Queenstown & the South Island

It depends on the experience. December to February brings long alpine days for Milford and Doubtful Sound, the lakes and the high passes; June to August is the Southern Hemisphere ski season across the Remarkables and Coronet Peak; and autumn turns Central Otago's vineyards gold and empties the trails. Your advisor times the trip to the light and the season you're after.

Most journeys run seven to ten days — enough to pair Queenstown with Fiordland's fjords, a wilderness lodge reached only by air and the Central Otago wine country without rushing. A fortnight lets you add Aoraki/Mount Cook or the West Coast glaciers.

Yes. We arrange heli-flights into Milford and Doubtful Sound, glacier landings in the Southern Alps and lodges no road reaches — private guides, exclusive-use stays and pacing built entirely around you.

Queenstown and the South Island journeys start from several points of departure. The Wilderness Lodge (5–7 days) centres on legendary lodges, heli-access and the Southern Alps. Heli & Adventure (4–6 days) reaches fjords and glaciers with private guides. Lakes & Vineyards (4–6 days) brings Central Otago cellars, alpine lakes and unhurried days. The South Island Honeymoon (5–7 days) pairs a lodge, a fjord and total privacy. Your advisor reshapes whichever feels most like yours entirely around you.

A private Fiordland helicopter day flies you into Milford's fjords, sets down for a glacier landing and ends with a picnic where few ever stand. Forest Travel holds the heli-access and can also arrange flights into Doubtful Sound and glacier landings in the Southern Alps. December to February brings long alpine days for Milford and Doubtful Sound, and private guides take you to where few ever reach.

A South Island wilderness lodge that no road reaches is reached only by air, with the Southern Alps as your sole neighbour. It anchors The Wilderness Lodge journey alongside heli-access, and it pairs naturally with Queenstown, Fiordland's fjords and Central Otago wine country. Forest Travel arranges these lodges, along with exclusive-use stays and private guides, so the wilderness feels kept for you.

A private Central Otago tasting takes place among the world's southernmost vines, with the mountains beyond. It is the heart of the Lakes & Vineyards journey, which joins Central Otago cellars with alpine lakes and unhurried days. Autumn turns Central Otago's vineyards gold and empties the trails, making it a beautiful time for wine country.

A private Queenstown and South Island trip starts from around US$1,900 per person per night. The starting journeys run four to seven days, from Heli & Adventure and Lakes & Vineyards to the Wilderness Lodge, and the figure rises with helicopter days into Fiordland, glacier landings and a lodge that no road reaches. Most travellers spend seven to ten days on the island. The planning fee is US$250 per itinerary, and your advisor confirms the total once dates are set.