Paradise Discovery Tour
Exclusive access to a working high country station, private or small group.
Our Paradise Discovery Tour from Queenstown follows the edge of Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy, then onto Mt Earnslaw Station, a working high country sheep and beef farm that has run continuously for over 130 years. Private Discovery Tours holds the only tour access onto it, so a stop most operators can only point at from the road is one you drive onto.
From the station we continue to the Mt Alfred Terraces, a private station track, not a public trail, passing the Isengard filming location on the way, then leave the rest of the day open: the Routeburn Nature Walk, a stroll at Lake Sylvan, the Dart River Jet Safari, horse riding or ziplining as a paid extra. Book it privately for your own group, or join a small group departure capped at eight, never sold as a coach tour.
Pick-up
9:00am
Queenstown accommodation
(or 10:00am from
Glenorchy)
Walking
Two walks,
up to 2.5 hours total,
100m elevation
Suitability
Everyone, can be shortened
Return
Approx 5:00pm
Private vehicle and guide for your group, or your place on a small shared departure (max 4 per vehicle, up to 8 total)
Picnic lunch and bottled water
Exclusive access to Mt Earnslaw Station and the Mt Alfred Terraces walk
Door-to-door pick-up and drop-off in Queenstown
Dart River Jet Safari, 2 hours, $399 per adult / $299 per child
Horse riding, private bookings only - Price on request
Ziplining, private bookings only - Price on request
Private group, 1-3 guests
From $2,150
Each additional adult (private)
$600
Shared departure per adult (min 2, max 8)
$600
Shared departure per child
$420
Each additional child, 3 to 12 (private) $420
Children under 3 travel free, 3 to 12 pay the child rate, and 13 and over pay the adult rate.
Closed 25 December. All prices are in New Zealand dollars.
The price is for the vehicle and your guide, not a seat, so a larger private group costs less per head. If you’d rather split the cost from the start, the shared departure is the same per-person rate as an extra private guest, four to a vehicle and capped at eight total so it never turns into a coach tour. The farm access and the walk are the same either way.
Download our tour brochure for the full itinerary, inclusions and important information.
From Glenorchy we turn onto Mt Earnslaw Station, a working high country sheep and beef farm that has run continuously for over 130 years. Private Discovery Tours holds the only tour access onto it. You travel by 4WD across active farmland and finish the farm section at the operational woolshed: real stock, real work, not something set up for visitors.
You are on land the public cannot enter, at a stop with none of the road-side crowding Glenorchy gets in peak season, and your guide can point out what’s happening on the farm as you cross it.
From the station we continue by 4WD around the far side of Mt Alfred, on a private scenic road beside the braided Dart River, to the start of the Mt Alfred Terraces walk. It climbs a farm track, not a public trail, for about 1,500 metres and 100 metres of elevation, roughly 1.5 hours return, to views over the whole Paradise Valley. As this is a privately booked experience, the walk can be done at your own pace and shortened if needed. It isn’t a walk for anyone with limited walking ability or a bad back.
Book Paradise Discovery privately and the vehicle and guide are yours alone, with no set limit on numbers, up to 11 per vehicle. For a more intimate shared experience, join a small group departure instead: a maximum of eight guests, with no more than four guests per vehicle. These departures are never sold as bus tours.
Two walks, up to about 2.5 hours total. The main one, at the Mt Alfred Terraces, is 1.5 hours return with 100 metres of elevation on a private station track. It can be shortened if required.
During lambing season (typically late September to early November), access to some paddocks may be restricted to avoid disturbing the sheep and their newborn lambs. We ask all visitors to respect these temporary restrictions to help us protect the animals and give them a peaceful environment. Alternative routes may be used where necessary, and we appreciate your understanding.
You choose: the Routeburn Nature Walk, the Lake Sylvan track, or the Dart River Jet Safari as a paid extra.
Up to 11 on a private tour, with the first three included in the price with each extra guest charged individually. Shared departures are capped at eight guests total, four per vehicle — this tour runs in a Prado, so a second vehicle joins for a bigger shared group.
Yes, on a private booking. Swap it out for more time on the nature walk and a private walk of your own pace, then add the Dart River Jet Safari in the afternoon.
Sturdy, closed-toe footwear, warm and waterproof or windproof layers, a hat, sun cream and insect repellent, and a small day pack. A reasonable level of fitness is needed for walking.
