Milford Sound Luxe Tours

02/04/2025

Before starting Luxe in 2024, I had travelled to Milford Sound countless times with our young son and more recently daughter.

It can be an amazing, enjoyable experience, or it can turn on you very quickly 😅 Parents out there travelling will know what I'm talking about....

I have found over the years that it can be scary to think about travelling to other parts of the world with a young child, there are always a few unknowns.

With these different experiences to Milford Sound over time, as well as spending time talking to some of our guests and guides here at Luxe, I have complied my list of tips for this journey.

In this article, I will cover:

👉 Where to start your journey for Milford Sound from.

👉 Food and entertainment considerations.

👉 What to pack & bring.

👉 Where are the changing room options?!

👉 Kid-friendly scenic & nature stops.

👉 Managing the cruise.

👉 Guided tour options & considerations.

👉 My big one - trust your parental instincts 😌

Milford Sound and the drive in can be such a great day for kids of all ages, I hope you get to experience it!

Katelyn, Owner at Milford Sound Luxe Tours.

As a mum who has travelled to Milford Sound multiple times with my kids, I can lay out the top tips I have developed over time to help with this journey and experience for all involved.

01/04/2025

Where in the world are we now…? 😳

We are very excited to be only one month away from releasing our newest tour, a truly New Zealand flavour experience over three days.

If you are planning a trip to Queenstown/Te Anau/Milford Sound in October 2025 - April 2026 and are looking for a true “explorers” tour, keep your eyes peeled on 1st May for our exciting news!

26/03/2025

WE SPY WITH OUR LITTLE EYE.... A Milford Sound Itinerary to steal 🥷

Self-driving to Milford Sound is still a popular way to explore Milford Road that lies beforehand. With dozens of places you could possibly pull into or visit, how do you choose?

Every scenic & nature spot offers something slightly different and depending on the type of traveller you are, some will be of interest, some you will leave fairly quickly 🙅‍♀️

In this guide, we break down our exact Milford Sound itinerary for our Milford Sound Tours.

While it does differ from day to day depending on the type of travellers we have, the weather, safety and the guides local knowledge & hidden spots - this article will give you a comprehensive breakdown of most of the key places to visit on route to Milford Sound.

Looking for a Milford Sound itinerary? In this article we provide ours for you to use, developed from hundreds of trips to Milford Sound including the stops we make, the things you need to think about and recommended cruises.

20/03/2025

Milford Sound from Queenstown is a very popular way to experience this stunning destination in New Zealand.

Departing from Queenstown is suitable most of all for those who are not travelling via rental car or motorhome and intend on being based in Queenstown.

There a few things to consider for this journey, the most important one being that most navigational apps will give a travel time of around 4-hours. This often catches people out.

The road to Milford Sound has so much to offer and we suggest allowing about an extra 25% of time on top of this.

In this article we also break down:
👉 How to plan your cruise time strategically.
👉 Why you should stop in Te Anau.
👉 Travelling with children 🤔
👉 Where to fuel up your vehicle.
👉 What tours you could take.
👉 How you can fly back to Queenstown.
👉 Food planning!

Milford Sound from Queenstown is a very popular way to explore the stunning destination. In this article we break down our Top 10 Tips.

11/02/2025

The most common request we get from our guests - "Can we please reserve a front seat?"

Why this question? Most often because someone is prone to travel sickness, a horrible way to experience the beautiful Milford Road.

The reality of the road is that it is quite winding and can be sickness inducing for some.

In this article we breakdown:

👉 Why we get travel sickness.
👉 Why the road to Milford Sound is particularly an issue.
👉 Some natural remedies to help
👉 Some medications and when/how to take them to still get the most out of your Milford Sound experience
👉 More tips on managing it through the day

Travel sickness is often common amongst travellers and the road to Milford Sound is not friendly in this regard. Learn how to avoid it.

27/01/2025

Planning your Milford Sound itinerary and have the drive time as 4-hours from Queenstown? Think again!

Agreed - it is four hours if you do it with no stops but trust us when we say that is near on impossible and you are risking safety 👎

Not only are there many beautiful scenic, nature & photo stops you will pass by along this route, but each part & season of the year brings unique challenges on this drive that often causes delays.

Example: On 27th January 2025, our tour van was held up at roadworks blocking the road for 17-mins just a few kilometres from the Milford Sound cruise terminal! 😱

Examples like this happen every day on the drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound, so in this article we break down:

👉 Key considerations for your itinerary.

👉 The true drive time and why it is much longer.

👉 What time frame you should give yourself & leave Queenstown.

👉 The stops you will want to make along the road to Milford Sound.

👉 Safety considerations for this unique stretch of road.

👉 Why driving in winter is NOT recommended unless road conditions are perfect.

The Queenstown to Milford Sound Drive is 288km and Google Maps will tell you four hours drive time. However be warned - this is not reality.

27/01/2025

We are very lucky to have Alice, our resident researcher & writer on all things Milford Sound 🙌

Alice has experienced Milford Sound several times throughout her life so far, including on a Tour (take a guess which one!) 😉

This summer and over New Years, Alice and her partner took a different approach and went back to basics with a camping experience alongside the Milford Road and then a day hike on the famous Milford Track 🥾

In her review of her holiday her key takeaways are:

👉 My holiday was a mixture of the Milford Track, camping along the Milford Road and some time spent in beautiful Te Anau.

👉 Book campsites and the Milford Track water taxi well in advance, especially during summer.

👉 Previous knowledge of the area enhances the camping and hiking experience.

👉 Bring all your own water and cooking supplies with you for camping.

👉 Consider an early start for the Milford Track day walk.

👉 Do not forget to bring insect repellent.

👉 Rain in Milford Sound adds to its magic rather than detracting.

👉 Fiordland’s remoteness can make even a short trip feel like a longer escape.

Alice, our writer of all things Milford Sound here at Luxe Tours, shares her special holiday & tips which included the Milford Track.

10/12/2024

Something a little different from us this time, a look at one of the top experiences in Queenstown and the oldest passenger Steamship in the Southern Hemisphere.

Almost 100% of visitors to our backyard of Milford Sound visit Queenstown prior to, or after Milford. We often get asked - what is one thing you would recommend doing in Queenstown? 🤔

It is hard to go past this beautiful vessel, her history and what lies across Lake Wakatipu at her destination. The vast, 25,000+ hectare working station of Walter Peak 🐏🐂

In this article we break down the various tour options abroad RealNZ's TSS Earnslaw including their buffet lunch, eco tour and farm tour.

We include:
👉 Pricing
👉 The history & significance of this Queenstown wonder
👉 How & when to book
👉 What to bring

We take a look at one of the TOP things to do in Queenstown, the TSS Earnslaw, if you are exploring either side of your Milford Sound Tour.

06/12/2024

We are very excited to be one of the Silver sponsors for tomorrow’s Kepler Challenge in Te Anau!

Run by our local community, this event is a 60km running race around the Kepler Mountains ⛰️

Travelled on a Milford Sound Luxe Tour recently? You will be familiar with these very yummy gummy bears 🧸

For Kepler, we have put our Luxe signature spin on these 😉

Goodluck to all competitors! 🙌

13/11/2024

How good looking is this view? The guests aren’t too bad either 😉 Fiordland is putting on a show for us today 🙌

13/11/2024

Milford Sound is getting BUSY! 🤯

In this article, our owner & lead guide Toby gives a few tips on the way to avoid the crowds and pulls back the curtain on how we manage the day at Milford Sound Luxe Tours to make sure you are not just another tourist.

Timing is everything and as Toby explains, it is easy to fall into a line of traffic or be surrounded by hundreds of people at the most popular photo stops.

Milford Sound is getting very busy as we head into the popular summer season. In this article, our owner Toby explains how you can avoid it

10/11/2024

Exploring is always better with a friend 💚

Luxe Tours started in February 2024, and this week we got our first van a travelling companion 🥰

31/10/2024

We're very excited to be bringing our newest van to Milford Sound in just a few weeks! 60% more legroom between rows & 14 guests instead of the standard 17 found on this size van and of course all the comforts you would expect with Luxe Tours 😌

15/10/2024

In Part 2 of our Milford Sound HOW TO GUIDE series, we cover preparing for your journey to Milford Sound. Expect to read:

👉 The various ways of getting to New Zealand internationally and the best way from there to Milford Sound.
👉 The differences between Queenstown and Te Anau.
👉 Accommodation, food & costs of different options.
👉 What to bring to be prepared to any weather eventuality!

We include a bonus FAQ section with some of the commonly asked questions at this stage of the journey planning 🙌

In this Milford Sound How to Guide, we break down how to prepare for your journey to Milford Sound including flights, accommodation, food, travelling to Milford Sound, costs and other related questions.

14/10/2024

Heading into another week of indulging in nature 💚

📍Mirror Lakes, on route to Milford Sound

08/10/2024

https://nzpocketguide.com/best-milford-sound-tours-from-te-anau/

Woohoo! Thanks NZ Pocket Guide!

08/10/2024

Is Milford Sound for you?

We get back to basics with some information on how to decide if Milford Sound is worth including in your travels around New Zealand.

The first in our four part series of Milford Sound HOW TO'S.

We break down 👇
👉 Where and what is Milford Sound?
👉 Who is Milford Sound suited to?
👉 Who is it not suited to?
👉 The five different types of travellers we see most of in Milford Sound.

The first of our four part HOW TO series - Deciding if Milford Sound is for you. We break down the what, where, why and how of Milford Sound

26/09/2024

🙌 Here's a big shout out to Milford Road Alliance for their work over the last few weeks, dealing with our New Zealand spring conditions.

Who are the Milford Road Alliance? Find out in this article, as well as:
❄️ The particular importance of the Alliance team in winter and how it could affect you visiting Milford Sound.
🌳 Everything they do such as removing pesky trees!
💣 Explosive work - yes you heard right.
🙅‍♂️ You shall not pass - a section on how to know if the Milford Road is open or closed!

The Milford Alliance manage the safety & maintanance of the world famous and notorious Milford Road. Learn why this team is important to you