NEW ZEALAND · FIORDLAND · 44.72°S 168.17°E · SUMMER · NOV–APR
Routeburn & Kepler
Two Great Walks stitched into one Fiordland week: the Routeburn's alpine gardens and the Kepler's ridgeline above two fiord-lakes, with kea supervising every lunch and hut wardens who deserve their own documentary.
THE ROUTE, CHARTED
The elevation profile
GPS-logged. Camps and key points marked; the shape of the route is the honest version of the brochure.
THE SHAPE OF THE TRIP · 7 DAYS
The itinerary
The Routeburn
From the Divide over Key Summit's boardwalk tarns, beneath Earland Falls' spray, to Lake Mackenzie's amphitheatre hut. Then the big traverse: the Harris Saddle and Conical Hill, 1,515m of optional bonus, with the Hollyford valley running to the Tasman below, finishing down the Routeburn flats' golden gorge.
Te Anau interlude and Luxmore
A lake day repositioning to Te Anau — the glow-worm caves are the correct choice — then onto the Kepler: the long forest climb to Luxmore hut, perched above the bushline with the lake a thousand metres below and its cave system ten minutes' walk with head torches.
The Kepler crest
The ridgeline day: Mount Luxmore, 1,472m, then hours of exposed tussock crest — kea patrols, cloud theatre, emergency shelters passed and noted — before the great zigzag descent into the mossy quiet of the Iris Burn, and out along the lakeshore to the control gates.
WHY THIS ROUTE
The expedition
Fiordland is rainforest wearing a mountain range: beech woods deep in moss, waterfalls that switch on with the weather, and above the bushline, suddenly, tussock ridges with hundred-kilometre views over drowned glacial valleys. We link the two finest Great Walks on either side of the divide — the Routeburn's traverse past Lake Mackenzie and the Harris Saddle, and the Kepler's exposed crest from Luxmore hut, 1,472m at Mount Luxmore, above Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri. New Zealand's hut system does the hosting: gas, bunks, filtered rain, and wardens whose evening briefings are a national art form. Kea — alpine parrots with the intelligence of toddlers and the ethics of pirates — attend all outdoor meals. Honest note: Fiordland records seven metres of rain a year and shares it generously; the grade covers long ridgeline days where weather exposure, not terrain, is the test.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Two Great Walks, one week, zero repetition
- The Kepler ridgeline above two great lakes
- Key Summit's alpine tarns and the Harris Saddle
- Kea, whio and glow-worms after dark
- DOC huts — trekking's best-run bunkhouses
- Earland Falls at 174m, walked directly beneath
STRAIGHT ANSWER
Is this for you?
You should be able to say yes — honestly — to all of these:
- You can walk six-to-seven-hour days on rough ground, back to back, and enjoy most of them.
- You would rather be told the truth about a hard day than sold an easy one.
Grade 3 means grade 3. If you're not sure, ring us — we'd rather lose a booking than carry a struggle.
THE LEDGER
What £2,090 covers
INCLUDED
- Wildtrace guide (Jonas Iversen) at a max ratio of 1:8
- All hut, refuge or lodge nights as described, with evening meals
- Group safety kit: inReach satellite comms and expedition first aid
- Pre-trip video call, training plan and the real kit list
NOT INCLUDED
- International travel to the start point
- Personal travel insurance covering trekking to 1,472m — required, checked before departure
- Visas and permits payable on entry, where applicable
- Tips for local crew (we publish a guideline per trip)
- Sleeping bag — bring your own or hire ours (£30/trip)
- Lunches and drinks on travel days
PACK THIS, NOT EVERYTHING
Kit, previewed
The items that matter most on this route. The full list — with honest notes on what not to buy — lives in the kit room and is sent on booking.
Broken-in boots matched to the terrain. Broken-in is the load-bearing phrase.
Waterproof jacket and trousers you actually trust.
A day pack that fits — 30–35L covers almost every trip.
Headtorch plus spare batteries. Early starts are a feature.
Sheet sleeping-bag liner and earplugs. Dormitory diplomacy in two items.
2L capacity plus purification where the trip notes say so.
A proper insulated jacket. Evenings are where trips are enjoyed or endured.
WHO'S TAKING YOU
Your guide
Jonas Iversen
IML · POLAR & NORDIC LEADTromsø-born, polar-certified, measures distances in coffee stops. Has crossed the Hardangervidda in every month of the year and still calls August 'the easy one'.
HOW WE RUN IT
Max 8 walkers. inReach satellite comms carried and checked daily. Escape routes planned before we sell a single place. And the weather rule that built this company: we turn back. That's the deal. Full detail on our safety page.
NO PAYMENT AT THIS STAGE
Ask about this trip
Send this and a guide rings you back — Tuesday or Thursday evening, usually. Fifteen minutes, honest questions both ways, no hard sell.
IF THIS, THEN ALSO
