Did the overnight cruise starting from Queenstown at 8am and then 2 bus journeys and a boat.All well organised by Real Journeys.Overnight cruise was great.Lovely boat and crew.Nice twin cabin,good self service food and drink.Excellent activities- the small boat,kayaks, swimming,sound of silence.Fantastic scenery and well informed commentary
On a backpacker budget this was a complete luxury for me but I am so so glad that I did it!
Yes it takes a while to get there but I've never had the feeling of being somewhere so remote, and the drive / boat trip is stunning anyways.
I loved the kayaking and swimming in the sound (despite being full of cold).
Saw dolphins and penguins and birds, this is a natural heaven.
The food was great and staff friendly, one even stayed on the top deck with me looking at the stars until early hours.
I can't recommend this enough.
We were very lucky with the weather which helped. This was a well organised excursion which allowed three hours on the beautiful Sound. Would not have missed it for anything.
Doubtful sound may not have the spectacular cliffs of Milford, the scenery was just as spectacular if not better.
The sound is not as heavily visited as Milford so you don't feel like your in a Conga Line of tours which is what Milford Sound feels like.
The weather on the day visited was mixed but enjoyable with low clouds opening up to sunshine glimpses which made for a great mix of photos.
The tour operation itself was slick and professional.
You know this is a remote place when it takes a long boat ride across Lake Manapouri followed by a coach ride over a mountain to just get to the cruise boat. Real Journeys manages all of this with efficiency and professionalism. Where the Milford Sound is spectacular in its vertical landscape, Doubtful Sound is spectacular in a different way. It is 3 times as long with more rounded hills that are verdant. The cruise explores the several arms of the sound, as well as peaking out into the Tasman Sea, weather permitting. We saw dolphin, Albatross, NZ fur seals, and other birds. There was opportunity to kayak or explore in tender boats, and, even to swim for the few brave enough. They did a service of soup and rolls in the late afternoon, followed by an extensive buffet dinner around 7 PM. Quite impressive spread. The cabins were very comfortable and the service is great. After breakfast the next morning, we steered into a sheltered cove and the captain shut off all engines. We could then really enjoy the magical sense of "the place of silence". Really special experience. Highly recommended. We booked both the Milford and Doubtful Sounds trips at the same time and saved 20% on the 2nd cruise!
This was by far the best trip we took during our five week holiday in New Zealand. The two coach and boat trips that formed part of this journey were excellent. Very informative staff, well appointed boats and wonderful scenery. The highlight of the trip, even better than the Dolphins and penguins, was when the captain switched off the engines and asked us all to be silent as we listened to the sound of the wider news. A very memorable experience.
