Unique Exciting Experiences

Queenstown’s Dart River Jet Safaris experiences are combinations of: -

• Breathtaking ‘World Heritage’ Scenery in the Te Wai Pounamu World Heritage area
• Exhilarating Wilderness Jet Boating
• Captivating Maori history
• A 30 minute Nature walk through mature Red Beech forest
• One of the world’s top ten scenic drives
• A movie fantasy land
• Early pioneering heritage

Offering truly authentic discoveries of everything that makes New Zealand an exceptional destination.

Diverse Wilderness Adventures

Join us, the only operator on the Dart River, for a diverse adventure from Queenstown to the frontier township of Glenorchy at the head of mighty Lake Wakatipu and into the pristine Dart River Valley and spectacular Mt Aspiring National Park.

Here you’ll explore little known areas inaccessible by other means and discover a unique and dramatic environment rich in both natural and cultural heritage and legend. If there is one Queenstown experience that delivers the diversity and essence of what is 'New Zealand' - it is without doubt an adventure with Dart River Jet Safaris.

Natural and Cultural Significance

Embark on a rare journey retracing the footsteps of the first Maori people of this land who discovered this rugged, beautiful and unique environment. Here they explored for food and discovered precious pounamu, (greenstone) which became highly valued for tools, weapons and adornments, and has since gone on to become a New Zealand icon.

Early pioneers who followed settled and farmed these valleys.  Their stories make up a rich layer of trials and tribulations and introduced a wide variety of animals into this environment. 

Nestled within the ‘great divide’ of the Southern Alps, this area is of natural and cultural significance and is fully protected as part of Mount Aspiring National Park.

‘World Heritage’ Scenery

The 46km drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy is rated one of the Top ten scenic drives in the world by both Conde Naste and Lonely Planet.  A great way to start an inspiring journey.

The Dart River empties out of part of the larger Te Wahipounamu (‘Place of Greenstone’) - Southwest New Zealand World Heritage Area, Mount Aspiring National Park is incredibly special as one of only a few places in the world with UNESCO 'World Heritage' status protecting a natural heritage site; others include Mt. Everest, the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef. This Park dates back 80 million years to a time when New Zealand was part of the ancient super-continent Gondwanaland, and is regarded as amongst the world's finest examples of glaciated landforms and ancient native forest.

Fantasy meets Reality

The amazing scenery throughout this area has made it a prized location for countless films.  Pass by scenes used in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies to illustrate Middle Earth.   

New Zealand’s Most Sensational Journey

Choose the ‘Safari’ option that suits you best from the Wilderness Safari or Funyak Safari and join us for a diverse activity of exhilaration, discovery and adventure, and experience ‘New Zealand’s Most Sensational Journey‘.