Dart River Wilderness Safari

Guests are collected from a convenient pick-up point and driven to the tranquil village of Glenorchy, on the northern tip of Lake Wakatipu. Here you board the Dart River jet-boat on a white-knuckle ride for an hour and a half up the narrow, meandering waterway, into real wilderness country. Jet boats are a New Zealand design which allow high speed travel up extremely shallow glacial riverbeds, and a by-product of this design feature is that they are able to put on the brakes suddenly which is hugely exciting.

Once you have disembarked from the boat, take a short guided walk on some picturesque forest tracks, where your knowledgeable guide will enliven your walk with an informative and entertaining commentary about the ancient native beech forest, the unique flora and fauna, as well as the fascinating Māori and colonial history of the area. Finally, you return to Glenorchy by 4x4 coach via a scenic back-road route, while hearing stories about the surrounding countryside and stopping to view scenery that has formed the epic backdrop for many international films, including The Lord of the Rings.