Doubtful Sound Tour Prices

There is no gate at Doubtful Sound, so every dollar you pay buys transport: a boat, a coach, a cruise, a bed or a helicopter. The Doubtful Sound ticket prices below are fares for the way in, per person, from the jetty in Manapouri to the flight over two fiords.

Is there an entry fee for Doubtful Sound?

No. Doubtful Sound is in Fiordland National Park, which has no gate and no entry fee, DOC says. You pay for the journey: the boat across Lake Manapouri, the coach over Wilmot Pass and the cruise.

Most international visitors pay one government charge before they arrive: New Zealand's International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, NZ$100, paid with a visitor visa or NZeTA. Travellers on Australian or New Zealand passports do not pay it.

Fares move with the date you pick and the exchange rate, so treat these as the starting point. The booking page shows the price for your date.

What does a day cruise from Manapouri cost?

$207 a person, the lowest fare to the fiord. For that you get the boat across the lake, the coach over the pass with a stop, and the cruise with nature guides, there and back, in about seven hours.

You pay for nothing you do not use: no coach from town, no meal, no hotel pickup. You drive yourself to Pearl Harbour and check in 20 minutes before. Read the seven-hour day from the jetty for the day in full.

What does the Te Anau day add?

The coach from town, for $9 to $14 more. The coach day from Lakefront Drive costs $216 to $221 and runs 8 hours 30 minutes to 9 hours, with a cruise of 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours.

If you have no car, that is the cheapest way to the fiord. If you do, the saving from driving to Manapouri is small, and the coach spares you the drive home after a long day. The Doubtful Sound tours from Te Anau page compares the two.

What does the day from Queenstown cost?

$271 to $277 a person, or $64 to $70 more than boarding at the jetty. That buys the coach from 88 Beach Street and back, about 2.5 hours each way to Manapouri, Visit Fiordland says, and a day of 12 to 13 hours.

A night in Te Anau costs a bed but cuts about four hours off the day and some of the fare. The Doubtful Sound tour from Queenstown page weighs the long day against the night.

What does the overnight cost?

$462 a person, in bookings of two, so about $925 for a pair. The fare carries the crossing, about 20 hours on the fiord with a specialist nature guide, a cabin, dinner and breakfast. Drinks from the bar are extra.

The 3-day trip from Queenstown costs $1,239 and wraps the same kind of night in a coach from Queenstown, a 3-star hotel night in Te Anau and the glowworm caves. Neither fare can be refunded or changed. The Doubtful Sound overnight cruise tours page compares them.

What do the helicopter flights cost?

$547 for the one-hour flight and $897 for the 90-minute flight over Doubtful and Dusky Sound. Both leave Te Anau Airport with six seats at most, shared with other passengers.

The shorter flight's fare includes the landing and facility fees; the longer one includes all taxes, fees and handling charges. Neither includes food. The post on boat or helicopter weighs a flight against a cruise.

By the minute, the one-hour flight costs about $9 and the 90-minute flight about $9. That is the price of seeing the three arms from above and landing on a ridge, which no boat can sell you.

Does every boat fare cover the whole way in?

Yes. Every boat fare here carries the lake crossing both ways, the coach over Wilmot Pass both ways and the cruise. Nothing on the way in is paid separately, and there is no gate at the end.

What the dearer fares add is the coach from town, meals, a bed or a flight. So compare what each one adds to the jetty fare of $207, not the headline figures alone.

What costs extra?

• Food on the day cruises: sold on board, card only, and bar drinks are extra. Bring lunch to spend nothing.
• Drinks on the overnight: alcoholic drinks are sold on board.
• Getting to Manapouri: your own fuel, since neither trip from the jetty includes hotel pickup.
• On the 3-day trip: meals not listed, nights before and after, gratuities and travel insurance.
• The levy: NZ$100 for most international visitors, paid with the visa or NZeTA.

Which fares are refundable?

The day cruises and the flights refund in full up to 24 hours before. If the operator cancels for weather, you are offered another date or a full refund.

The overnight and the 3-day trip do not refund and cannot be changed. That is worth pricing in: a non-refundable $462 is dearer than it looks if your dates might move.

What does a family pay?

The day cruises list discounted child fares, so a family pays less than the adult fare times the number of seats. The rate for your children shows when you pick a date.

The overnight books in twos for a twin cabin, so a family of four is two bookings at $462 a person, before any child rate. The helicopters carry infants on a lap and list discounted rates for them. The post on taking children to the fiord covers the rest.

When should you book?

Book the overnight first if you want one: it has 36 places, and neither it nor the 3-day trip can be refunded, so fix your dates before you pay.

The day cruises and flights refund in full up to 24 hours before, so booking early costs you little and holds the date. Book a flight for early in your stay, so a weather day leaves room to try again.

How do you pay on board?

By card. The day boats sell food and drinks, and they take no cash, so bring a card or pack your own lunch.

Where is the best value?

With a car, the day cruise from Manapouri: the lowest fare, the shortest day and the same lake, pass and fiord. Without one, the coach day from Te Anau costs only a little more.

From a Queenstown base, the value is often a night in Te Anau. The coach day from there costs about $55 less than the day from Queenstown, gives you the same cruise and hands you back an evening.

For the most time on the fiord, the overnight: about 20 hours with dinner, breakfast and a bed, for a little over twice the day fare. The flights cost the most per minute, but the 90-minute flight is the only way to see Dusky Sound in a day.

What does it cost to see two fiords?

On two days, about $429 a person: the coach day to Doubtful Sound from Te Anau at $216 and the small-group Milford Sound day from Queenstown at $213. You spend a day on each, and each fare refunds up to 24 hours before.

In ninety minutes, $897: the helicopter flight over Doubtful and Dusky Sound, with a landing above each. It costs more and gives you less time, but it is the only way to reach Dusky Sound in a day.

How do the prices compare with Milford Sound?

The small-group Milford Sound day from Queenstown costs $213: 13 hours, 15 guests at most, a picnic lunch and a two-hour cruise. The day to Doubtful Sound from Queenstown costs $271 to $277 for a similar length of day, with a longer cruise and no lunch.

You pay more for Doubtful Sound because the way in is a boat and a mountain road, not a highway. The page on Doubtful and Milford Sound tours compares the two fiords.

Frequently asked questions

Fares that match the budget

Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise from Te Anau

Nine hours from 85 Lakefront Drive in Te Anau: the coach to Manapouri, the lake crossing, the pass and a cruise of about 2 hours 45 minutes.

From $221 per person

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From Queenstown: Doubtful Sound Wilderness Day Trip

Thirteen hours from 88 Beach Street in Queenstown, with the coach, both boats and the pass in the fare, and a 3-hour cruise on the fiord.

From $271 per person

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Doubtful And Dusky Sound Helicopter Scenic Flight from Te Anau

Ninety minutes from Te Anau Airport over two fiords, landing above each, with the pilot's commentary through headsets. 120 kg limit per passenger.

From $897 per person

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