Kinloch Wilderness Retreat
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Open Hours: 8am onwards
Kinloch Wilderness Retreat is a remote, lakeside wilderness lodge located just a stones throw from the Routeburn and Greenstone tracks. A peaceful location with amazing lake and mountain views, only 1hr from Queenstown via a stunning drive around the head of the lake.
We have e-bikes, e-motorbikes, and fishing rods for hire. In warmer months we offer guided kayak trips along the shoreline. When we have a yoga teacher on staff there are yoga classes in our yurt, nestled in the beech forest, and the space can be hired by guests for personal use. Our new (in 2025) Wai Area contains a large spa pool, infrared sauna, and ice shower for some wellness relaxation.
Since 1868 there has been hospitality offered at Kinloch, with our Heritage Lodge dating back to these times. We have a variety of room types and our restaurant offers delicious food made with local and organic ingredients and can accommodate all dietary requirements.
Sustainability and care for our environment is key to operating in our location and we try to tread as lightly we can. Over the years we have created a vegetable garden, stopped takeaway cups, installed many solar panels and batteries, switched to EVs, moved to heatpumps to keep everyone cozy, we use local suppliers and contractors as much as possible, and so much more.
Description
Kinloch Wilderness Retreat is 1 hour and a million miles from Queenstown, NZ.
Guests journey into nature on one of the world’s best drives to reach NZ’s smallest township, at the head of Lake Whakatipu, surrounded by beech forest and mountains. We're halfway between the Routeburn Track and the Greenstone/Caples Tracks and hospitality has been offered here since 1868, with our Heritage Lodge a testament to all the history here.
We seek to be a place of respite, a place of peace, and a place of nourishment.
With a variety of accommodation for all budgets, spaces for relaxing, onsite restaurant, and great local activities, this is the ultimate wilderness getaway, focused on sustainability and with stunning lake and mountain views. >
In addition to the many local walks and hikes, our on site activities are:
- guided kayak trips (Oct-April only)
- transport to the Routeburn and Greenstone/Caples tracks
- wai area - hot pool and infrared sauna
- e-bike hire
- UBCO electric motorbike hire
- fishing rods for hire
- yoga classes in our yurt nestled in the forest - this can be hired privately by the hour as well
We prioritise sustainability and work hard to reduce our impact on the environment. We have invested heavily in solar power, our vehicles are electric, we use local suppliers as much as possible, compost as much as we can, have planted out the site significantly and are constantly striving for improvements.
Map & Directions
862 Kinloch Road, Glenorchy Otago 9372 New Zealand
Directions
There's only 1 road to Kinloch. We're 75kms from Queenstown, 26kms from Glenorchy. The last 9kms are gravel and suitable for most car types, just drive to the conditions. There are signposts from Glenorchy and every junction.
Between October and May, Info&Track operate bus services from Queenstown to us and the local tracks.
Cancellation Policy
For cancellations of bookings by guests made outside of 24 hours, a 10% administration fee, plus card fees, will be deducted from the refund.
All transfers, packages and tours cancelled with less than 24 hours notice will incur the full charge.
A minimum of 2 guests is required for kayak trips to proceed.
In the case of adverse weather conditions, Kinloch Wilderness Retreat will endeavor to provide you with alternative arrangements at the same or a similar price point for our services. However this is subject to the availability of drivers and vehicles; this primarily applies to transfers, kayaking and UBCO rentals.
Our location means that late cancellations have a significant effect. We recommend that you take out travel insurance for the unforeseen circumstances where last minute cancellation may be necessary.