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Milford Sound tour by Cheeky Kiwi Travel ranked one of world’s best by Tripadvisor

Varsha anjali.

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Cheeky Kiwi's tour to Milford Sound takes small groups on a more intimate, fully guided trip that includes a cruise on a small boat. Photo / Mike Scott

This New Zealand tour jumped ahead of not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of other listings in being named one of the world’s best.

A New Zealand company’s tour and cruise of the Milford Sound has nabbed a hard-won global accolade, placing it among the top 1% of 8 million listings.

Cheeky Kiwi Travel’s Milford Sound Day Tour & Cruise , from Queenstown and back, was recognised in Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best for 2024 for its Milford Sound Tour & Cruise, ranking No 16 in the Sailing & Day Tour category.

The tour, which has more than 1000 five-star reviews on Tripadvisor and is recommended by 98% of those who gave feedback, invites small groups to a more intimate, personalised tour experience with a fully guided round-trip from Queenstown to Milford.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cheeky Kiwi Travel (@cheekykiwitravel)

According to a statement from the tour operator, one of the benefits of travelling in a smaller boat is that you can get closer to wildlife and nature, including fur seals resting on the rocks.

General manager Rhys Utting said: “This is an awesome feat for our team to be recognised with Tripadvisor’s highest accolade. Being placed in the top 1% of providers worldwide is just incredible.

“A massive congratulations goes out to our entire team – not just our passionate guides, but also our bookings and customer care team, operations, maintenance and marketing staff who always go the extra mile for our guests.”

Tripadvisor chief growth officer John Borris said of the company’s accomplishment: “Ranking among the top percentage of businesses globally means you have made such a memorable impact on your visitors that many of them took time to go online and leave a glowing review about their experience.”

Top spot in the category went to a tour of the Dubrovnik Elaphite Islands in Croatia, which had more than 4000 five-star reviews. Second was a tour of Niagara Falls in one day, followed by a two-day tour of Cat Ba, in Halong Bay, Vietnam.

The recognition is based on the high quantity and quality of reviews and ratings over a year. It was offered to fewer than 1% of the 8m listings on Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform.

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This Snorkeling Experience Between 2 Tectonic Plates in Iceland Was Just Named One of the Best Experiences in the World

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Waterfalls, geysers, and volcanic formations greet your eyes at every turn in Iceland, so when our tour guide pulled up to a nondescript lake in the middle of a rather muddy patch of land in Thingvellir National Park , I was rather unimpressed. Skeptically, I followed his instructions putting on a dry suit and snorkeling gear, and lowered myself down the metallic staircase into the water.

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Daily tours start at $139 per person and can be booked online . For safety reasons, restrictions may apply for certain travelers, so be sure to read the details before committing. 

Other iconic experiences to earn spots on Tripadvisor’s top experiences list this year include Machu Pichcu’s Inca Trail hike , Amsterdam canal cruise , and a champagne balloon ride in Cappadocia . 

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