Doubtful Sound Day Trip | What To Expect On Your Day Tour

While Milford Sound may be the more famous fiord of New Zealand, please do not overlook Doubtful Sound on your visit to the South Island. Part of Fiordland National Park, Doubtful Sound offers stunning views of the steeply cliffed mountains within the Tasman Sea.

Only accessible through established tour companies, Doubtful Sound is one of the best day trips you can sign yourself up for from Te Anau, Manapouri, or Queenstown. Continue reading to learn what to expect on your Doubtful Sound day cruise!

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Getting There

While there are options to leave from many of the towns on the South Island, we ultimately chose to leave from Te Anau. The tour company sent a car to pick us up and bring us to Manapouri (~ 20 minute drive), and from there we joined the larger group and began our journey to Doubtful Sound.

Doubtful Sound is not accessible by road, so your trip there will be broken up into a few different legs – the first of which is a short motor boat ride across Lake Manapouri! This is a great way to start your day with some fresh air and enjoy the beautiful views of the lake. It takes about an hour to cross Lake Manapouri – a substantial enough time on the water to constitute being its own tour – but this is just the preamble on your trip!

After you cross Lake Manapouri, the second leg of your trip will consist of a bus ride through Wilmot Pass. This drive lasts about an hour and provides scenic views of the untouched nature within Fiordland National Park. This was actually one of my favorite places to take photos throughout my entire tour of New Zealand. The bus will stop and allow everyone to get out to get their shots of the fiord before beginning the descent down into the harbor. Just look at that view!

Cruise of Doubtful Sound

And then the big event – your day cruise of Doubtful Sound begins! The boat cruise lasts about three hours, and takes you all the way out to the Tasman Sea and back. Along the way, you’ll get to enjoy stunning views of the steep, tree covered mountains that fill the fiord.

The cruise ship offers both indoor and outdoor seating – and unlike a lot of the tours through Milford Sound, the Doubtful Sound ships have enough seating to cover just about everyone on board. If you plan to sit indoors, try to snag some seats by the window when you first board so that you have the best views! But worry not – if you don’t win the best seats, you’re able to get up and walk around the boat as much as you want, so you will not miss a thing.

The best word I can think of to describe the experience of sailing through Doubtful Sound is just serene. Remote and primarily unexplored, a journey through this fiord is nothing but peaceful. Throughout the trip, you’ll branch off into side arms of the fiord – and hopefully see a bunch of waterfalls!

I’m not entirely sure what it was – I believe a small fishing or maintenance shack – but along one of the larger islands within Doubtful Sound there is a wooden cabin sitting along the water that was too cute & juxtaposed not to mention. It was one of if not the only sign of civilization within the fiord (aside from our own cruise ship).

And there you have it! When your cruise of Doubtful Sound is done you’ll begin the return journey back to Manapouri. Overall, a day trip through Doubtful Sound is an incredible dive into nature, and was definitely worth the journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why is it called Doubtful Sound? Doubtful Sound was first given its name by Captain Cook in the 1700s, due to the fact that it was “doubtful” whether his crew would return if they attempted to sail through it. Worry not though! Since then, safe passage through the fiord has been mapped out, and your cruise will undoubtedly go off without a hitch.
2. Is a trip to Doubtful Sound worth it? Yes, a visit to Doubtful Sound is definitely worth it. While it is a journey to get there, it is a more tranquil & untouched fiord than the famous Milford Sound. If you have the time to visit, you shouldn’t pass up on the opportunity.
3. What is the best time to visit Doubtful Sound? The best time to visit Doubtful Sound is between December to February (New Zealand’s summer months), in line with the best time to visit the rest of the country as well. Not only does this time of the year have more comfortable temperatures, but you also have a better chance of missing the rain.
4. How long does it take to get to Doubtful Sound? The length of the journey to get to Doubtful Sound will of course depend on where you are coming from, but will be no shorter than two hours in either direction. This is the amount of time needed to cross Lake Manapouri and drive through Wilmot’s Pass. Add on the amount of time it will take you to get to Manapouri to find the total length of your trip.
5. Does Doubtful Sound have waterfalls? Yes, Doubtful Sound has plenty of waterfalls. While there are a few permanent waterfalls that are present year round, one of the silver linings of visiting on a rainy day is that you will see waterfalls around every corner of the fiord!

More on the South Island

About the Author: Hi, I’m Jill! I am a biomedical & mechanical engineer who loves traveling during my free time. My hope is to help make it easier for others to plan their dream trips by providing firsthand experience from the places I’ve been! Read More.

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