Fiordland National Park is a large national park on the west side of the South Island of New Zealand. It is most famous for the iconic landscapes of Milford Sound. However, the park is so much more than fiords and has some beautiful hiking opportunities through the rugged mountains of this part of New Zealand. Below is a 3-day itinerary to best explore the region, with different options to extend your stay or hike more.
Where to Stay to Best Experience FIordland National Park
Te Anau is the best town to stay in to explore different parts of Fiordland National Park. Considered the gateway to the park, it has a number of hotels, RV parks, restaurants, and cafes, so it is great for a variety of different budgets. A restaurant that you must visit is Redcliff Restaurant and Bar, arguably the best restaurant in Te Anau with delicious takes on local New Zealand cuisine. To ensure availability, make a reservation prior to visiting the town.
Day 1: Te Anau
Starting Your Day with a Hike
Your first day in Fiordland National Park will be to explore the nature just adjacent to the town. You will be doing a part of the Kepler Track from Brod Bay Campsite to the Luxmore Hut, one of the great hikes of New Zealand. (The Kepler Track is typically a 4-day hike and can be completed from hut to hut. You just need to reserve space in the huts prior to hiking or hike with a tent over a 3-day stretch.) The roundtrip day hike is an 11 mile (17.5 kilometer) hike that goes up through the forest to above the tree line where you will have beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and nature. The whole hike takes at least 5 hours to walk.
To get to the base of the hike, you will need to take a water taxi to the Brod Bay Campsite from the Te Anau waterfront. The water taxi is operated by the national park and you can reserve your ride here. We recommend reserving the 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM time slots to maximize your time hiking and enjoying the landscapes, especially if the weather is beautiful. You can reserve these tickets just a few days prior to your hike to ensure the best weather for your experience.
From the beach drop off, you will walk through the campsite to the base of the hiking trail where you will start the ascent through the trees. Make sure you bring sunscreen because you will climb above the treeline to an exposed area with amazing views. When you reach the hut, you will find benches, which are great places to relax your legs, eat lunch, and take in the view. You can also hike a little beyond the hut to a cave.
Finally, you will take the same route back to the beach to wait for your boat transportation back to Te Anau. If you hike quickly, you may be able to return to the beach in time for the 2:45 PM transportation back to the town but we recommend taking your time and reserving the 4:30 PM time slot. This will also give you time to put your feet into the beautiful but cold lake. And on a hot sunny day, you can even swim in the lake! Just bring bug spray with you to thwart off the pesky sandflies that can be found all over New Zealand.
A Fiordland Cinema Exclusive: Ata Whenua
After you get back to Te Anau, head to the Fiordland Cinema to see Ata Whenau, a movie that was filmed within the national park and is only shown here. This 30 minute long movie highlights the beauty and history of the region and is a great way to understand the landscape in which you will be exploring. They have showings daily at 3 PM, 5 PM and 6 PM and the cinema itself sells food and drinks that can be brought into the theater.
Day 2: Fiordland National Park Hikes
Your second day will be another hiking adventure but you will go deeper into the national park onto some of the best day hikes in the region.
Morning Hike: Key Summit and View of Lake Marian
Your first hike of the day will be the Key Summit and View of Lake Marian. This hike is part of the Routeburn Track, one of the “Great Hikes of New Zealand”. (The Routeburn Track is a 3-day trail through Fiordland National Park that takes you from hut to hut. If you want to do this multi-day trek, you will need to reserve your stay in the huts in advance.) We also recommend doing a day-hike of a different portion of the Routeburn Trek from Queenstown. You can read more about that hike here and how to best spend your time in Queenstown.
Because of the views, at the summit, you will want to do this hike with as little cloud cover as possible. The hike is 5.25 miles (8.5 kilometers) and takes between 2.5 and 3 hours. Make sure to do the little walks and pathways at the summit to get all the views available to you.
Afternoon Hike: Lake Marian Track
Roadside Viewpoints within Fiordland National Park
Here are some viewpoints that are along the roads within Fiordland National Park, making them easy stops where you can take in the beautiful landscape and views without hiking.
- Hundred Falls
- Gertrude Valley Lookout
- Pop’s View Lookout
- Eglinton Flats
- Mirror Lakes
Day 3: Milford Sound
Milford Sound is the most famous fiord within Fiordland National Park and a popular tourist destination. Besides the Great Walks within the park, this fiord is the main reason that people visit the national park. Here are some of the different ways that you may be able to experience this beautiful landscape. While you can visit Milford Sound from Queenstown through a full day tour, we recommend renting a car (or van if you are camping throughout New Zealand) to give yourself the most flexibility and allow you to visit Milford Sound on your own schedule.
The fiord is beautiful in a variety of conditions and the weather can change quickly in this area of New Zealand. And don’t be deterred if there is a lot of rain in the forecast. While you will not be able to see the peaks of the fiord when it rains, the rainfall will give you the best chance to see many waterfalls flowing into the fiord.
The busiest time to visit the fiord is in the middle of the day because the tour groups from Te Anau and Queenstown take the cruises into the fiord during that time. If you want cruises with fewer people and tour groups, we recommend reserving the first tour of the day or the last one.
Getting on Milford Sound / Piopiotahi
The best way to experience Milford Sound is on the water, sailing through the fiord. Here are two of the different ways to sail through the fiord.
Day Cruise Option
If you are short on time and only have one day allotted to experiencing Milford Sound, then we recommend doing a cruise on the fiord. These cruises last 2 hours and explore the fiord, the landscape, the animal life, and the access to the ocean. There are many different operators who provide very similar tours. We recommend using Mitre Peak Cruises for your boat cruise. They have wonderful commentary about the nature that you will see, smaller boats than some of the other companies that can go closer to the coast of the fiord, and travel all the way out to the ocean.
Other Experiences with Mitre Peak Cruises to Consider
- Transportation from Te Anau or Queenstown
- Pair the cruise with a flight over Fiordland National Park
- Pair the cruise with a guided hike through piece of the Milford Track (which you can also do independently as described below)
Overnight Experience (Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound)
A popular way to see Milford Sound is through an overnight cruise, allowing you to see the fiord during the day, at sunset, and throughout sunrise. You can do these cruises for 1 or 2 nights, giving you sufficient time to see the fiord in a variety of daylight and weather conditions. They include all meals and allow you to swim or kayak in the fiord if the weather permits. It’s really a highlight experience in New Zealand but you need to reserve your spot in advance as there are not many companies that provide this experience. And if Milford Sound is fully booked, look into Doubtful Sound for the same experience in a very similar fiord.
A Boogie Upgrade to Consider
For a more luxurious experience, you can stay at Milford Sound Lodge, the only hotel located at Milford Sound. Their accommodations are in independent lodges, each of which have scenic views. There is a minimum of a 2-night stay during the peak season in New Zealand. In addition, they provide a campervan park with separate amenities to that of the lodges.
And even if you don’t stay at the lodge or within the campervan park, we highly recommend visiting their onsite restaurant, Pio Pio Restaurant. The food here is absolutely delicious in a beautifully designed space. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Another Hike Option: Part of the Milford Track
Finally, if you are visiting the Milford Sound area independently, consider hiking part of the Milford Track between Sandfly Point and Giant Gate Falls. The Milford Track is one of the Great Walks of New Zealand and part of the trek can be done in a half-day hike. The overall roundtrip walk is 7.1 miles (11.25 kilometers) to Giant Gate Falls and takes around 3 hours. The turn-around point of the walk is at a beautiful waterfall with freezing water and you will often see people take ice baths in the pools of the waterfall as part of their experience on the complete Milford Track. You can dip into the water if you dare but note that it is incredibly cold so only do so if you are comfortable and experienced with ice baths. You can also hop into the water at Sandfly Point at the end of your hike, which is much warmer than the water at the waterfall.
Read More About the Blueprint Travelers' Personal Experience in Fiordland National Park
Update 55: Hiking in Fiordland National Park and Cruising Through Milford Sound
We drove through the Catlins before hiking on some of New Zealand’s Great Walks and visiting Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park from Te Anau.