Blue Lake Four Day Guided Walk
The best way to explore the world-renowned Blue Lake in the heart of the Nelson Lakes National Park is to take our four-day Blue Lake guided walk. This walk is designed for people with intermediate fitness levels and are comfortable walking on un-groomed tracks for extended periods of time
Blue Lake or Rotomairewhenua is named for its extraordinary blue color and glassy appearance. Blue Lake is a stunning example of the high country lakes and is the clearest fresh water lake in the world. It has the same clarity as distilled water and has an incredible visibility of up to 80 meters. It attracts travelers from all over the world.
We also offer a more advanced guided trip in this region. See Travers Sabine here.
Why not join Southern Wilderness for the trip of a lifetime in the Nelson Lakes
Contact Us to book now! Or call us on +64 (3) 545-7544 . We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Itinerary
Day One: Nelson to West Sabine Hut ( approx. 6-8 hours )
Our friendly guides will greet you at your Nelson accommodation. Our journey starts with a drive to the lakefront Alpine Lodge in St Arnaud for coffee. After a short briefing and final gear check, another short drive to Lake Rotoroa. Here we meet a water taxi that will transfer us to the southern end of the lake to begin our walk into the Sabine Valley. The track climbs slowly following the left bank of the West Sabine River finally crossing the swing bridge to the West Sabine Hut where we spend our first night.
Day Two: West Sabine Hut to Blue Lake ( approx. 3-4 hours )
A relaxing early morning spent exploring the river and scenery before a mid-morning walk upstream for two hours. The valley broadens and the track passes through forest destroyed by an avalanche in 1980. We continue to climb through the spectacular surrounding valleys before meeting up with the upper Sabine river which flows directly out of Blue Lake. A scenic overnight stop at Blue Lake Hut on the edge of the lake.
Day Three: Blue Lake Tour ( approx. 4-6 hours )
A 3-4-hour walk exploring Blue Lake front, finishing back at West Sabine Hut. For the more adventurous walkers we can take a detour to Lake Constance Lookout and explore the basins of Blue Lake as well as the water front. This will take approximately 6 hours. The water from Lake Constance feeds Blue Lake and is filtered through a massive land slide that separates the two lakes. We lunch on the shore of Blue Lake before making our way back down the trail to West Sabine Hut for our last delicious evening meal of the trip.
Day Four: West Sabine Hut to Nelson ( approx. 5-6 hours )
Our final leg! Retracing our steps across the West Sabine River on the swing bridge, todays walk follows the river down the Sabine valley and crosses through three areas of native bush and wide clearings. We leave the river as it enters a gorge in the lower valley, heading over the ridge, then rejoin the river. From this point it is easy walking back to the Sabine Hut on the edge of Lake Rotoroa. This ends the walking tour, and it is time to sit back and relax for lunch at the Sabine Hut while we wait for the water taxi across the lake back to our transport. We arrive in Nelson at approximately 5 pm.
This trip includes knowledgeable local guides, three nights’ accommodation in Department of Conservation huts, gourmet meals cooked on the track by your guides, and return transport from Nelson.
Arrive back in Nelson at approximately 6 pm on Day 5.
Includes four night’s hut accommodation in Department of Conservation huts, all meals, guiding services, door to door transport to/from Nelson accommodation.
NOTE: The accommodation on the track is in Department of Conservation huts – these are basic, but comfortable and must be shared with other walkers. Guests carry their own pack containing personal clothing and sleeping bag. Guides carry all food, cooking utensils and safety equipment.
NB: There is currently no booking system in the Nelson Lakes National Park, While it is unlikely that the huts will be full there is a small chance guests may need to stay in tents ( Supplied by Southern Wilderness)
Price: $1795 per person
Contact us to book your Southern Wilderness Nelson Lakes journey today!
Or call us on +64 (3) 545-7544 . We look forward to hearing from you soon!