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Private Glenorchy and Dart River tour

The head of the lake, and a jet boat into the heart of it.

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From NZD $890 per person

Every tour is private, for your party alone, and runs on demand.

The day in brief

  • Duration

    Full day, approx. 8.5 hours

  • Departs

    7:45 am, door to door

  • Returns

    Mid to late afternoon, approx. 4:30 pm

  • Activity

    Easy, with an optional short walk in the afternoon

  • Lunch

    Included, in Glenorchy

The road to the head of the lake

The drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy follows the shore of Lake Wakatipu beneath the Humboldt Mountains, and it is one of the most beautiful short journeys in the country. We start early and keep it moving, with a pause at Bennetts Bluff for the classic panorama across the lake, so that the morning belongs to the river.

Up the Dart by jet boat

At Glenorchy you meet the Dart River crew and head upriver by jet boat into country you cannot reach any other way. The Dart runs braided and glacial through a valley walled by beech forest and peaks, at the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park and inside a World Heritage area. The trip runs about two hours on the water and has you back at the jetty late morning.

Lunch, and an afternoon you shape

Lunch follows in Glenorchy itself, an unhurried hour in a settlement of a few hundred people at the very end of the road. The afternoon is yours to shape: a drive into Paradise, the valley at the park boundary that has stood in for Middle-earth and a good deal else besides, or out to the start of the Routeburn Track where the beech forest closes over the path and the mountains stack up behind it.

A quiet ending

If the day is running to time, there is room for a walk at Moke Lake on the way home. It sits in a quiet basin a short detour off the Glenorchy road, and on a still evening the lake mirrors the tussock slopes around it. Your guide reads the day and the weather and picks the right ending.

Moke Lake mirroring frosted tussock hills on a still morning

Scenes from the day

A jet boat on the braided Dart River beneath the mountains

Fresh snow on the high peaks above the Dart Valley

Two travellers looking toward snow-covered mountains across the flats near Paradise

A walker with arms outstretched on a tussock ridge, facing the snow-covered peaks at the head of Lake Wakatipu

Included in your tour

  • Your own vehicle and guide

    A private luxury vehicle and dedicated driver-guide for the day.

  • Door to door

    Hotel pick-up and return in Queenstown.

  • The Dart River

    Your jet boat trip into the valley, about two hours on the water.

  • Lunch

    Lunch in Glenorchy, at the end of the road.

  • The details

    Bottled water throughout the day.

Not included: drinks beyond lunch. A private helicopter flight over the Dart, with landings on Mount Alfred and at the Earnslaw Burn, can be added on request.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the Glenorchy day?

About eight and a half hours door to door, leaving at 7:45 am and back in Queenstown in the middle of the afternoon, around 4:30 pm.

What is the jet boat like?

It runs about two hours up the braided Dart River into country you cannot reach any other way, at the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park. You are back at the jetty late morning.

Is there much walking?

Only as much as you want. The afternoon can include a short walk at the start of the Routeburn Track or at Moke Lake, or none at all.

Is lunch included?

Yes, lunch in Glenorchy is included.

Is the tour private?

Yes. The vehicle and the guide are yours for the day. The jet boat is shared unless you ask for exclusive use, which we can arrange.

Two travellers looking toward snow-covered mountains across the flats near Paradise

Travel it privately

Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will shape the day around you.

Enquire now
Travel it privately

Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will shape the day around you.

Enquire now