Wilkin Wonderland Explorer

A premium wilderness trilogy of jet boating, hiking, and alpine flight.

Maximise your South Island adventure with an immersive journey through the heart of the Southern Alps. This signature experience begins with a private helicopter flight over mountain ranges around Makarora. From here, you board a private jet boat for an exhilarating journey up the Makarora and Wilkin Rivers with Wilkin River Jets. Surrounded by towering peaks and ancient beech forests, this quintessential New Zealand experience delivers you to the trailhead at Kerin Forks.

Once on the ground, join your expert Best Foot Forward NZ guide for a 6–7km hike through the Wilkin Valley, featuring undulating terrain and wooden bridges over glacier-fed streams. Enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch featuring local Central Otago produce before emerging onto the spectacular Wonderland grass flats. The day reaches a stunning finale as your helicopter arrives at the flats to whisk you away, climbing over hidden glaciers for a final bird’s-eye view of the terrain.

This is a customisable day. For more experienced hikers, there is an option to continue towards Jumboland Valley, a further 8km, creating a 15km journey with an estimated total hike duration of 6 to 8 hours.

*Please note this activity departs from our Makarora base. 

**We accept online bookings for one or more passengers; however, a minimum of two passengers is required for the activity to go ahead. You may be grouped with others to meet this minimum. While we do our best to accommodate your preferred time and date, changes may occur due to weather or pilot availability. We will confirm your booking within 24 hours of receiving your request. Please do not consider your booking confirmed until you receive this confirmation email. If you haven’t heard from us within 24 hours, please contact us at [email protected].**