arrive 20 minutes before your scheduled departure to check in.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(421 Ratings)
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Vanessas357
Mar 3, 2025
A great experience - This is a very nice tour to do. The boat trip across the lake was very good and the bus ride over the mountain pass was nice. The highlight is the boat trip in Doubtful Sound which is beautiful. It is wider than Milford Sound so the scale is difficult to appreciate as you are not so close to the mountains, but it is very peaceful and quiet as there are not all the boats and helicopters etc. that there are in Milford Sound. We saw fur seals basking on the rocks at the mouth of the Sound and the best part was when the engines were turned off and we got to listen to the silence out on the water, broken only by the sound of a waterfall and birdsong. A great experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ns1961
Mar 3, 2025
A memorable day out - Excellent day out
Free parking near the departure centre in Manapouri - although pretty busy. WiFi available prior to boarding.
There were quite a lot of people on our tour (three full coaches) but the boat that carried us across the lake and the second boat that took us out on Doubtful Sound didn't seem at all crowded.
Very modern and well equipped vessels.
Excellent commentary on both the lake crossing and the tour of the Sound (the latter obviously more comprehensive).
Amusing commentary from our coach driver on the trip over the Wilmott Pass to the sound.
A little bit of time to check out the information in the visitor centre prior to the coach ride.
The boat trip up the Sound was fantastic. The three hour trip didn't feel rushed and we felt there was nothing more we could expect from the experience.
Comfortable indoor seats and tables at which to eat the lunch we'd brought. We spent most of the trip outside, as the weather was great, although the wind at the prow at times meant it was more comfortable to stand at the side rail further back
I expected the vessel to seem crowded, with three coachloads onboard, but it really didn't.
All of the staff and crew we encountered were great.
A truly memorable trip - helped by lovely weather.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mclaughlinmfj
Feb 21, 2025
This was Nature’s Paradise for us! 💕 - Beautiful and comfortable. The best of both worlds — taking in nature’s absolutely stunning land and seascape all while being easily guided by friendly, informative and professional Real NZ crew — thanks for a fabulous day. Even with some rain the fjord was majestically beautiful. A nice contrast to the equally great time we had during our sunny day on Milford Sound.
Review provided by Viator
Ushy
Feb 21, 2025
Fabulous day cruise on doubtful sound - Our trip to Doubtful Sound with Real NZ was a long day.
We drove to and from Queenstown to take the 7 hour tour.
Would recommend staying at least 1
Night close by to make the day easier.
The tour itself was fantastic.
Starting off with a ferry ride across a lake , a bus ride through Wilmot Pass, which was pretty hair raising but spectacular followed by a cruise up Doubtful Sound to the Tasman sea and return.
The scenery was beautiful and we were so
Lucky to have a sunny day to take this trip.
A real bonus was to spend 5 minutes on the ferry with motors cut, silence from all the guests and total wilderness silence.
Really glad we made the decision to do this rather than Milford Sound.
Not cheap but worth it
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ron_c
Feb 16, 2025
Once in a lifetime opportunity - It is expensive but it’s pretty fabulous. The quiet time in the fjord arm is definitely the highlight. You feel like your in another world.
Review provided by Viator
Frances_s
Feb 13, 2025
Worthwhile experience - This was an incredible experience. We did both the Milford Sound and the Doubtful Sound and found them unique enough that we are glad we did both. Best to stay in the Te Anua area for this trip, instead of adding on the drive back and forth to Queensland, as it is already a long day trip. Please note that you will be on this journey with three busloads of other adventurers. The event is perfectly timed to move you from one spot to the next but as a result, there is little time to go through the various visitor centers. We, and many others, packed a lunch and carried it in our day packs. Those who pre-bought a lunch had a lovely meal but had to carry around an additional handled paper bag with their meals from the first boat on until lunchtime, which I think they found a bit cumbersome at times. This trip is pricey but still worth the money.
Review provided by Viator
Clreeves
Feb 12, 2025
Amazing Doubtful Sound - Gorgeous sunny day! Went all the way out into the ocean, passed a fur seal colony. Lovely calm water and amazing mountains and waterfalls. Lunch was great too!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Greg_b
Feb 12, 2025
Majestic silience - What a blessing to see this area of the world on a day of blue skies and sunshine. A long journey of 7 hours but always something new to see. Just stunning.
Review provided by Viator
Cindy_h
Feb 14, 2025
Doubtful Sound 2025 v's 1994 - We were so excited to revisit our trip from 1994, when tourism to Doubtful Sound was still in it's infancy. Unfortunately, even with beautiful weather, it was a dissapointment. 4x bus loads (200+ tourists?) vying for the best seats or best view. Too many people, too many "influencers" hogging the best spots on the boat. No serenity and nothing liked we experienced in 1994. By comparison, we booked a PREMIUM Milford Sound Cruise 2 days later and felt this is what the the Doubtful Sound cruise lacked. Maybe book an overnight tour until a better option is available??
Review provided by Viator
793098
Feb 16, 2025
Very disappointing experience with Real NZ - We did this trip with Real NZ on the 7th February. Three days before we were advised it was being re-booked as an 'inner fjord' cruise, rather than the 'wilderness cruise' we had very expensively booked and paid for, due to 'essential maintenance'. Seeing that the total time for the trip had reduced by 45 minutes, I responded by email via. Get your guide (who we had booked through) to ask how our experience would be affected by the change and if we had an option to cancel and receive a part refund. On not receiving a reply we did the trip and were left very underwhelmed and disappointed. A 2 hour cruise instead of 3, poor unenthusiastic commentary by the guide, and not even a mention of the wildlife which can be seen. I suspect this was because we did not travel far enough into the sound to have even the remotest possibility of seeing any. When one of the published key highlights is that you may see dolphins, seals and penguins this left a very sour taste in the mouth. It was clear it was an inferior experience but we were not offered any sort of apology of part refund by Real NZ. For what is a very expensive experience, I'd therefore recommend booking with alternative providers to avoid the risk of this happening to you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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