Cardrona Tours
Cardrona Valley Mountain Quad Experience from Wanaka
5

Cardrona Valley Mountain Quad Experience from Wanaka

By The Cardrona
Recommended by 98% of travellers
98% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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Ages 16-99, max of 8 per group
Duration: 2h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More


  • Local guide
  • Use of vehicle and helmet
  • Entry/Admission - The Cardrona
What's not included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)


Start:
  • 2125 Cardrona Valley Road, Cardrona 9382, New Zealand
    Look out for the Cardrona Distillery & the famous "bra fence"
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 8706P1

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Please dress warmly, wear sturdy and closed-toe footwear.
    • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
    • Travellers should have a strong physical fitness level
    • This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travellers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 8706P1

    From
    $359.00
    per adult
    Select date and travellers

    Similar experiences

    Itinerary
    • 2125 Cardrona Valley Road, Cardrona 9382, New Zealand
      Look out for the Cardrona Distillery & the famous "bra fence"
    • 1
    • 2
    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • The Cardrona
      1,359
      Wanaka, New Zealand
      Joined in March 2014
    • Culture49659658791
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing Ride
      It was an amazing tour! My horse Pete was amazing and very kind. The ride was fun and I had a wonderful time. The guide and owner Kel told a lot of history and funfacts about Cordrona. The views were also something else! 🩷I really enjoyed it and can totally recommend this tour 🤩
      Written 13 October 2024
    • U3215OVcathym
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Wonderful horse riding experience
      It was my children’s first time horse riding and I’m not far from beginner myself. The guides were amazing, friendly, patient and reassuring and it didn’t take long for my son to feel less anxious and enjoy the ride. We crossed a flowing creek, climbed the surrounding hills, walked past some grazing cattle and watched the weather chance dramatically. The views are next level, beautiful countryside and snow capped mountains. We had an amazing time.
      Written 12 October 2024
    • maddyt768
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      The best horse riding tour in New Zealand
      What an amazing adventure! Kat was our guide who took my sister, mum and I on an amazing afternoon trail ride with the most beautiful scenery. She made us all feel safe and welcomed, ensuring we were comfortable on our saddles. As the three of us are experienced riders, Kat was more than happy to let us have a bit of gallop along certain parts of the trail. She also highlighted some interesting history of Cardrona and the farm. It felt like we were on a ride with a friend rather than a guide. She threw us some amazing experiences along the way of our journey. The best horse riding experience I’ve ever had! Could not rate this amazing experience enough highly recommend adding it to your to do list!!!
      Written 13 May 2024
    • Mich_79S
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fantastic Experience
      Perfect afternoon trail ride with the family. Summer was our guide and she made us all feel welcome and gave us an insight to the history of the area. Very enjoyable and would definitely return.
      Written 14 April 2024
    • Booffylicious
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great riding with fantastic scenery
      Kelly and Summer were awesome and really looked after me, not to mention Pete the amazing wonder horse who was just a dream to ride! Kelly is passionate about her horses and riding, the horses are wonderfully cared for and it shines through in their beautiful temperaments. The ride (pub ride) was fast paced at times and very chill at other times so really nice balance. Beautiful scenery! I will be back for another ride for sure! Had an absolute blast THANK YOU !
      Written 14 April 2024
    • charlottewE6042WC
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fantastic horse trekking in beautiful valley
      Fantastic horse trekking up and across the valley. Wonderful views and interesting ride - you stop for a drink about 2/3 through the ride I did which was nice for a break. Lots of trotting and cantering which was a bit scary for the beginner in our group but they gave lots of riding tips. I would recommend for intermediate riders more than absolute beginners. Lovely staff.
      Written 26 March 2024
    • schneidlym
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fantastic way to spend an afternoon!
      Had the best time riding sweet boy Pat. Emily was our guide and was an absolute joy! She eased some of the other guest’s nerves about cantering, and gave cool tid bits about the history and nature of the valley all throughout the trek. She also took all the photos and videos for us so we could really be present and enjoy the ride. We got to trot & canter! The horses were all beautifully trained as well. Another cool thing is that a lot of them are ex-race horses who now get to live a wonderful life with Kelly and her team in the Cardrona Valley. Fantastic way to spend an afternoon! Thanks team!
      Written 17 March 2024
    • amandadL2587NT
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Cardrona horse trek
      We had a 3 hour trek with Hannah as our guide. We had 3 fabulous horses (Lou, Denby and Willow) which were perfectly matched to our levels of experience. Hannah nicely structured the ride to make it interesting. A great and varied ride - the perfect way to explore the Cardrona countryside. A nice touch to tie up and call into the Cadrona Hotel for a beverage on the way home! Fantastic selection of photos to take home.
      Written 14 February 2024
    • brownj424
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great horses, 10/10 guide
      Review for Kat Had a wonderful afternoon on a private riding tour with Kat. We brought a group of 7, most of us pretty inexperienced riders. Kat gave us a brief run-down on how to ride their horses, introduced us to our steeds, and we were shortly underway. We wound up through the hillside of an extensive ranch. The views across the valley were grabd, and Kat kept things exciting for us with intermittent opportunities to trot or canter. The tour was highlighted by a quick stop for a comp’d beverage at the village’s old bar/hotel, which has been beautifully maintained in its original style — a worthwhile destination. If you want to get a fix of riding, and get away from the main touristy hub of Queenstown, I can highly recommend, lots of fun!
      Written 1 January 2024
    • SandrineU16
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Super fun horse riding experience
      The High Country Pub Trail with Kel was absolutely amazing. I really had so much fun. We cantered a lot, which I appreciated a lot as an experienced rider, plus there is this beautiful scenery with lupin flowers, sheep, cows and deers which is just breathtaking. Kel is a great guide and I really liked her great energy. During the trek, she told me a lot about the history of the place, which I found very interesting. Dembe was such a lovely horse. I have to say that it was the best riding trek I've ever had so far. Thank you so much for this great experience, dear Kel!
      Written 25 December 2023
    • natatisha94
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Loved it!
      Me and my husband did a beginner friendly horse riding tour with Kat, and we enjoyed it so much! Horses are super sweet and calm, Kat explained everything very thoroughly, some of the details we didn’t know before even though it’s not our fist time horseback riding. She also told us a lot about the area and took nice photos! Thank you so much for the wonderful experience! Made our day!
      Written 19 December 2023
    • cassiusvext
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      The horses have such personalities! They are wonderful and very experienced horses!
      The experience was amazing! The horses have such personalities and are so beautiful. The instructors were amazing and kept everything very simple! There was also a ranch cat and ranch rottweiler ❤️ they are so gorgeous! The view is also so incredible and you don't have to be experienced in riding to do this and feel comfortable. Highly recommend 🙌
      Written 13 December 2023
    • Discover11197362220
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing quad bike adventure! A must do if you are near Queenstown or Wanaka.
      The quad bike tour was fantastic. Great climbs (we climbed 1500m according to the guide), lots of small stream crossings, at times riding carefully through cows and sheep grazing. A few places to go a little faster too which was cool! What a great way to see the amazing views from one of a kind high vantage points! This is right up there with some of the best adventure experiences I’ve done. My 18 year old son and I both loved it. It was challenging, thrilling, and fun. Kelly was great to deal with when booking - great quick communication. She was accommodating and worked out starting earlier which worked great. Summer our guide was great too! She put everyone at ease and made sure we all had a great day - and we got great photos from the day. Highly recommend!
      Written 10 December 2023
    • Michelle H
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Super fun pub ride!
      I had the best ride with Cadrona. I did the pub ride, which was an awesome blend of scenic views, river crossings, wandering through herds of sheep and even a cold beer at the iconic Cadrona Inn. Our group ended up consisting of all experienced riders and so we got to do a ton of cantering along the way - it was not the average trail ride. Our guide, Laura, did a great job of sharing interesting detail with us along the way. Highly recommend!
      Written 10 December 2023
    • Discover16320494633
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing experience
      A simply amazing adventure to share with my daughter. The whole experience and team were simply fantastic, the scenery was stunning, the horses beautiful and so friendly. I cannot recommend this enough.
      Written 9 December 2023
    See all 1,359 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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    5.0
    5.0 of 5 bubbles183 reviews
    Excellent
    176
    Very good
    5
    Average
    0
    Poor
    1
    Terrible
    1

    Jed J
    5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Aug 2020
    We went after injury stopped us from skiing during the winter and we didn't regret a thing. It was a fantastic experience with an enthusiastic guide. One of the party who had never driven a quad bike before used the warm up period to become familiar with the machine and had a sterling time. The others who had quad bike experience
    had just as good a time as the route was scenic when you stopped and just rough enough to keep you focused when riding. The history of area was neat (learned the story behind the name of one my favourite wines) and the scenery was jaw droppingly gorgeous even in the winter. Best part though was crossing the creek, legs high up on the fenders. Would do again.
    Written 1 September 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Vicki W
    13 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jun 2020
    Fun-filled adventure!!! This tour is SO much fun, we had an excellent afternoon with Kelly. The scenery was amazing and the snow made the tour even better. Kelly is a fantastic tour guide that gives great encouragement for novice quad bike riders, and has you driving like a pro in no time. We highly recommend this tour, it's a great way to create some special memories.
    Written 24 June 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Jenna P
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    May 2022
    Wish I could give this a better rating than excellent!! We had an amazing time quad biking IN THE SNOW! We booked our trip late May when tourist numbers were low so the two of us had a private tour. When we visited the leaves had turned the beautiful colours of Autumn and the first snow had appeared on the mountains making for amazing photos. We appreciated our guide offering to take our photos along the way too. The customer service of our guide was outstanding and the right amount of professional casual, our safety was put first right from the beginning and throughout and our riding experience and comfort was checked multiple times before heading into higher ground. A lovely surprise was how well educated our guide was on the history of the area, flora and fauna (some really interesting facts about the plant life). The quad bikes are well maintained, super flash with the addition of heated handle bars (luxury) and has a storage box on the front for additional jackets etc. Additionally, our helmets were sanitised again before being given to us which we really appreciated.

    The trip is laid out really well, start off through farm land and a gradual climb into the mountains, heading across the top of the ridge before heading down again through the beautiful landscape and across streams with a super surprise finish at the end! Our guide also encouraged us to check out the local Distillery at the neighbouring property and on to Wanaka where we had a delicious meal by the lake front. Thank you for recommending this to us!

    We will be back again for sure.
    Written 1 June 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Craig W
    5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2020
    The quad biking tour was truly a wonderful experience. Sally is the best possible guide and made the whole experience a really memorable one. It is also great value for money, with more than 2 hours of riding time through some breathtaking scenery.
    Written 9 January 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    GinaLee
    Sydney, Australia72 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Quad biking up & around the mountain ranges near Cardrona was seriously epic. Laura was a brilliant host/guide and at all times made sure we were safe. During our ride, Laura took photos & video and the quality of the footage was awesome, which you can take with you for an extra $25. Our group were experts 😉 so we were able to experience the entire terrain riding all the way to the top with majestic views into the valley and mountain range. You don’t need to be an expert to do this ride, the bikes and tour is designed for first time riders too. Just do it!
    Written 17 September 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Heni
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jul 2020 • Family
    When my teenage son suggested we do this, I was a bit reluctant, as we had never ridden quad bikes before and on the face of it, it seemed a bit pricey. However I'm so glad we did. Of all the touristy things we did in Queenstown, this was the most fun, and for me, the best value for money. After a quick session on how to ride and stay safe, we were off, crossing a stream and river before wending our way up a mountain, through fog and merinos, to come out on to a majestic view of the surrounding snowclad mountains. Thanks Kelly, for a great time (and for lending my son an extra jacket to put on).
    Written 15 July 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    CK
    Auckland Central, New Zealand3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jul 2022 • Couples
    One of the most amazing experiences in Cardrona, if not the best. Laura, our guide was superb, she made us feel confident in riding the quad bike, and gave clear and fun accounts of the history in the region. My wife was not confident in riding the quad bike and was offered to take the front seat with Laura, what a treat !
    Beautiful sceneries throughout the exhilarating adventure, unforgettable. We highly recommend this to anyone who is visiting.
    Charles n Sarah (Auckland)
    Written 6 July 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Margaret F
    Adelaide, Australia40 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Aug 2022 • Friends
    What a great way to spend an afternoon. Exciting, fun and the views were spectacular. Kellie made us feel so comfortable and despite a group of 8 everyone got individual attention. The track was great just enough mud and challenge for our intermediate quad riding standard. Great value, great views. An excellent choice of activity to top off our NZ trip. If you do anything fun seeking, make this activity a must do. Thanks Kellie for a great time. The Aussie girls!
    Written 19 August 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    agentjm12
    Brisbane, Australia58 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jun 2023
    My husband and I booked the 2-hour quad bike experience and were lucky enough to be the only people on the tour with our guide Emily that day.

    After a thorough safety briefing and some test runs, we travelled across a variety of terrain including grass, rocks, mud and creeks, and rode up through farmland to the top of one of the mountains in the Pisa Range. It was challenging in places but definitely manageable, even for relative novices, and Emily's instructions and advice were excellent. We took a different track on the way down. Each section was a lot of fun and the views were incredible.

    There was no snow at our summit (at the end of June) and the weather was pretty cloudy, but once we got above the cloud line we had spectacular views of the landscape and across to the snow capped mountains and Cardrona ski field.

    Tip - do not wear your best gear as it gets very muddy and you will get splashed, especially after rain! We were able to borrow gumboots, ski gloves and big jackets to protect our clothes which I was grateful for.

    Emily took photos of our trip which we were able to purchase for $25. We took the morning tour at 10am and stopped by the Cardrona Hotel for lunch afterwards to relive our adventure. Couldn't recommend it highly enough, thanks to Emily and the company for a major trip highlight.
    Written 5 July 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Charles L
    5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2022
    Kelly and her team took care of us throughout the trip especially we are new to quad bikes. They ensured we can well control the quad bikes in a large lawn before we head up to the narrow tracks in the Cardrona Mountain. The quad bikes performed well in travelling through uneven terrains and brought us to the breathtaking scenery on top of the mountain. Be sure to slow down your bike when herds of lambs pass by. 100% New Zealand experience and would highly recommend for those who visit Queenstown or Wanaka.
    Written 13 November 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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    Cardrona Valley Mountain Quad Experience from Wanaka provided by The Cardrona

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