Start your day by meeting our friendly local guide at your Queenstown accommodation or nearby. You'll travel in style in a premium Mercedes van designed for touring with only 16 seats onboard. As we depart Queenstown, the first leg of our journey takes us through the Central Otago wine regions of Gibbston and Cromwell. We then cross the dramatic Lindis Pass before making a brief stop in Omarama for refreshments and an opportunity to purchase lunch/snacks (you can choose to either bring food with you from Queenstown or Omarama, or use your free time in Mt Cook Village to visit a local cafe).
Welcome to Mackenzie Country
The scenery transforms as we enter Mackenzie Country, and our guide will entertain you with stories and interesting facts as we trace the edge of the Southern Alps. Along the way, we'll pass a network of lakes and canals near Twizel, renowned for its fishing of fresh Mt Cook Alpine salmon. Once we veer off the main road, we'll follow the stunning bright blue waters of Lake Pukaki before arriving at Mt Cook Village.
Mount Cook Adventure & Scenic Flight
Welcome to Mt Cook! Arriving at approximately 12 pm, your guide will transport you to Mt Cook Airport where you will check in with INFLITE for a Tasman Taster experience. You will have a quick safety briefing before taking to the skies on a unique 25-minute scenic flight in one of their state-of-the-art helicopters. Fly over the Tasman Lake, past Aoraki Mt Cook, with a stunning alpine landing on Brass Peak or Liebig Dome, within the National Park. After your flight, you will return to Mt Cook Airport and have additional free time to enjoy Mt Cook Village.
All guests receive complimentary access to the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. Located at The Hermitage, this museum and theatre offer insights into Mt Cook's unique history and the adventures of one of New Zealand's most famed explorers.
The Journey Back
At approximately 3:30 pm, you will rejoin our guide and van to commence the return journey to Queenstown. Sit back, relax, and take in the views. This day tour spans approximately 12 hours, and our smaller vehicles and attentive guide ensure your comfort and entertainment throughout the journey.
Experience the Unforgettable
Let us take you on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Mount Cook and discover more with Altitude Tours. The 12-hour Mount Cook day tour departs Queenstown daily at 7:30 am, returning by 7:30 pm.
The Tasman Taster 25-minute helicopter experience is subject to availability at the time of booking and the tour operators reservations team will reconfirm with you once booked.
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The full day trip takes approximately 12 hours from Queenstown. This allows us to make plenty of stops enroute to ensure you enjoy the journey as well as getting to spend a few hours in Mt Cook doing sightseeing, walking or an activity of choice.
Yes! Two of the most popular walks are the Hooker Valley Track and the Tasman Glacier lookout, both great options for things to do on your Mt Cook day trip. Please note these are self guided!
The minimum numbers are 4pax and maximum numbers are 16pax.
There is no minimum age for this tour, it’s a great day out for older kids seeing the beautiful scenery! It is of course a long day of travel which can be challenging for babies, and young children.
En route you will stop at a cafe, and in Mt Cook, there are some dining options.
If you plan to do a hike or an activity longer than 1 hour, you should bring food with you from Queenstown, or there is opportunity to purchase this on the drive to Mt Cook.
We don’t want to give too much away! The drive from Queenstown to Mt Cook is stunning and there are plenty of scenic stops enroute, your guide knows the best spots and will choose these on the day.
Yes! On the scenic flight you will also see the glacial lakes with icebergs.
As this is a weather dependent tour, if there is risk of adverse weather conditions that will impact the operation of the tour, you will be contacted the day prior to your trip to explore alternative options.
Due to this being one of our most popular tours and wanting to be fair to all who join us we do not offer reserved seating. If you have a request we will do our best to accommodate but we cannot guarantee.
Mount Cook is an alpine environment so it is important to bring warm clothes, a rain jacket, and comfortable shoes for walking (waterproof shoes are recommended for those doing a walk). Please do not wear denim/jeans.