Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise: Enjoy Serene Cruise through Crystal Waters from Queenstown
4.6
183 Ratings
Queenstown
Experience the tranquility of Doubtful Sound on a serene wilderness cruise from Queenstown. Marvel at the crystal-clear waters and stunning scenery on a 13-hour round trip adventure.
Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Fiordland National Park (Te Wahipounamu) - Cruise around Doubtful Sound in the beautiful Fiordland National Park.
What's Included
  • Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Experience the tranquil beauty of Doubtful Sound during a cruise on its clear waters while admiring the stunning surroundings. Travel across Lake Manapouri, traverse the 670-meter tall Wilmot Pass and partake in a 2 hour and 45-minute cruise amid the calmness of Doubtful Sound.

The entire round trip will take about 13 hours. If you’d like to arrange for a picnic lunch in advance, get in touch with the supplier once you’ve made your booking.

We provide hotel pick-up and drop-off services from select locales. To check whether there is a pick-up zone near your accommodation, connect with RealNZ directly.

Remember, it’s essential you’re at your pick-up point 15 minutes prior to your intended departure.

  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Please wear comfortable shoes, waterproof jacket and warm clothing
  • Please note: During survey the Patea Explorer will be substituted with another vessel from the RealNZ fleet
Location
88 Beach Street
Beach Street
Please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled departure.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.6
(183 Ratings)
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510juancruzv
May 10, 2024
Amazing - A beautiful experience, not only because of the place, which is amazing, the entire team does their best to make it unique.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rodney_l
May 9, 2024
Nature’s finest - A pod of dolphins played around the boat when we were in the Sound. Seals were lazing on the rocks towards the Tasman. Overall huge, enjoyable day!
Review provided by Viator
Margaretkey
Apr 25, 2024
Wonderful trip - This trip was wonderful from the journey to get to Doubtful Sound to the 3 hours enjoying this beautiful destination highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Joel_b
Apr 18, 2024
A magical experience - It’s a truly magic place, unique experience. It’s also expensive. They world have more companies doing the tour. Hornet, it’s a great place to visit
Review provided by Viator
Lauren_k
Apr 6, 2024
Fantastic experience! - The entire trip from Queenstown to Doubtful Sound was wonderful-great commentary, beautiful scenery, friendly and helpful staff. Plus the weather was excellent!
Review provided by Viator
Yassen_v
Mar 27, 2024
A Must See Natural Wonder - Very well organized tour, no complains whatsoever. Doubtful Sound is stunningly beautiful. I was lucky to visit also Milford Sound and cannot decide which is better. You can't go wrong if you visit both of them. These are the crown jewels of beautiful New Zealand.
Review provided by Viator
Hannah-the-brave89
Mar 25, 2024
Waterfalls and Rainbows Around Every Turn - Doubtful Sound is WONDERFUL, and the scenery on the drive is diverse stunning. There was a lot of commentary, but it was all very informative and fun. The staff was great. From the front desk to the guides, we had excellent service and felt well taken care of. We pre-ordered lunch, and were glad we did. Otherwise we would have been quite hungry. There is a café at the stop before the first boat, but you don't have much time to go to the bathroom, order, and wait for food, so ordering a pre-packed lunch is a great option. If you can't find where to pick up your lunch, they will load it on the boat for you, you just have to ask. There is a sign that we didn't see until the boat was pulling away, but they had our meals on the boat anyway. Thankfully! If you are trying to decide on Doubtful vs Milford, I believe the main differences are that Milford is more spectacular in terms of mountain height, and Doubtful has more waterfalls. SO MANY WATERFALLS! I also have heard that Doubtful is less touristy. We didn't do Milford, but this is what we heard from people on our tour who did both. It is a long day though, and it will likely rain, so pack for cold/wet. We spent a lot of time in our jackets, especially because we chose to sit outside on the boat rides. Totally worth it though!! I wish I had packed a scarf, beanie, or something to cover my ears! Also, if you get seasick, take meds. The boat is mostly steady, but as it got closer to the sea it definitely started rocking quite a bit. Overall, I would 100% recommend this company for a Doubtful Sound tour, or any other tour they may offer. We had a great day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_a
Mar 12, 2024
A true sense of remoteness! - The whole experience was amazing! We had already been to Milford Sound the previous day (which lived up to its reputation) and we wondered if booking this trip was going to be a bit of a repeat! Actually just getting there was hell of a journey - it showed just how remote this Sound is compared with Milford! There's certainly not so many waterfalls but the place seemed to have its own identity. The experience when you actually get to the Tasman Sea was very memorable. Probably the highlight of the cruise was when the boat entered an inlet just off the main part of the Sound. The crew cut off the engines and asked everyone to be quiet for a couple of minutes. This we did and we were amazed that even the children on the boat respected this request! The sound of silence was truly spiritual. Thank-you everyone who were involved in the trip, especially our driver!
Review provided by Viator
Chucks545
Mar 10, 2024
Wonderful - We really enjoyed our Doubtful Sound cruise. The experience from start to finish was very professional and well timed. The bus to boat to bus to cruise process was seamless with minimal waiting. Even though the falls were not exploding, it was still a magical experience. We were at Milford Sound the day before and the falls were on fire. But, we had to deal with driving rain. So this experience was different and a nice compliment to Milford. Highly recommend this cruise.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charlotte_m
Mar 9, 2024
Mother nature gave us the show of our lives! - We are so lucky to have had friends recommend Doubtful Sound vs Milford. We only saw one other boat than ours. It had rained a lot prior to the cruise. The surprise upside to this wet deluge were the numerous waterfalls (we lost count after 50). The crew said they seldom have a show like the one we were experiencing. Surprisingly, the swells weren't bad and the captain was able to take us out to where the Sound met the Tasman Sea. We saw dusky and bottle-nosed dolphins and seals. Everything felt primordial, like we were part of a Jurassic Park movie.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 9 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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