Milford Sound Scenic Flight

There is a moment on this flight, maybe forty minutes in, when the mountains simply open and Milford Sound is there beneath you - Mitre Peak rising 1,692 metres straight out of dark water, the fiord running away toward the Tasman. People go quiet. Getting there overland is a long day in a coach; from the air you cross the Southern Alps and the whole of Fiordland's spine in the time it takes to watch a film. The route takes you over Fiordland's highest peaks and the ancient glaciers still sitting between them, then down to fly beside Mitre Peak for the aerial view of the Sound, with Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls dropping into the fiord below. The return leg comes back via the Arthur Valley, where Sutherland Falls - 580 metres, one of the tallest in the world - is visible in the distance, before you cross back over the mountains and lakes of Fiordland National Park toward Queenstown. This is a flyover: you stay in the aircraft the whole time, which is exactly why it fits into a morning rather than eating a whole day. Pickup and drop-off from set Queenstown locations is included and confirmation is instant. Fiordland weather turns fast and scenic flights are the first thing to be stood down, so book it early in your stay - that way a weather cancellation is a reschedule rather than a missed trip.