Milford Sound / Piopiotahi
New Zealand’s most famous fiord
Milford Sound is one of the most popular travel location of New Zealand. Milford Sound is actually a fjord (the water runs from the melting glaciers down) and not a sound (where the water is coming from a river).
It features dramatic landscapes, including towering peaks, cascading waterfalls, and lush rainforests. Milford Sound is home to diverse marine life, including dolphins, seals, and penguins.
You can visit Milford Sound at every weather: When it rains you will have a mystic vibe with many waterfalls and clouds. When it’s sunny you will see an amazing mountain scenery.
The most visitors travel to Milford Sound village and do a boat ride there to view the scenery.
PICKING TIP
How to explore Milford Sound?
We would recommend to do a bus day tour from Te Anau (or if you don’t mind a 3 hours bus ride in one direction from Queenstown) which will include a boat tour through the Milford fjord. For us it didn’t make sense to drive with our campervan or sleep at Milford Sound village as there is not a lot to do. Alternatively you can even do a short plane or helicopter ride above the fiord.
Be aware that if you want to drive that the road to Milford Sound is very steep.