The Fiordland National Park is one of the most spectacular national parks in New Zealand. Covering the southwest corner of the South Island, it is the largest of the 14 national parks in the country having a total area of 12,500 km², and occupies a major portion of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site. The Fiordland National Park is administered by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

The most extensive wilderness area in New Zealand, this national park is home to the highest waterfall, the deepest lakes, the highest cliffs and most shallow black corals in the country. This park also receives the highest rainfall in New Zealand; however, don’t let this stop you from visiting here, as this park is even more awe-inspiring when it rains as literally hundreds of waterfalls form cascading down into the fiords.

The most famous destination inside this park has to be Milford Sound, New Zealand’s most visited and most famous tourist attraction. This magnificently beautiful fiord was formed by an ancient glacier that initially extended out into sea, but later retreated allowing the sea to flood back in. There are 13 other fiords found along the coast, some of which are 650 meters deep. Other recognized fiords in this area are Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound.

The ice has also formed two uninhabited offshore islands inside the Fiordland National Park as well namely, Secretary Island and Resolution Island. Several lakes can also be found here including Lake Te Anau, Lake Haurako Lake Poteriteri and Lake Manapouri.

You can visit the Fiordland National Park via the town of Te Anau, which has an excellent visitor’s center. Here you can organize bus tours, boat cruises and aerial sightseeing trips of the park including the Milford Sound and Lake Manapouri area.

Home to penguins, dolphins and New Zealand fur seals, Fiordland has a diverse flora and fauna habitat, with more than 700 indigenous plants found here. The fiords of this area are the last remaining remnants of the ancient super-continent Gondwana and is a popular area for trampers and alpine climbers.