Private Guiding, guided walks, hikes and heli-hikes

So why hire a Private Guide? Imagine coming to one of the most beautiful alpine environments on the planet, safely finding the best walks and best views first time, every time, exploring at your pace, with only the people YOU choose for company. How does that sound? At Discovery Tours Ltd, we are guiding New Zealand walks every day. We've lived, worked and trained here and we're passionate about sharing our knowledge, experience and amazing countryside with you. 

We access many regions in the Mount Cook National Park and have exclusive access to many parts of the high country around Twizel, so we are able to make your day as sociable or as isolated as YOU want. We privately guide groups, private parties, corporate events and team building.  (Please check with us as we have restrictions on the numbers we are allowed to take to some places) Through our own information booking office, we are also able to arrange a day that links in with other activities so you can combine your guided experience with almost anything you can think of.

Contact us for more information or to discuss your requirements...

Here are some examples of walks we often guide on a private basis:

1. Hooker Valley Walk, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park - Full Day

Hooker Valley Walk is a full day walk exploring one of the most popular walking track in the National Park. This walk has 2 swingbridge crossings, which take you over the glacier fed rivers into the upper Hooker valley, and finishes at the Hooker Glacier Lake, at the foot of the Hooker Glacier with New Zealand's tallest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook towering above you. This easy walk has great views of the Huddlestone, Tucket, Mueller, Hooker, Te Waewae and Eugenie glaciers, some are valley glaciers and others are hanging glaciers. The track is well formed and only rises about 200m in total vertical height over a distance of 4 kilometers. Low to moderate fitness is required as there is no climbing but you must be able to comfortably walk 8km total distance. As a generalisation, trainers are OK in good weather in the summer but light hiking boots preferred for poor weather or in the winter.
Duration: 5 to 6 hours

 

Download

Hooker Valley Day Walk Adobe Acrobat Document: 338 KB, 50 seconds @ 56kbps PDF of Hooker valley Day walk, participant information and disclaimer

For more information or to book, click here...

 

2. Hooker Valley Walk , Mount Cook National Park- Half Day

The Hooker Valley Walk explores one of the most popular walking tracks in the National Park. The half day option takes you part of the way along the track to just beyond the Second swingbridge with great views of Aoraki Mount Cook nd some of the smaler hanging glaciers. You don't get views of the larger Hooker Glacier and the full, top to bottom views of Mt Cook are not as good as the closer views that can be seen from behind the Hooker Lake on the full day walk.
Duration: 3 to 4 hours

For more information or to book, click here... 

3. Heli-Hikes, starting from Twizel

Helicopters give you many options. They are able to transport you far into the back country to allow you to explore more terrain in a day, they can remove much of the hard work by taking you to the to top of mountains rather than having to hike up, but, most importantly, they allow you a very different view of this amazing countryside compared to just seeing it from valley level. We have many heli-hike options depending on your numbers, fitness, time and budgets. 

For more information or to book, click here...
 

 

 Frequently Asked Questions on Private Guiding:

1. How much does it cost?
There are several costs to consider depending on what you want to do, where you want to go and how long you want to be there. For exact costs, please contact us, for approximate costs, work on the following:

• Guides are $170  + GST (12.5% tax) with a minimum of 4 hours charge. 
• Transport is charged at $2.50  + GST per kilometre
• Land Use/National Park Access Fees are $5 per person for a half day, $10 per person for a full day
• Helicopter access fees (if required) $26 per person + flight time.
• Boots can be hired for $25 per day
• Food and beverage depends on your requirements.

2. What equipment do you provide?
We provide the following basic tramping equipment free of charge:

• Waterproof jackets and trousers
• Walking Poles
• Day Packs

3. What about food and drinks?
You are welcome to bring your own or we can provide food and drinks for you. Complimentary tea, coffee and hot chocolate are available on all hikes. We are able to cater for just about food and drink requirements, whether you want a simple packed luch, a basic picnic or a full 3 course meal with champagne.
Tell us what you want and we'll make it happen...

4. How safe is it?
This is an alpine environment and we walk in remote locations so safety is paramount. All our guides are extremely knowlegdeable and experienced at walking in this region. All guides carry a first aid kit and are first aid trained, they all carry an emergency shelter and have emergency communication equipment, they all carry a small stove and are able to provide emergency rations.

Contact us to discuss your requirements...

For more FAQs click here...

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