Dart River Safaris and Paradise Discovery Tour

Posted on: August 17, 2014

This is proving to be such a popular combination for visitors to Queenstown. It involves a full day in the Glenorchy region surrounded by mountains, national park, LOTR locations and unique access to areas of Private Property taking you away from the crowds and other tour operators.

You may select walking options, special photography locations or simply immerse yourself in this peaceful environment, we have the time to meet your interests.

A typical day may follow this schedule.

Pick up from Queenstown accommodation at a sensible hour 9am and travel west following Lake Wakatipu to Bennetts Bluff, views to Mt Earnslaw the Hobbit walk.

Then we drive deep into back country to the front row overlooking the Dart River and Humboldt Mountains, viewing Isengard from LOTR.

This location from private property gives you panoramic views up the Dart Valley framed with a backdrop to Mt Cosmos and Mt Pluto flanked by Mt Earnslaw.

Lunch is provided at a private Diamond Lake location or at Kinloch Lodge, from Kinloch there is the option of a Dart Wilderness Jet boat Safari up river 1 hour duration, then continuing the land based tour at Paradise Beach.

The afternoon is flexible to meet your interests visit a High Country Station, woolshed on sheep farm, Lake Reid renown for Birdlife paradise ducks and black swans or a relaxed easy grade walk on Mt Alfred. Further sights in the Paradise Valley include, Diamond lake, Arcadia Homestead, LOTR movie sights,Isengard, Lothlorien, Misty Mountains and Beorn’s house from the Desolation of Smaug the Hobbit.

Travel by comfortable 4WD with forward facing seats, relax as we share what is a very special part of New Zealand. Why else did Sir Peter Jackson select sights in this region for his movies, such raw beauty inspired him!

Your day ends back in Queenstown around 5pm.

NOTE : The day does not need to centre around movie locations, you may have an interest in high country farm life or simply desire to walk on remote trails in this pristine environment.
Contact us today to discuss your options for the day, let us show you what is possible…..

Stories From Our Guests

Felix Fong

2 months ago

We highly recommend Lucy! She was such a friendly driver and shared so much amazing local culture and highlights along the way. She took us to the private farm to see cattle and sheep, and walked us through how sheep shearing works in real life. The hiking route she picked was perfect — not too hard, not too easy. She also taught us loads about the native bush and trees. It was such an unforgettable experience with her!

Mona He

2 months ago

The bespoke hike Sarah and her team put together for us was great. Combining 4 separate walks we saw lakes mountains and much more. Thank you! Lucy and Lee were fantastic on the hike and shared their local history and botanical knowledge with us. Could not have asked for a better day for a team bonding hike. Thank you.

Rose Maisano

6 months ago

We had Lucy Snelgrove as our tour guide for a private hike on the route burn trail and she was amazing :) we came from the US and didn’t have rain jackets. Knowing it would be rainy, she had extra jackets and ponchos for us, made our hike sooo much more enjoyable! She kept a great pace and was very knowledgeable about the trail, plants and birds we saw along the way. Would very highly recommend!! We had some extra time and instead of bringing us back to our hotel right away, she went out of the way to bring us to some more view points to check out the beautiful scenery.

Kirsten Mackey

7 months ago

My husband and I took a tour through a section of the Routeburn track and we had a great time! Lucy provided us with so many interesting facts about the area and was a great guide! We thoroughly enjoyed our walk through the track and would definitely recommend!

Phileas Fogg

11 months ago

My wife and I spent a fantastic day in Paradise Valley, guided by Charles. A journey through fairytale locations. Now we understand why The Lord of the Rings was filmed here. We come from a big city. Unspoiled places like those we saw today, where the sound of silence and the absence of people reign supreme, are a unique opportunity. Charles showed us places that are technically impossible to reach on our own. Breathtaking views, views of the lake, mountains with snow-capped peaks, forests, valleys... it's almost impossible to describe the details. Even the photographs don't do the reality justice. Congratulations to Charles, thank you very much.

Syd Gernstein

2 years ago

My wife and I had a full day Milford Sound tour with Charles. We could not have scripted a more perfect day of travel. Of course, the trip to Milford Sound was fantastic. The journey itself was great—we stopped at a ton of viewing points, one more beautiful than the next. And I really don’t have words to describe how impossibly beautiful Milford Sound itself is. But it was Charles who truly tied this day together and made it so memorable. Charles is everything you’d want in a travel guide—knowledgeable, interesting, and an amazing conversationalist. He also is just the consummate professional: the day was perfectly timed so that we were constantly doing things without ever feeling rushed. My wife and I have had an amazing time in Queenstown. Seriously, if we had any more time here, what we would do would be an absolute no-brainer: book another tour with Charles. In sum, I can’t recommend Charles more highly. A class act.

Sharon F.

2 years ago

Charles Fraser was the ultimate professional guide. He was totally knowledgeable & informative on all aspects of New Zealand. He knew so much about the country, its culture, its people, and the history. We spent two days with him & had a most memorable time hiking & exploring Milford Sound & the countryside of New Zealand. He is remarkably upbeat & happy and you feel like you’ve known him forever. He made a most favorable impression on us, and made the day’s exciting. We will never forget his graciousness. We highly suggest hiring him and his company to experience the very best of New Zealand.