Skippers Canyon: Photography Adventure Tour

Embark on a half-day private photography adventure in Skippers Canyon, New Zealand. Capture stunning landscapes and learn composition techniques from expert guides. Perfect for all skill levels.

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Skippers Road - From your accommodation, a short drive takes us from the bustle ofn Queenstown through rolling rural countryside to Skippers Saddle. This is the beginning of a 22km dirt road, hewn over a hundred and thirty years ago through mountains and backcountry to reach the rich gold deposits of the Shotover River. The one-lane road winds…
What's Included
  • Creative and technical guidance
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Bottled water
  • Transport by comfortable AWD
  • Tea, coffee and cookies
  • Take Home Guides to Photography
  • Live commentary on board
  • Local driver/guide/photographer
What's Not Included
  • SD card (available to purchase)
  • Camera (Nikon D5100, D5600, or D7200 available to rent) $25 NZD Per Day
Additional Information

Journey with us into wild and remote Skippers Canyon. We’ll take you on a photographic adventure into some of New Zealand’s most spectacular and majestic landscapes and a ride through a window into our colourful gold mining past.
This tour is perfect for photography enthusiasts, from beginners to the more advanced. Your guide will bring alive…

Location
Skippers Road
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(17 Ratings)
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Kimberlyty6644to
Jan 4, 2026
Best private photography tour and host! - If you’re looking for a tour guide who teaches you how to take photos, you’re at the right place! This private photography tour is definitely one for the books. As beginners to photography, Martin taught us how to take better landscape photos and some technical aspects to look out for when shooting sceneries. He also knows all the good spots to capture beautiful sceneries of Queenstown and Skippers Canyon. Overall, Martin is a very informative and hospitable host who makes sure we’re well taken care of and goes at a pace which we’re comfortable with. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chun_t
Oct 20, 2025
Our tour guild Martin is... - Our tour guild Martin is wonderful. The weather was very bad, rain/snow. But he delivered a memorable trip for us.
Review provided by Viator
Mark
Aug 9, 2025
A great day out for any landscape photographer - Martin was a great host and knows just how to strike the right balance between offering helpful insights and letting you do your own thing. Easy to talk to and a very personable companion for the day. I got to photograph landscapes you wouldn’t normally be able to access in a hire car (at least without voiding your insurance). The car was comfortable and the driving smooth. I’d highly recommend Martin’s tours for any keen landscape photographer spending some time in Queenstown who wants to tap in to a wealth of local and photographic knowledge.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Danienb2022
Jun 17, 2025
Great pictures dont make themselves! - Our Skippers Canyon half day tour was fantastic. Martin offers a great balance of assisting with photo skills, settings and composition while also letting you do your thing. Martin's passion for and knowledge of the area helped make this tour a 'must do' for anyone interested in capturing some great images.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
54lews
May 21, 2025
Talk About Lucking Out - The irony here is that this trip was a last-minute replacement for another Skipper's Canyon adventure (cancelled with little notice and no explanation). Sometimes you get lucky. This was captivating country - shared with a fellow photographer (and guide/driver), Martin. I lost count of the number of stops we made. The changing lighting conditions (we headed out at 8 am) proved to be both a challenge and opportunities for new angles. Whether you have a digital SLR or iPhone/Android you will learn something about photography - and head home with many memorable shots.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hiltonjluke
Jan 12, 2025
Must do Skippers Canyon photo tour - I recently did the Skippers Canyon photography tour with Martin and it was sensational. Not only is Martin an experienced photographer, he also knows a lot of history about Queenstown and Skippers Canyon. Martin picked me up from my accommodation just outside of Queenstown in a new, very clean and comfortable car. We then made our way up Coronet Peak, stopping at a few locations as we went up in height. We then went down the Skippers Canyon track. The scenery is spectacular, but the drive is precarious—at all times I felt very safe with Martin driving. We stopped at lots of locations for all different types of photos. Near the bottom of the canyon we stopped for coffee and a muffin (both yum) before we continued along and the Shotover River came into view. All up, we were away for about 5 hours and loved every minute. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting to get spectacular photos while In Queenstown. Martin is a personable and exemplary host 10/10!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
O5162jrdanf
Dec 22, 2024
Wonderful Photo Tour - Martin was awesome. He customized our trip for my desires and skill level. I appreciated his knowledge of a photography form I was new too (landscape). He was a wonderful conversationalist willing to share his love of Queenstown.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rodi572
Oct 9, 2024
Twist and mist - The Queenstown region has many stunning photography locations. A Remarkable Imagery tour of Skippers Canyon will ensure that you see many of the very best of these. Martin knows each of the many twists and turns along Skippers Road. He let me explore different compositions for myself whilst also providing great suggestions for different angles and techniques. A bit of rain and lots of mist added moodiness to the pictures that I took away. I had a very enjoyable morning, left with a set of images that I really like, and improved the way I think when I take photos.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zeetee2013
Sep 4, 2024
Ideal Skipper! - Skipper’s canyon is not an easy place to get to, so decided to go with a tour operator. And a ‘photo tour’ was a bonus. Martin was great, providing some history as well as some useful photography tips along the way, besides safely navigating the difficult road. Highly recommend!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
446lexr
May 28, 2024
Photo Opportunities in every direction. Thanks Martin Kohn. - Had a fabulous 5 hours with Martin on Skippers Road in my visit to Skippers Canyon. The 5 hours with Martin was great value for money. Martin's knowledge of the area was excellent and I learnt a lot about the Canyon and it's history. I went there to see somewhere which is dificult to visit with out a 4WD. I will gladly seek out Martin on my next visit to Queenstown.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $144
up to 4 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).