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Nomad Safaris - Safari of the Scenes - Wakatipu Basin

4.9
13
Enjoy the thrills of an off road adventure as well as discovering Lord of the Rings filming locations.

Enjoy the thrills of an off road adventure as well as discovering Lord of the Rings filming locations.

Highlights

  • Visit the filming locations of Minas Tirith, Misty Mountains, the Pillars of the Kings (Argonath), the site of Isildur’s Fall, the Ford of Bruinen and more!
  • Enjoy a thrilling 4WD river crossing
  • Experience awe inspiring scenery
  • Knowledgeable local guides

Visit the filming locations of Minas Tirith, Misty Mountains, the Pillars of the Kings (Argonath), the site of Isildur’s Fall, the Ford of Bruinen and more! This adventure safari is packed with gold mining history, thrilling 4WD river crossings and a great overview of the diverse scenery of the Queenstown/Arrowtown area.

You’ll venture out of Queenstown towards the Remarkables mountain range - used as various mountains throughout the trilogy, including the Misty Mountains. Part way up this road we stop for a birds eye view over Deer Park Heights, used as the filming location for the refugees of Rohan and the Battle of the Wargs scenes.

Descending The Remarkables we head to the Kawarayu Gorge, location of the world’s first commercial bungy operation and the filming location for the Pillars of the Kings. Leaving the Kawarau Gorge the trip heads to Arrowtown where the loss of The One Ring at Gladden Fields was filmed.

Departing Arrowtown we travel along a historic gold mining road that follows the Arrow River, crossing the river at several points including the Ford of Bruinen filming site. We stop at the river for morning or afternoon tea and the chance to strike gold with a hand at gold panning.

Returning to Queenstown we travel up Coronet Peak to Skipper Saddle, offering spectacular panoramic views over the Wakatipu Basin and in to Skippers Canyon.


Per Adult $245.00 (Aged 15+)
Per Child $99.00 (Aged 4-14 years)

What's included

  • Queenstown pick up and drop off available.

Location

Notes

  • Duration: 4 hours return

    Conditions: Please note minimum numbers apply - trips confirmed with 2 or more passengers, 4 passengers on NZ public holidays.

    Pick ups: 8.15am for morning departures and 1.30pm for afternoon departures from Info & Track/Snow Centre (37 Shotover Street). Pick up from some Queenstown accommodation may be available; please contact Nomad Safaris with the details provided in your booking confirmation.

    Infants: Aged 0-3 Free of charge

Authenticated Reviews & PhotosAll of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme

Authenticated Reviews & PhotosAll of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme

4.9

13 reviews

Showing all 13 authenticated Bookme reviews

catharinep from New Zealand wrote on 19 February 2022

Relaxed and friendly, lots of fun

Highly recommend doing this. Was a lot of fun.

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From Nomad Safaris - Safari of the Scenes - Wakatipu Basin

Hey Catherine, cheers for the lovely review. Glad to hear you had fun!

Rachel Brown from New Zealand wrote on 11 October 2021

Tour of majesty

We were treated to an amazing and breathtaking tour by our guide, Renato. He was a wonderful tour guide and we thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon with him.

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From Nomad Safaris - Safari of the Scenes - Wakatipu Basin

Hey Rachel, we are stoked with this review! We are glad we could provide you with that experience and that's what we are here for, you're royalty to us! Thank you again, your majesty!

Graeme Mann from Australia wrote on 11 May 2019

4 hour Basin trip

Wonderful trip. Our driver Jordi was so helpful & very experienced. We felt so comfortable in all aspects of his ability during our different 4WD experiences. Well done & thank you.

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From Nomad Safaris - Safari of the Scenes - Wakatipu Basin

Hi Graeme Thanks so much for your great review! Glad you enjoyed, Jordie certainly is an excellent driver and guide, and I'll be sure to pass along your compliments. See you again soon!

Scott from Canada wrote on 25 November 2017

Great guide and fun time.

We had a good time with Nomad Safaris. The sights were good and the descriptions were excellent. They cared about everyone getting a chance to ride in different parts of the vehicle so that we could all get the best views from the front seat for at least part of the ride. The drive through the Arrow River was really fun, and just scary enough to get your adrenalin flowing a little. Also was neat to be able to pan for gold in a real live river and find some flakes of gold in the pan. Certainly our driver guide was fantastic with everyone, answering any question thrown at him.

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From Nomad Safaris - Safari of the Scenes - Wakatipu Basin

Hi Scott, thank you for your detailed review. We are glad to hear that you had a good time on our trip. River crossing and gold panning are indeed the highlights of Wakatipu Basin trip. Hope you will enjoy the rest of your stay in New Zealand.

Matt from United Kingdom wrote on 20 July 2017

Enjoyable

Great day out

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From Nomad Safaris - Safari of the Scenes - Wakatipu Basin

Thank you Matt for your 5 star review. We are very glad you had a great day.

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