The Routeburn Adventure from Glenorchy

From NZD 2890 per person

Please enquire with the form

Getaway Summary

• Location: Glenorchy, Queenstown region
• 2 nights / 3 days
• Accommodation in a One-Bedroom Chalet at Headwaters Eco Lodge
• All meals, soft drinks, barista coffee
• Daily morning yoga
• Return transfers from Queenstown Airport (or CBD)
• Guided walking tour of Glenorchy
• Guided walk on the Routeburn Track (full day)

Two nights in Glenorchy, built entirely around you: walking guides, a full day on one of the world’s great walks, and an eco lodge that doesn’t skip a meal. Wander the village and lagoon one day, climb into beech forest and waterfall country on the Routeburn Track the next, before landing back at Headwaters for yoga, barista coffee and chef-cooked meals. It’s Fiordland’s wild edge, minus any of the logistics.

A Guided Walk Through Glenorchy

Glenorchy sits 45 minutes from Queenstown at the head of Lake Wakatipu, where the road runs out and Mt Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks begin. It grew up as a gold rush port in the 1860s and still feels like the edge of somewhere, the last stop before the wilderness takes over.

Your private guide walks you through the village, starting at the Glenorchy Wharf and its famous red shed. The shed once doubled as the local railway station, its short spur line running out to the wharf so goods could be loaded straight onto lake steamers, reputedly the shortest stretch of railway in the country.

From there you’ll follow the Glenorchy Lagoon walkway, a boardwalk loop across the wetlands where black swans drift between reflections of the Richardson Mountains. On a still day, the water turns to glass and serves as the most amazing mirroring pictures.

A Private Guided Walk on the Routeburn Track

The Routeburn is one of New Zealand’s Great Walks and one of its most famous alpine crossings, threading through Mt Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks and the wider Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area. Most people tackle it over two or three days with a full pack. You’ll do the best of it in one, with a private guide and nothing to carry but a day pack.

The walk climbs from Routeburn Shelter along the Routeburn River, through ancient silver beech forest that keeps the sun off and the birdsong up. Two swing bridges carry you over the water before the track opens onto Routeburn Flats, a wide grassed valley ringed by the Humboldt Mountains.

From the Flats, the track climbs toward Routeburn Falls, passing Bridal Veil waterfall on the way, before the bush gives way to open alpine views right at the bushline. It’s a solid day out, about 5 to 8 hours return. But a guided walk means that all you have to do is walk, everything else is planned for you.

Your accommodation in Glenorchy: Headwaters Eco Lodge

Headwaters Eco Lodge sits right in Glenorchy village, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and a short stroll from the wharf. It’s a genuine eco lodge: it generates its own solar power, runs its own water and wastewater systems, and is built from recycled and FSC-certified timber, set among native gardens dotted with sculpture and mosaic pathways. It’s also a non-profit organisation, run in support of the wider Glenorchy community, so your stay quietly gives something back to the town you’ve come to explore.

Your One-Bedroom Chalet comes with a king bed (or twin, if you’re travelling with a friend), an ensuite with a walk-in rain shower, and a private covered veranda looking out over the mountains. Original New Zealand artwork fills the space, the kind of chalet that makes you want to linger over a slow morning rather than rush out the door.

This Routeburn Adventure package includes the lot: breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, all soft drinks, and barista coffee whenever you want it, so there’s nothing left to plan or pay for once you arrive (apart from alcoholic drinks). The kitchen works garden-to-table with the seasons, and dietary requirements are handled without fuss.

Each morning opens with yoga in the lodge’s Humboldt Room, mountain views included, a gentle way to loosen up before a big day on the trail or a quieter one settling in.

Click here to enquire about this getaway