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Best months: Sep – Nov
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2

South Island Six

4.0(66 reviews)6 daysStart and end in
6 photos
Meridian Overland
Runs this trip
6 Days · 5 Nights
Fully planned multi-day journey
Accommodation
Hotel or lodge, twin sharing
Fully guided
A guide travels with the group for the whole trip.
Trekking
Six days on the South Island, with a jet boat and a ridge walk
Moderate Intensity
Travelers can expect 4-6 hours of daily trail walking
Group Size 1 - 14
1 guide per 10 ratio
Ages 14+ Welcome
The operator's minimum age for this trip is 14
1,578 m at the highest point

Where this operator goes

6 days · 13 stops

Itinerary

6 days, planned by Meridian Overland

Pickup point

Day 1 · Fri, 18 Sept, 2026

Meet atQueenstownQueenstown Airport (ZQN), New Zealand
Reporting time00:00 - 23:59
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What the price covers

Included in the price

You arrange yourself

Most of these can be added to your booking later — the operator confirms within a day.

Where you'll stay

Published by the operator. Nights on the ground can move with weather and permissions.

Queenstown Residency

Hotel or lodge, twin sharing

Nights 1–3

Wanaka Courtyard

Hotel or lodge, twin sharing

Night 4

Franz Josef Lodge

Hotel or lodge, twin sharing

Night 5

What you'll eat

5 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 1 dinner across 6 days, at camp. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 6.

  • DinnerServed on day 1
  • BreakfastServed on days 2–6
  • LunchServed on day 2

7 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking

One other operator runs this trailThe same trail, at their own price, group size and refund window.Farthest Field Co.₹2,02,599See all 2
BEFORE YOU GO · CAUTIONARY DETAILS
Break the boots in before you come
The single most common reason a trek stops being enjoyable. New boots on day one means blisters by day two and a descent on ruined feet by day four. Walk fifty kilometres in them at home first, on hills if you can find any.
Deal with a hot spot immediately
The moment something rubs, stop and tape it. Everyone on the trail will wait two minutes for that and nobody wants to wait an hour later while it is dressed properly.
The group moves at its slowest walker
That is not a courtesy, it is how groups stay together and how nobody ends up alone on a ridge in cloud. If that person is you on a given day, say so early rather than falling quietly behind.
Never leave the group to go ahead
Almost every serious incident on a marked Indian trail starts with somebody moving faster than the guide and taking a turning that looked obvious. Waiting at junctions is the whole discipline.
Treat your water
Streams above the villages look clean and mostly are; below them they are not, and giardia will ruin a week. Filter, boil, or use tablets — and drink more than you feel like.
Weather turns faster than you can descend
An afternoon build-up in the Himalaya arrives in under an hour. That is why days start early and why a guide who wants to turn back at eleven in the morning is not being cautious for the sake of it.
A stream is not the same in the afternoon
Snowmelt peaks with the day's heat, so a crossing that was ankle-deep at eight is thigh-deep at three. Cross early, unclip your waist belt, and face upstream.
Carry original photo ID
Forest and park entry in the Indian Himalaya is permitted through the district administration and checked at the gate against the permit your operator holds. A photocopy is not always accepted.
The medical certificate is not a formality
Several states now require a doctor-signed fitness certificate on higher and glacier-bound routes, and more ask for one over 55 or with a pre-existing condition. Get it early; it is a reason people are turned back at the road head.

Who runs this trip

Operated by
Meridian OverlandVerified

“Europe and the far north on a fixed calendar”

Based in New Delhi Running treks since 2017
Rating
4.0(66 reviews)
Response time
Within 8 hours
  • Team speaks: English, Hindi
Direct booking via licensed operator
View Operator Profile
Cancellation policy: Full refund up to 21 days before departure

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Customer reviews

Overall rating
4.0/5
Based on 66 reviews
Review summary
Food
3.8/5
Guide
3.9/5
Itinerary
4.0/5
Transport
3.6/5
Accommodation
3.7/5
Tour operator
4.0/5
Sort by:Recommended
4
C
Carla Mendes – Dubai2026-07-11 · Verified booking

Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Would book with them again.

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5
A
Aditi Rao – Delhi2026-07-11 · Verified booking

The route is beautiful and the pacing was sensible — nobody was rushed on the climb. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. No hesitation recommending them.

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5
Y
Yuki Tanaka – Auckland2026-07-11 · Verified booking

The route is beautiful and the pacing was sensible — nobody was rushed on the climb. Hotels were clean and central, which saved a lot of time. Recommended.

Reply from Meridian Overland

Appreciate the honest feedback; we're looking at the pacing on that section.

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5
Y
Yuki Tanaka – Lisbon2026-07-11 · Verified booking

South Island in the right season is something else, and the team knew exactly where to camp. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested.

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5
L
Laura Whitfield – Amsterdam2026-07-06 · Verified booking

Did this over 6 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. Recommended.

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5
C
Carla Mendes – Auckland2026-07-06 · Verified booking

South Island in the right season is something else, and the team knew exactly where to camp. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested.

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3
S
Sofia Marchetti – Amsterdam2026-07-06 · Verified booking

Pace was set for the fastest people in the group and it made the middle days hard. The lead was calm and knew when to slow the group down.

Reply from Meridian Overland

Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you on another trip.

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5
R
Rahul Menon – Kolkata2026-07-06 · Verified booking

Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Whoever planned the days knew what they were doing. Recommended.

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Questions people ask

No — go anyway. Milford takes about seven metres a year and the fiord is at its best in the wet, when hundreds of temporary waterfalls appear on the walls. Clear days are rarer and, honestly, less spectacular.

One other operator runs this trail. See all 2 side by side →