Full Day Lord of The Rings

The Safari of the Scenes full-day tour covers much ground to deliver the signature scenes shot around the Queenstown region.

Commencing at 8am, the tour first travels west to Glenorchy and Paradise before returning to Queenstown for lunch followed by Arrowtown and Gibbston before finishing in Skippers Canyon.

Refreshments of tea, coffee, hot chocolate accompanied by biscuits and cake are served both morning and afternoon and a light lunch is supplied in one of the Queenstown cafes.

The morning tour travels along the Wakatipu Lake edge to the small hamlet of Glenorchy.

This portion is very scenic with many photo stops along the way and in the Paradise region of Mount Aspiring National Park, short walks on flat forest track are easy and the road is a mixture of seal and gravel.

The afternoon section is more rugged with short periods of rough ground and river crossings.

The tour visits Gibbston Valley area, Arrowtown and the Skippers Canyon Road which is high and windy but with very dramatic scenery .

Short walks are on well-managed surfaces and the opportunity to pan for elven gold is beside the river on uneven ground.

Content of the tours includes the settings for The Ford of Bruinen, Gladden Fields, The Pillars of the Kings, the exodus from Edoras, Warg Battle, Misty Mountains, Ithilien Camp, Oliphants, Caradhras, Lothlorien, Fangorn, Gap of Rohan, Isengard, Dunharrow and many backgrounds to the scenes.

Join us! "Let this be the hour when we draw swords together. Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the red dawn. Forth, Eorlingas! "

Private Charters
If you’d like a more private trip, you can book a whole vehicle for your group, our maximum group size is 6.
4 Pax max
Choose this option to guarantee everyone a window seat. A maximum of four passengers per vehicle, each guest enjoys their own window seat. This differs from our standard tours, which accommodate up to six passengers per vehicle, and do not guarantee a window seat throughout the experience. Please note, our guides always encourage seat rotation so everyone has the opportunity to enjoy a different window view during the tour.
Will I see sets from Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit?
No. As part of gaining permission to film in the spectacular locations, the producers were required to dismantle all sets except for Hobbiton.
We specialise in showing you where specific scenes were filmed. Many of the movie locations are recognisable on our trips and your guide will give you insights into the stories behind them.
How long is the trip?
9.5 hours (1 hour for lunch in Queenstown).
Where will you pick up and drop off?
We will pick you up and drop you at any central accommodation or information centres.
Where will we have lunch?
A local café – Balls and Bangles ($20 voucher), 62 Shotover St
Is any walking involved?
Our Glenorchy trips include an easy 15 minute (return) nature walk to a LOTR scene over a formed trail. Clients have the option of staying in or near the vehicle if they wish at any of the stops on any of our tours.
What type of vehicles do you use?
6 seater 4WD Land Rover or Land Cruiser.
What are your child rates/ Child ages?
We do have child rates available. Infants (0-3 years) travel for free and children (4-14 years) travel at a discounted price.
Important Information: Tour Itinerary Adjustments
Your safety is our top priority. In certain situations, it may be necessary to alter the tour itinerary due to conditions beyond our control, such as high water levels or adverse road conditions. This could mean we are unable to cross rivers or drive certain roads or drive the full length of roads like Skippers Canyon. When booking, please understand that these adjustments may be required. Please also see our full weather cancellation policy

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Disclosure of Risk 4WD

Nomad Adventures Limited (t/a Nomad Safaris) Disclosure of Risk for Four Wheel Drive Tours. Wakatipu, Glenorchy, Skippers Canyon, Macetown, Gold Seeker, Essential Queenstown and Private Charter

We, Nomad Adventures Limited, are committed to the protection of our employees, clients & property from accidental injury or damage from work carried out by, and on behalf of, the business. We, Nomad Adventures Limited, adopt health, safety, and welfare as a fundamental business objective.

In meeting this commitment, management will comply with all legislative requirements and take all practicable steps to:

• Provide a safe place of work, safe equipment, and proper materials.
• Activities are reviewed by competent staff (internal technical advisors).
• Establish and insist that safe work methods be always practiced.
• Provide supervision and training.
• Ensure employees and clients understand and accept their responsibility to promote a safe and healthy place of work and are part of the safety management process.
• Comply with all Health and Safety Legislation.
• Prevention of serious harm.
• Continually improve.

Whilst we undertake all reasonably practicable steps to minimize, remove, or isolate risks during our tours, it still exists as it does in everyday life.

Risks you may be exposed to during your tour include, but are not limited to:

• Motor vehicle accident including collision with other vehicles, stationary objects, or the land, rollovers, or vehicle fires.
• Your own failure to heed safety warnings, both verbal and written.
• Actions of other road users or members of the public which could cause harm.
• Risk of falling from alighting the motor vehicle.
• Risk of falling or injury due to uneven, loose, or slippery terrain.
• Risk of drowning.
• Risk of injury or death due to natural events such as Earthquakes, Landslide, Flash Flooding, Treefall, Wildfire, Lightning, Blizzards, Volcanic Eruption, Tsunami, Cyclones, and any ongoing consequences of these events.

Disclosure of Risk 4WD v1.2 – Nov 2025

Weather Cancellation Policy

Weather cancellation policy Nomad Adventures Limited (t/a Nomad Safaris, Info & Track, Info & Snow)

As part of this commitment, we reserve the right to delay or cancel any tours or activities if weather conditions are not suitable. This decision will be made by the Operations Manager or a delegated representative. Guides and Drivers are also authorized to modify their routes, or shorten a tour if weather conditions unexpectedly change.

Reasons for this could include, but are not limited to:

• Excessive rain causing risk of flooding
• Extreme high winds
• Snowfall closing roads
• Excessive ice on roading network
• Risk of lightning strike during tours
• Weather-related State of Emergency declared by authorities
• Any other extreme environmental or weather event, such as Earthquake, Landslide, Wildfire, Tsunami, Cyclone, Volcanic Eruption

Weather Cancellation Policy v1.2 – Nov 2025

LOTR Safaris Scenes
This was an amazing tour and very informative on some of the locations for the Lord of the Rings. Our tour guide, Justin, was excellent. He was funny and our little tour of five people had the best time. We got to dress up as hobbits and play with props from the movies. There was so much to see with beautiful scenery, babbling creeks, small waterfalls (it had rained a lot prior to our tour). We had a lovely morning tea at Chinamans Bluff. It was breathtaking. Thank you, Justin and Nomad Safaris for an unforgettable 50th birthday. -Deluwiel, Sydney, Australia via Trip Advisor
A Unique NZ adventure
Nomad's Safari of the scenes adventure around the Queenstown hinterland was a trip to remember. Don our very capable driver guided us through location scenes for Lord of the Rings with in-depth descriptions of set locations as well as taking us to spots inaccessible via our normal rental vehicles. Driving through Arrowtown river was a great highlight. The drive into the Skippers canyon wilderness was amazing. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who wishes to experience something unique to this part of New Zealand. And again a big thanks to Don our driver and guide. - Con M, North Parramatta, Australia via TripAdvisor