Bike tours from Queenstown
Central Otago's great trails, ridden properly: self-guided tours of five to eight days out of Queenstown, October to April, with every bed booked and your bags travelling ahead.
Queenstown is the best trailhead in the South Island. Five great trails radiate from this corner of Central Otago, joined into one continuous network by the newly opened Kawarau Gorge Trail, and our three self-guided tours ride the best of it: six days returning to Queenstown, eight days riding to Lawrence, or the five-day jet-boat classic through the gorges. You pick the dates, we handle everything else.
Three ways to ride it
Queenstown & Central Otago Highlights, self-guided
Six days, Queenstown return: the Queenstown Trail, the brand-new Kawarau Gorge, Lake Dunstan's boardwalks and the jet-boated Roxburgh Gorge, home each way from one base. From $2,599 per person.
Queenstown & Central Otago Explorer, self-guided
Eight days and five trails: the same great opening, then on down the Clutha Gold to the gold-rush town of Lawrence, finishing by bus to Queenstown or Dunedin. From $X,XXX per person.
Otago Triple Treat, self-guided
The five-day classic: Lake Dunstan, the Roxburgh Gorge with its jet boat leg, and two golden days on the Clutha Gold, Queenstown to Dunedin or return. From $1,825 per person.
A working week and one base suits the Highlights; extending the ride suits the Explorer; and the Triple Treat is our classic that skips the Kawarau's big day. Those wanting a more gentle ride, should check out the Otago Central Rail Trail. Ask us and we will tell you straight which one fits >
Why Queenstown works
The practical case is short and strong. Queenstown takes direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, so Australians can be on a trail the morning after leaving home. Two of the three tours start riding from the town itself, and the third begins with one scenic bus hop to Cromwell. The trails connect: since the Kawarau Gorge Trail opened, this corner of the South anchors around 530 kilometres of continuous riding, from Queenstown through the gorges to the Rail Trail country and beyond.
Know the trails before you come
The Kawarau Gorge Trail
The Lake Dunstan Trail
Grades 2-3 can be tricky
Two things said straight. This is confident-rider country: the tours here run Grades 2 to 3, the Kawarau day is the real thing, and the e-bikes are the honest recommendation rather than a luxury: our fitness page tells the whole truth. And if what you actually want is a fully guided tour with a crew, ours run out of Christchurch, not Queenstown: they are worth the look.
What is the best bike tour from Queenstown?
Depends on your week. Six days from one Queenstown base with four trails: the Highlights. Eight days riding until the trail runs out at Lawrence: the Explorer. Five gentler days with the jet boat and without the Kawarau's big climbs: the Otago Triple Treat. All three start any day of the year, and if you tell us your dates and your riding, we will give you a straight answer.
Do the tours actually start in Queenstown?
Yes. Both Queenstown & Central Otago tours begin with a night in Queenstown and ride out of the town itself on day two; the Otago Triple Treat starts with a morning bus from Queenstown to Cromwell, about 55 minutes, and rides from there.
When should we come?
Any day of the year that accommodation allows: these are all self-guided, any-day tours. The new Kawarau Gorge Trail opens on 19 September 2026, so the tours that ride it run from opening season onward, and autumn is Central Otago's honest best: gold everywhere, settled air, thinner crowds.
How fit do we need to be?
Comfortable with 35 to 55 kilometre days at Grades 2 & 3 for the two Queenstown tours, with the Kawarau day the honest test; the Triple Treat sits a notch gentler. The e-bikes shrink every climb, and our fitness page gives you the whole picture, grades and all >
Ask us anything
Tell us what you are thinking and we will reply within one business day.
