Small Group Tours for the Solo Traveller

Here at New Zealand Trails, more than a third of our guests are solo travellers and that number is growing every year. We love hearing your stories and the reason you’re coming on a solo trip down under, whether you’ve just conquered one bucket list item and are looking for the next, you’re newly retired and keeping busier than ever, or you’re treating yourself to a birthday adventure.

If you’ve reached this page, you’re more than likely a solo traveller and want to know if a trip with New Zealand Trails is going to be right for you. As frequent solo travellers ourselves, we understand the trepidation of embarking on a group trip and the types of questions you’ll be asking yourself in the lead-up to your visit. Questions like: What will the other travellers be like? Will I be the only solo traveller on the trip? Will I still have my creature comforts? Will I be physically up for doing this trip?

Over the many years that we’ve been running trips, we’ve perfected small group travel for the solo adventurer, and we proudly operate the very best hiking, walking and adventure tours in New Zealand. The guests that join our trips come from all over the globe and from a wide range of interesting backgrounds. One thing they all have in common is a love of travel, being active in the outdoors and exploring new places. On a trip with us, you’ll not only explore New Zealand’s most famous landmarks like Milford Sound and Aoraki/Mt Cook but experience off-the-beaten-track hidden gems that only us locals know. You’ll gain exclusive access to the most remote and beautiful areas of our National Parks and enjoy world class guiding with our local New Zealand guides. It’s our recipe for your trip of a lifetime.

Why travel with New Zealand Trails as a solo traveller?

1. Over a third of our guests are solo travellers like you
2. No solo supplement fees
3. Small group travel designed for the independent traveller
4. Our five-star rated New Zealand guides
5. Exclusive access to the best of New Zealand and stress-free planning with our expert local team

We would love to have you join us here in New Zealand and as a solo traveller, you are without a doubt ‘in the right place’.

Solo Travel Made Easy

1. Over a third of our guests are solo travellers like you

Here at New Zealand Trails, we’ve perfected small-group travel that’s personal, flexible, safe and sustainable. We keep our group sizes small and only run a limited number of departures each year to ensure our trips are always of the highest standard. There’s an itinerary to fit every type of traveller, whether you’re looking for a hiking-focused trip, something at a gentler pace, or perhaps a touch of luxury, one of our New Zealand trips will be your perfect fit.

With over a third of our guests travelling solo, you’ll always be in good company with a fun mix of like-minded people here to explore New Zealand just like you. You’ll never feel like the third wheel!

"I would never have been able to have anywhere close to the same experience without New Zealand Trails expertise and hospitality. Every staff member I interacted with, went above and beyond to ensure that I not only found the right tour and enjoyed my experience with New Zealand Trails, but that I fully enjoyed my entire time in New Zealand."

- Sarah Franke - New Zealand Great Walk Adventure - South

2. No solo supplement fees

On our trips there is no forced solo supplement fee. As a solo traveller, we’ll team you up with a member of the group of the same sex to room with for your trip. If you would like to guarantee your own room, then there is always the option to add the solo supplement.

3. Independent small group travel

For many of our guests, a New Zealand Trails trip is their first foray into group travel. Our trips are designed with the independent traveller in mind as the perfect first step into guided group travel. We carefully craft our itineraries so that you’ll have a good balance of social and downtime and plenty of options throughout the trip. You’ll never feel rushed, and our guides are experts at knowing when to check in, when to step back and when to encourage you.

"I loved my experience in New Zealand and working with New Zealand Trails was great. This was my first group tour and first time doing a big trip like this alone and it worked out so well. Overall, the experience I had in New Zealand makes me want to return and see and do more and I would certainly work with New Zealand Trails again! I am recommending your company to anyone who will listen. I gained so much from my trip to New Zealand and came away feeling fulfilled and wanting more!"

- Bonnie Cutts - Masterpiece

4. Five-star rated New Zealand guides

When we ask our guests to tell us their favourite part of their trip with us, they always say it was their tour guide. We’re proud to have assembled – without exception – the very best guides you could wish to travel with. The secret ingredient to our trips is that when it comes to solo adventures our guides really ‘get it’. Most of them are solo travellers themselves so they know what it’s like to be in your shoes. They’re experts at bringing together a group and making you feel at home on your trip. They handle the logistics, eliminating all the stress that usually comes with solo travel so you can experience New Zealand the way you’re meant to - in total relaxation.

"I’ve travelled to nearly fifty countries and Cameron is easily in my top 2% of guides. He is patient, resourceful, smart, knowledgeable, caring, interested in his clients and invested in their enjoyment of and immersion in the tour activities. He is wise beyond his years and a great ambassador for NZ Trails. I would jump at the chance to tour with him again. A super guide!"

- Pam Payne, New Zealand Great Walks Adventure - South

5. Exclusive access to the best of New Zealand and stress-free planning with our expert local team.

When trying to figure out what it is you want to do and see in a different country, it makes such a difference when you can talk to someone on the ground - even better, a local!

Your New Zealand adventure starts when you first get in touch with us and usually, Jodi and Cass will be the first people you chat to! Whether that’s on the phone, over video chat or by email, as soon as you hear our accents, you know that you’re speaking with a real New Zealander who knows the real New Zealand.

Once you join up, you’ll meet our lovely guest services ladies, Becky and Lydia, who are here to make sure you have everything you need right up until you board your flight to New Zealand. They’ll help put all the bits and pieces together so that your trip runs smoothly and are experts on everything to do with flights, travel insurance and anything else you may need help with. They’ll worry about all the details so that you don’t have to.

See which trip is right for you