Southern Discoveries Te Anau

Southern Discoveries Te Anau

Southern Discoveries Te Anau
5
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Southern Discoveries very own personal small group tour. Travel in luxury with our local drivers providing fantastic commentary in the heart of Fiordland. Enjoy the comfort of our modern coaches with leather seats, temperature controlled comfort and panoramic views (some coaches have a glass roof for optimal viewing). In Milford Sound you will join our 3 hour Discover More Cruise.
Te Anau, New Zealand

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

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 bubbles153 reviews
Excellent
137
Very good
14
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
1

Caitlin M
7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2021
We did the nature cruise, underwater observatory & kayak. Obviously Milford sound looks incredible, and you can see it really well from the boat. The boat went under two different waterfalls, which was really fun and not too cold. We saw loads of seals on rocks and playing in the water. The underwater observatory was also cool and we saw plenty of different types of fish.

But the kayaking is the main event - absolutely amazing. You really feel a part of the sound and have the freedom to bop around on your own. We had a drink from a glacial stream, made echoes in an echoey corner of the rock, kayaked under tiny waterfalls, and got so close to an oystercatcher nest that the birds got annoyed at us. The guide had loads of interesting and entertaining stuff to say about it all.

I would definitely recommend the kayak for anyone new to kayaking. We had some older people in the group and no kayaking experience at all, but were totally comfortable the whole time even in the rain. I also recommend kayaking in the rain - the tour lends you serious wet weather gear and you get to see all the temporary waterfalls.
Written 20 January 2021
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.

JOJOWI
Wisconsin207 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
We left at 6:30 am and made a few stops on the road out. We parked in the free lot and caught the shuttle down. Our cruise was at 10:30, so we arrived with some free time and walked out to the end of the pier and looked around the center. The rain was very off/on at this point and stayed that way for the rest of the day. A couple of times, we almost had a bit of sun, just to tease us!
Just when everyone lined up to board, the sandflies descended. Really hadn’t been bothered by them much to this point – just a little bit at Franz while hiking – but this was full on. Luckily, had brought our repellent and sprayed down quick while in line. It was a great cruise! We did have to go in a few times to warm up because of the rain/wind, but we stayed outside as much as possible to catch the views. We did see a couple of fur seals on the rocks, but no other wildlife, unfortunately. Both of us stood under the waterfall when the boat put the bow in – very fun! Only good thing about all the rain was that there were waterfalls everywhere – thousands on the drive in AND all over during the cruise.
Our boat dropped us off at the Southern Discoveries Cove - Underwater Discovery Center. The information was really cool, but the water wasn’t as clear as we were hoping. We did get to see fish swimming by, but with all the rain, they couldn’t pull up the coral gardens, so we didn’t see any of that. Jumped back on the next boat that arrived, back to shore and the shuttle back to our car.
Written 21 February 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.

kiwiflyer10
auckland214 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021
Loved our trip to the Milford sound. Long day but definitely worth it. Bus was comfortable and commentary was informative but not boring. Gabe the driver knew the roads well and we stopped and took lots of good photos on the way there. Cruise was really good. Saw countless amounts of waterfalls as it was raining. Couldn’t hear commentary inside the boat but staff were happy to answer questions. Trip back into Queenstown was good as there was no commentary - time to relax.
Written 17 April 2021
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.

Natalie H
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2017 • Couples
Had a great experience to Milford sound with southern discoveries. We were a smaller tour group but everyone was lovely. And it meant we got a lot done in the time there. Our bus driver was great and full of jokes - I think his name was Bruce ?
Picked up from our accommodation in Te Anau and set off early in the morning.
Would absolutely recommend these guys if visiting Milford sound. Great value for money (and I did a lot of research!)
Would definitely recommend
Written 8 September 2017
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.

ALS302014
Amsterdam, The Netherlands10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2018 • Couples
Just returned from daytrip to impressive Milford Sound, trip was well arranged and we had Karena as our driver and guide. She is a safe driver and gave us very good and useful information, thank you! We had a very pleasant day!
Written 23 November 2018
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.
Hi there! Thank you for taking the time to leave your 5-star review. It is great to hear you had a wonderful time adventuring to the beautiful Milford Sound with us and were well looked after by our awesome guide Karena. We think she is great too and will be sure to pass on your lovely words. We hope the rest of your time in New Zealand was equally as impressive. Kind regards, Ciara.
Written 27 November 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Luciernagita
Zurich, Switzerland51 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2018 • Couples
Awesome experience to cruise with a ship through the sounds; unfortunately, there were far too many people on the ship (Southern Discoveries) so there was not enough space at the railing for everyone to have a good view; in addition the places inside with tables where all prebooked for groups and individual travelers did not have a chance to get a seat.
Written 11 June 2018
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.

Archer777
Walnut Creek, CA46 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2017 • Couples
This was a great way to see and experience Milford sound. A pleasant drive up with Bruce and then on to a small boat that immediately found a pod of dolphins! We also spotted crested penguins sunning on the rocks. All in all the best wildlife sightings we've had in NZ.
Written 23 November 2017
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.

RLdragon1
Dunedin3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2015
My husband and I booked our trip to Milford Sound with Southern Discoveries. From the time we were pick up by the coach driver, to our returning trip we had great time. He was just providing all of us with historical and information along the way that we weren't aware. The cruise ship was clean and on board staff were friendly, helpful.
Written 7 February 2015
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.

Seyahbiz
27 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2013 • Family
We did the Te Anau - Milford Sound tour recently with Southern Discoveries and recommend it to visitors to this region. The price at first seemed a bit steep for our family of four, but afterwards it actually seemed like you got good value for money.

You get a full commentary along the highway by the minibus driver, a description of various sites along the way, the history and wildlife, and there are plenty of chances for stopping for photos. The bus was pretty comfortable too. The distance covered out of Te Anau is just right for a great day out without being too tiring.

I heard of people doing a similar bus trip out from Queenstown but that would be a VERY long day. Do yourself a favour and drive to Te Anau first, stay overnight, then get a bus trip like this for a less stressful and very enjoyable day.

We had a large campervan, and although we could have driven, the road Milford Road is quite steep in sections. After seeing the road in, I was very glad to get the day off from driving the campervan. If you do choose to do this yourself in a larger campervan, make sure it's in top condition as tyres and brakes will need be very good!

Our minibus driver, Reece, made sure our day out was fantastic. He made the day far more enjoyable for all. It was an overcast day but it didn't spoil the day at all. It just added to the unspoilt landscape and wilderness scenery.

The boat trip we connected with was also well organised, the commentary good, and the food onboard good quality. The scenery was why we went there, and we were not disappointed. Milford Sound is quite unique and it's fantastic to have such a beautiful place accessible in a no stress day trip.

Looking at other tours on offer this trip seemed far more intimate and I would recommend this over some of the tour operators running large coaches from Te Anau. Our boat had a cap of 90 passengers we were told, while the competitors looked like they had at least double the number of people on their trip. When we disembarked, the ferry terminal was busy with the passes enters from the "busy" bus. We walked out to our minibus and escaped the crowds in seconds. Our bus only had about 12 passengers on this day, so we were quite lucky I guess.

There is one place that you could stay overnight in a campervan at Milford a Sound ( Milford Lodge) but it was booked out when I enquired, and to tell you the truth the sandflies and lack of facilities would probably spoil anytime spent overnight there. Take some insect repellant for the wait on the dock for your boat as the sandflies are every bit as bad as they say. We didn't have any dramas with sandflies at Te Anau...

Well done Southern Discoveries! Thanks for a great day that we will always remember. I have some fantastic photographs to keep forever too. Special thanks to Reece.
Written 11 December 2013
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.
Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review and sharing your experience with others. Our Go MIlford tour is a great way to experience Milford with a smaller more intimate group where the driver has time to get to know everyone and give you a more personalised experience. And like you said, take a break from the long drives!
Written 4 March 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

M M
Ludhianar District, India26 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2018
We were picked up from hotel very knowledgeable driver doing commentary about the areas we were given packed lunch when reach at milford sound from there we catch the cruise we were lucky to have a beautiful sunny weather and amazing water falls, we went to underwater observatory which was great experience. Thanks to Liz at teanau MS office .
Written 3 May 2018
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.
Kia ora! Thank you for your fantastic review. It is great to hear you have so many highlights of your adventure with us to the spectacular Milford Sound! What a perk, getting to visit on a beautiful sunny day! We will be sure to pass on your praises to our hard working team and hope you thoroughly enjoyed the rest of your trip. Kind regards, Ciara.
Written 6 November 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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