Skip to content
List your business

Best Tours & activities in Queenstown (2026)

Queenstown's tour operators open up landscapes that are hard to reach on your own. Nomad Safaris runs small-group 4WD trips to Skippers Canyon and Macetown and tours of Lord of the Rings filming locations, with no more than six guests per vehicle. From Glenorchy, Dart River Adventures takes jet boats and inflatable Funyaks into Mount Aspiring National Park.

For Milford Sound, Southern Discoveries runs full-day coach and cruise trips from its visitor centre on St Omer Wharf, with flight options if you want to avoid the long drive back. Over The Top Helicopters, flying since 1986, offers scenic flights to the fiords, glacier landings, alpine picnics and even a mountain-top golf hole. At a slower pace, Around The Basin rents bikes and arranges shuttles for self-guided rides on the Queenstown Trail, including winery routes through Gibbston and Arrowtown.

Weather affects most tours, especially flights and Milford Sound trips, so book early in your stay and leave room to reschedule. Check what is included, such as pick-ups, lunch and equipment, and wear layers and sturdy shoes, as conditions in the mountains change quickly.

5 places · Updated November 12, 2026

Our top 3 tours & activities in Queenstown

  1. Nomad Safaris 4WD and Lord of the Rings tours, Town CentreA Queenstown 4WD tour company running small-group trips into Skippers Canyon, Macetown and Lord of the Rings filming locations around the Wakatipu Basin.
  2. Southern Discoveries Milford Sound coach and cruise, Beach StreetA family-owned Milford Sound cruise company with a Queenstown visitor centre on St Omer Wharf, running full-day coach, cruise and flight combinations to the fiord.
  3. Dart River Adventures Wilderness jet boat and Funyak tours, GlenorchyJet boat and inflatable kayak trips up the braided Dart River into Mount Aspiring National Park, from Glenorchy at the head of Lake Wakatipu.

Tour operator

1. Nomad Safaris

4WD and Lord of the Rings toursTown Centre

A Queenstown 4WD tour company running small-group trips into Skippers Canyon, Macetown and Lord of the Rings filming locations around the Wakatipu Basin.

View details — Nomad Safaris

Tour operator

5. Around The Basin

Self-guided bike tours and hireTown Centre

A Queenstown bike tour company offering self-guided rides on the Queenstown Trail, including Arrowtown and Gibbston winery routes with shuttle support.

View details — Around The Basin