Traveler Reviews

• 697ewal 18-May-2023

  The tour was great, saw some great LOTR locations and the guides Darryl & Jeff were great. They had lots of knowledge about LOTR, the region and other films filmed in the area. Perfect length, great photos and well organised tour

• Ajross1 14-May-2023

  On a Friday afternoon, I went on a Nomad Safari tour. 14 people, two jeeps, and two tour guides. We got picked up at 1:30pm and our itinerary was explained to us. Our tour guides were younger and could relate well to us. The tour was meant to be full of Lord of the Rings based with a ton of information about it being filmed. On our first stop, Queenstown Hill, they asked us if we were interested in Lord of the Rings and barely anyone said yes. This then shifted how they were going to run our experience. Instead of now boring us with the Lord of the Rings films, they provided interesting and factual information on the history of Queenstown. We drove from Queenstown Hill to Tobin's track via the Crown Range. Along the way my driver, Rangi, would attempt to make small talk until eventually a conversation sparked up. He could relate well to us as he was still young and made it a fun time in the vehicle. From there we went to Arrowtown. Rangi could see that we were hungry and wanted to grab some food, so they stopped in for 10 minutes to allow us to grab a quick feed. Very grateful for their accommodation. Through Arrowtown we were told about the Chinese village and how settlements came along. The jeep rides were very informative but was announced in such a way that Rangi kept us interested in what he was saying. The off roading through the river was epic! Splashes of water everywhere and smiling faces all through our vehicle. We did stall twice in the river but that's no biggie, Rangi was quick to resolve any issues. We did some gold panning and they even offered out a warm drink and biscuits. I found this really kind and I was truly not expecting that. A quick stop halfway down Skippers Road for some more information about how Queenstown was once underwater. They were even so nice as to drop us off at the lodge we were staying at, instead of our original pick-up point. Overall, I had a great experience with Nomad Safari. It was great that our tour guides could adapt to how we behave and keep us entertained throughout the four-hour experience.

• 409evelyny 18-Apr-2023

  Guides were passionate, view was amazing, fun experience!!! Very enjoyable time!! Definitely worth going!!! Saw a lot of LOTR sites! 👍👍👍👍👍

• Nataliedp8293qi 12-Apr-2023

  Our Guide on this experience was Josh, who was very approachable and knowledgeable, giving a wonderful overview of all things related to the filming of Lord of The Rings in this location, together with insightful information about the history of gold mining in the region and of specific geographical features i.e. Remarkable Mountains (true north south) and Lake Wakatipu. A very enjoyable 4WD experience including river crossings, gold panning (with hot beverages and cake riverside), and drive down Skippers Canyon. Small, personable group of six in our LandRover. A very memorable and highly recommended experience. Thank you Josh.

• Sandion 09-Apr-2023

  Best experience , and wonderful view , its a must tour if you are a fan of middle earth, very spectacular view,

• James_n 17-Mar-2023

  This was a great Lord of the Rings tour to Glenorchy out of Queenstown NZ . They took us to different shooting locations from the movies. They showed us the real pictures from the movies and explained the different scenes at each location. I only gave it 3 stars because our driver was doing the tour for his first time so we followed another van and guide to each site. We then got out and listened to her explain the sight. I felt sorry for him to have him pushed into his own van without any training or even not knowing the movies. The other van had full explanation of the movies and locations while driving to the next sight , we did not get that. I believe they should have put him in the van with the experienced tour guide until he got the job on his own, they pushed him into the van so they could have another tour operating at the same time to keep the clients $$$. It was supposed to be a small group tour but turned out to be a 12 person tour in two vans. I was not impressed!

• 994edy 07-Mar-2023

  I really enjoyed seeing so many specific locations from the movies. The booklet helped a lot to see the specific locations used. Also, Ruth was an absolutely amazing tour guide and fangirl that was full of more information and enthusiasm than I could have ever expected! And I enjoyed even the slightly cheesy bits like putting on costumes. Highly recommended!

• F7626wtalisonb 03-Mar-2023

  I loved it. I got to see where several scenes in LOTR were filmed, like where Gollum, Frodo, & Sam ate food and where Boromir felt tempted by the ring. I also saw the place where Aragorn fell and the forest where Boromir was killed. I saw where Prince Caspian was filmed, the scene when prince Caspian rode across the water while fleeing from his uncle’s soldiers. It was surreal. I watched prince Caspian again & I was so excited because I recognized that I was there. I highly recommend this tour. Our tour guide took us up close to see the prince Caspian scene & it was wonderful.

• Yunwm 28-Feb-2023

  Overall - it's an expensive tour to essentially be driven from Queenstown to Glenorchy. You look at scenery and imagine the movie being shot there. I don't think you need to pay NZD245pp for that. Positives - Ginny our guide was excellent, friendly, conversational throughout and gave us interesting info on the making of the movies. She made an effort to keep us engaged and look after the group. There's also bits of other movies shot as some of the scenes too. There's a few prop swords and capes to play with. Negatives - it's basically a scenic drive with commentary. I think you could spend a longer time enjoying the area with a DIY LOTR tour. Only worth the price if you are a serious LOTR movie fan.

• Steven_d 24-Feb-2023

  Very knowledgeable and engaging guide. Spectacular scenery. My wife is the LOTR fan unlike me! She loved the details from the filming I just loved the locations and scenery. You do not have to be a Tolkien fan to enjoy this trip.