5 Stars (537 reviews)
My Active Adventure Tour of the beautiful South Island of New Zealand was Outstanding! Our tour guides were phenomenal! Ryan was an excellent, safe, and courteous driver, and Noah an amazing chef (yum!!). They both shared so much knowledge about Maori culture, history and stories, re: conservation, wildlife, plant life, and more. Onto the tour, I loved every beach we stopped at, our lagoon kayak trip, all of the hikes, the bike ride, and more! The Siberian Valley was out of this world, from the small plane ride, to the river crossing, the hike. and the most fun of all, the crazy, wild, fun, jetboat trip back! Woohoo! I loved Queenstown, our accommodations there were amazing, and Milford sound and the hike after was fantastic. I also loved all of the birds fluttering around us on hikes, from the Fantails to the Tomtits and more! I will definitely be returning to New Zealand!
Classic South Island Adventure, March 2024
Beth
5 Stars (537 reviews)
I really wasn't sure how I would like traveling with strangers (also considered new friends) and in a group setting, but this was one of the best vacations I have ever had. I did plan for some alone time before and after which was a nice mixture. But ultimately I do believe my experience probably has a lot to do with the company I was keeping. I feel grateful that the folks in our group were easy to get along with and I have made long lasting connections. I also believe that the guides can make or break it and our two guides, Ryan and Noah, were fantastic. They had a wealth of knowledge and I literally said, "it's really nice to have walking encyclopedias with us" on this trip! They were kind, funny, organized and Noah is an amazing chef! We ate well, we hiked great trails, we saw amazing sights and we didn't have to sweat any of the small details which really made me feel like I was on vacation. Overall, I had a wonderful time creating amazing memories I won't forget. It was without a doubt well beyond what I imagined the trip would be like. We also did have the most amazing weather pretty much the whole time so we lucked out on that.
Classic South Island Adventure, March 2024
Elizabeth
5 Stars (537 reviews)
This was an absolutely fabulous trip. Every step of the trip was smooth and all details taken care of. Beautiful country and our guides were spectacular (Liana & Lauren). The accommodations were great, food was good, and the narrative by Liana was second to none. She described in beautiful detail everywhere we went and the history (maori legends included) of each town and sight we saw. Lauren was a perfect partner to her in making sure we were well fed and all details taken care of.
I would gladly do another trip with Active Adventures or even Austin Adventures. Will only hope I get Liana and Lauren again.
Classic South Island Adventure, March 2024
Tomi
5 Stars (537 reviews)
Really great way to see and experience the South Island in a week. Lovely, and very knowledgeable guides who take you as far and as deep into the country as you want. - Angus, Toronto, Canada.
Classic South Island Adventure, March 2024
angus
5 Stars (537 reviews)
When booking this trip for me I knew it would be a once in a lifetime experience and I'm almost glad I set that expectation for myself at the start because I'm not sure any trip I do in the future will live up to it. The itinerary is great, so much packed in in a week and everything was a highlight, if I had to pick I'd say Milford Sound and Siberia Valley. The food, I hadn't really considered before the trip started but Lauren's food was incredible every time. I didn't expect to learn so much about New Zealand but loved that I did. Active is a great company on the trip everything was so slick I didn't have to worry about a thing, and having the small groups with two amazing guides creates a very personalised and fun experiment.
Classic South Island Adventure, March 2024
Olivia
5 Stars (537 reviews)
I had a fantastic time travelling with Active Adventures to the South Island of New Zealand. I'm especially grateful to the staff at the corporate office who helped squeeze me in on such short notice given how last minute my trip was! The trip was perfect for me as I prefer more active vacations and was able to experience New Zealand through hiking, which was exactly what I wanted. I loved the other travelers in my tour group, and my guides were absolutely fantastic and looked after the group very very well while providing very interesting commentary on New Zealand.
Classic South Island Adventure, March 2024
Karishma
5 Stars (537 reviews)
The 8-Day Classic South Island adventure was a great overview of some wonderful highlights of the South Island’s treasures.
Classic South Island Adventure, February 2024
Nancy
5 Stars (537 reviews)
Highly recommend this excursion for experiencing the South Island with lovely, upbeat and knowledgeable guides. We packed a lot into those 8 days and feel we received excellent value for our trip. Guide Elize kept our spirits bright with her enthusiasm and 'Whoo Hoos' and expert driving. Guide Brogan expanded our knowledge of all things New Zealand and kept our bellies happy with her scrumptious foods. And the 13 diverse Americans of our group couldn't have been better folks to share in the adventures.
Classic South Island Adventure, February 2024
Midori