Stay two nights. Choose your wildlife stay.
Which Wildlife Stay fits you?
Start with the style of experience you want. Each stay includes two nights in Picton plus an E-Ko wildlife experience.
Relaxed Wildlife Stay
Best for guests who want a simple two-night Picton stay with one relaxed E-Ko wildlife cruise.
- Good for ferry timing and later starts.
- One E-Ko wildlife cruise included.
- Lowest commitment and easiest option.
Two Islands Wildlife Stay
Best for guests who want Motuara Island and Blumine Island / Oruawairua in one wildlife stay.
- Blumine Island / Oruawairua and Motuara Island.
- Strong rare wildlife and bird focus.
- Heritage and QCT forest can be an optional focus.
Premium Wildlife Stay
Best for guests who want the strongest mix of wildlife, islands, Ship Cove / Meretoto and forest.
- Two E-Ko experience days included.
- Includes heritage and Queen Charlotte Track forest focus.
- Best for birders, photographers and deeper stays.
Prices are from rates per person, twin share. Accommodation, tour timing and final package details are confirmed before booking is accepted. Wildlife is wild and sightings are never guaranteed.
Wildlife remains the reason.
Each Picton Wildlife Stay includes two nights accommodation. The room gives you the base; E-Ko's islands, wildlife and local guiding give you the reason to stay.
Preferred base
EDIT Picton
Preferred central base option for Picton Wildlife Stays.
Standard option
Jasmine Court
Central self-contained motel-style option where available.
Harbour hotel
Beachcomber
Harbour hotel option with central location and onsite restaurant.
Apartment upgrade
Waterfront Apartments
Self-contained apartment option near marina, cafes and ferry links.
Boutique upgrade
Escape to Picton
Boutique waterfront room option overlooking Picton marina.
Choose your stay first. Add upgrades at booking.
First pick your Wildlife Stay. Then choose Summer or Off-Season on the product page. At booking, you can add accommodation upgrades or optional extras before moving through to the payment page.
Final price depends on season, accommodation, room type, bedding configuration, travel dates, tour timing, selected E-Ko experience and optional extras.
More wildlife value is included.
Your stay includes more than the tour. E-Ko adds local guiding, species education, guest tools and post-booking rewards.
Wildlife guiding
Local guides help guests understand the dolphins, seabirds, islands and conservation stories they are seeing.
No Seasickness Guarantee
Book with more confidence on sheltered Marlborough Sounds water.
Better viewing tools
Free binocular use and onboard species ID cards help guests get more from the day.
Wildlife memories
Use E-Ko learning links and image resources to keep the wildlife story going after the tour.
Useful tools before and after your trip.
These resources help guests identify species, understand rare wildlife and get more value from their stay.
Free Hector's Dolphin course access.
Guests can access the Hector's Dolphin online education course. The free access code is supplied through E-Ko Rewards after booking.
Unlock up to $150 per person in E-Ko Rewards.
After booking, guests receive the E-Ko Rewards link with access to eligible rewards, course codes and added-value offers.
Rewards and extras are subject to the terms shown at booking or in the post-booking rewards link. Wildlife is wild and sightings are never guaranteed.
Your stay supports wildlife, community and better tourism.
E-Ko Wildlife Stays connect accommodation, local spending, guided wildlife experiences and conservation education.
A tour should help the species, not just the traveller.
These stays help visitors stay longer, learn more and understand why Marlborough Sounds wildlife matters.
- More visitor value stays in Picton.
- Guests learn about the species they came to see.
- Predator-free islands gain stronger visitor value.
Wildlife education
Guests can learn through the E-Ko Wildlife Species Library, image gallery and guide interpretation.
Predator-free island value
Motuara Island and Blumine Island / Oruawairua are stronger when guests understand the rare birds and island stories.
Local wildlife guides
Local interpretation helps guests understand what they are seeing and why it matters.
Helping the local community.
Staying longer spreads visitor spend across accommodation, restaurants, cafes, transport and local guides.
Better visitor value.
The reason to stay is wildlife, predator-free islands, local knowledge and a deeper Marlborough Sounds experience.
Better New Zealand tourism.
These stays support longer visits, community benefit, conservation awareness and regional value.
Credibility matters when wildlife is the reason to travel.
E-Ko builds these stays around trained local guiding, wildlife education, predator-free island value and conservation-led tourism.
Learn more about the conservation story.
The Sounds Enhancement Project is the wider impact layer behind E-Ko wildlife education, species awareness and conservation-led tourism.
Wildlife is wild and sightings are never guaranteed. This section describes E-Ko's tourism direction and intended community and conservation value.