Routeburn Valley Walk
A full day on the Routeburn Track, on foot, to the Flats and back. Private or small group.
Routeburn Track Guided Day Walk from Queenstown
This is a full day’s walk into the Routeburn Valley, known to Ngāi Tahu as Te Komama, one of New Zealand’s best-known Great Walks, on foot to Routeburn Flats and back.
The walk from Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats Hut is generally described as a gentle to moderate uphill walk with a gradual elevation gain, rather than a steep climb, followed by an hour of relatively flat walking.
We leave Queenstown at 8am and drive the lake-edge road to Glenorchy, stopping at Bennett’s Bluff for the view over Mount Aspiring National Park, before continuing to the trailhead. Your guide walks with you the whole way, at a pace the group can hold, with a picnic lunch at the Flats before you turn around and walk back out.
Private or a small departure capped at eight.
- 15km return. 343m elevation: 1.5 hours of uphill walking, 1 hour on the flat, 2 hours back down
- Moderate fitness needed, a good pace both ways
- Private group (1 to 3 guests) or a shared small-group departure
- 8:00am pick-up from your Queenstown accommodation, back around 4:30pm
- Bennett’s Bluff viewpoint on the way in
- Picnic lunch included at Routeburn Flats, around 30 minutes
- Hiking poles and bottled water provided
Tour Info
Pick-up
8:00am,
Queenstown accommodation
Walking
15km return, 343m elevation
Suitability
Moderate fitness, must hold a good pace
Return
Approx 4:30pm
What's included
Included
Guide for the full walk, private or shared small group
Picnic lunch at Routeburn Flats
Hiking poles and bottled water
Bennett's Bluff viewpoint stop en route
Door-to-door pick-up and drop-off in Queenstown
A shorter portion of the walk can be arranged, but only on a private booking
Price
Private group, 1 to 3 guests
From $1,800
Each additional adult (private)
$450
Each additional child, 3 to 12 (private)
$315
Private group, no set limit — standard vehicle
Up to 11
- Shared departure, per adult (min 2, max 8) $450
- Shared departure, per child, 3 to 12 $315
With a private tour you’ll have the vehicle and guide’s to yourself. The shared departure is the same walk at the same pace, priced per person, with a maximum of eight so it never turns into a crowd.
Closed 25 December. All prices are in New Zealand dollars.
Want to know more before you book?
Download our tour brochure for the full itinerary, inclusions and important information.
This is a day walk, not the multi-day Great Walk
The Routeburn Track is a 32-kilometre Great Walk that most people complete over two to three days, with a hut booking through the Department of Conservation. That is not what this tour is. This is one day, in and back out again, as far as Routeburn Flats. If you are planning the full multi-day crossing, this page is not the one you want, though the trailhead and the first few hours of track are the same ground.
The walk in: beech forest, the gorge, and the climb to the Flats
The first stretch takes you gradually uphill through red beech forest, with plenty of beautiful forest scenery along the way. Allow around an hour and a half for this section. You pass Forge Flat and Bridal Veil Falls, and for a stretch the trail passes above the Routeburn Gorge, where the river has carved a channel through the rock below. After the climb the track levels out for about an hour of easier, flatter walking before you reach the Flats. Across the whole 15-kilometre return walk you gain 343 metres in total; 230 metres of that is the specific climb from the shelter up to the Flats.
Routeburn Flats and the walk back
A swing bridge marks the end of the climb and the start of the open alpine meadows at Routeburn Flats, ringed by mountains on every side. This is where you stop for the picnic lunch, around 30 minutes, and it is worth the effort to get there. Kea, the world’s only alpine parrot, are often overhead. The walk back out is around two hours, downhill the whole way.
How fit you need to be
Moderate fitness is needed for this walk. You need to be able to hold a good pace on the way up and the way down, for around four and a half hours of actual walking across the day. If that is a concern, say so when you enquire: a smaller portion of the walk can be arranged, but only as a private booking, not on the shared departure.
Trail history: over 500 years on the Routeburn
Māori used this route from the 1500s to carry pounamu, greenstone, between the Dart and Arahura Rivers. European surveyors mapped it in 1861, a bridle path followed in the 1870s, and by the 1880s it was already carrying tourists, more than 140 years of recreational use on top of the centuries of Māori use before it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the full Routeburn Track, the multi-day Great Walk?
No. This is a single day, walking in to Routeburn Flats and back out again, around 15 kilometres in total. The full Routeburn Track is a 32-kilometre, two-to-three-day Great Walk booked through the Department of Conservation, with huts along the way. We do not run that trip. If that is what you are after, this tour is not the right fit, though we do start on the same trailhead. This tour is a great way to experience one of the Great Walks without battling booking opening dates and hut tickets.
How is this different from Paradise Day Walks?
This is a continuous 15-kilometre day hike with some uphill walking, ideal for guests who enjoy a longer walk and a bit of a challenge. The Paradise Day Walks tour has three separate short walks, each under an hour, on easy graded paths, built for scenic variety rather than distance or elevation. If a good pace up and down for four and a half hours doesn’t sound like your day, Paradise Day Walks is the better fit.
How fit do we need to be?
Moderate fitness is needed. You’ll be walking for around four and a half hours across the day, gaining 343 metres on the way in and losing it again on the way out, and you need to be able to hold a good pace both ways. It’s not suitable for anyone with limited walking ability or a bad back.
Can we do a shorter version of the walk?
Yes, but only if booked privately. A smaller portion of the route can be arranged for a private group. It isn’t available on the shared departure.
Is this private or shared?
Both, your choice. A private booking is $1,800 for up to three guests, with additional guests charged per person. No set limit; the standard vehicle holds up to 11. The shared departure runs the same walk at $450 per adult, with a minimum of two and a maximum of eight guests, so it stays a genuinely small group either way.
Is lunch included?
Yes, a picnic lunch is included, eaten at Routeburn Flats after the climb in, around 30 minutes. Hiking poles and bottled water are provided too.
What time do we leave and get back?
Pick-up is 8:00am from your Queenstown accommodation, and you’re back around 4:30pm.
What will we see along the way?
Bennett’s Bluff, for the view over Mount Aspiring National Park, then red beech forest, Forge Flat, Bridal Veil Falls and the Routeburn Gorge on the climb in, before the open alpine meadows of Routeburn Flats. Kea and Kaka are often around at the Flats.
Can the track close?
It can during winter when weather conditions can be unpredictable. We monitor conditions in the days leading up to your tour and will contact you in advance if anything changes, so you won’t be left finding out on the day.
If conditions mean we can’t safely go ahead with the planned route, we’ll offer you an alternative hike or tour. We do our best to avoid cancellations wherever possible and will generally only cancel when a weather warning is in place.
What should we bring?
Proper walking shoes, not casual footwear. Warm layers and a waterproof jacket regardless of the forecast, since conditions change quickly at altitude. A day pack, hat and sun cream. Hiking poles and bottled water are provided, so no need to bring your own.
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