Lake Marian is a beautiful alpine lake held within a “hanging valley” surrounded by mountains at the cusp of the bush line. On a clear day with little wind, the reflections are stunning to say the least. Our day walk provides some extra time to walk around the southern side of the lake, where the views there are extra dazzling. The permanent snow-covered Mt Crosscut and the Darren range seem so close.

Your Day:

• Departure is at 8:30 am from your Te Anau accommodation – Returning 4:30 pm (an alternative schedule can be arranged).
• We begin our journey with a spectacular scenic drive along the Milford Road. Approximately 1 hour into our journey, we enter Fiordland National Park, which is the largest national park in New Zealand.
• We stop at some fantastic photo opportunities along our way to the Lower Hollyford Valley.
• The hike starts with a gentle walk alongside a spectacular series of cascading waterfalls, then steepens and becomes quite rocky underfoot and sometimes a bit muddy after rain. We ascend at your pace through a lush forest of fuchsia, ribbon wood and beech trees, making frequent stops.
• Our experienced guide will inform and entertain with local knowledge about the flora and fauna and will be on call to answer any questions you may have.
• The native birdlife can be plentiful, and we make time to capture photos of them.
• An amazing morning tea of wonderful date scones, tea and coffee, biscuits and chocolate, will be supplied at one of the various stops. We can also supply a fulling optional lunch you can bring along in your day pack.
• The walk will take approximately 5 hours return (weather and fitness dependent).
• Should adverse weather shorten our time at Lake Marian, we will take the opportunity to explore further down the Hollyford Road including some amazing short walks.