About ECOTRAILS
A more intentional way of experiencing one of New Zealand’s most iconic landscapes.
ECOTRAILS was created from a love of nature, slow living, and a belief that truly experiencing a place takes more than simply passing through it.
Queenstown nature tour operators, Angelo & Sky, offer small-group and private nature journeys along the infamous Routeburn Track, just outside Glenorchy.
These experiences are designed to help people connect more deeply with the landscapes they’re walking through.
How ECOTRAILS Began.
The idea for ECOTRAILS came from years spent walking New Zealand’s iconic tracks and noticing how often people rushed through them — eyes fixed on the destination, ticking routes off a list, missing much of the beauty around them.
We found ourselves wanting something different.
A way of walking that allowed time to pause. To notice birdsong, plant life, and subtle changes in the land. To understand not just where you are, but how the landscape works and why it feels the way it does.
ECOTRAILS was built to offer that alternative — a guided experience that values depth over distance and connection over completion.
Guided with Care
ECOTRAILS experiences are led by guides who know the land they walk through and genuinely enjoy sharing it with others.
Our guiding style is calm, observant, and flexible — adapting to the interests, energy, and pace of each group. We believe the best experiences are created through conversation, curiosity, and shared moments of discovery, rather than fixed scripts or rushed itineraries.
Our Approach
ECOTRAILS is intentionally small.
We host one group at a time, keeping journeys intimate and gently paced so the day can unfold naturally around the people in it. While our approach is relaxed, each experience is thoughtfully structured to guide guests through a natural progression of environments — from lowland forest and river valleys to sub-alpine terrain.
This balance allows guests to slow down without missing the full story of the landscape.
Along the way, we share knowledge about:
Native plants and ecology
Birdlife and wildlife
Seasonal and environmental change
The geological forces shaping the land
Local conservation efforts
Where we operate
ECOTRAILS operates from Queenstown and Glenorchy, guiding guests through carefully chosen landscapes that showcase the diversity of the region — from forested valleys, grasslands meadows and river flats.
Our Hero track is the iconic and infamous Routeburn track, because of it's abundance of biodiversity (please note access is pending consession approval, and as such we are taking bookings for this coming Spring/Summer 2026). However if you would like to explore any other non-DOC track in the area, please let us know by reaching out via our email.
We operate year-round, with each experience shaped around weather, track conditions, and the season.
Your Guide - Angelo
Guide / Wild food chef / Storyteller
ECOTRAILS is co-led by Angelo, a true local with a deep connection to New Zealand’s landscapes and a natural curiosity for how nature works.
With a background in land-based and conservation work, and a long-standing passion for biodiversity and birdlife, Angelo brings both practical knowledge and years of guiding experience to each walk. Years spent working outdoors have shaped his quiet attentiveness to the rhythms of the land — from subtle changes in weather to the call of native birds overhead.
His guiding style is relaxed, grounded, and conversational. There’s space for questions, shared discoveries, and unhurried moments along the track.
Angelo has guided extensively in the Queenstown region, earning outstanding testimonials from guests across multiple experiences.
Read what guests say about Angelo as a Guide in his previous roles below:
“A brilliant days walking”
• Solo
What a wonderful days walking on the Routeburn Track. Pick up from the hotel was by our guide Angelo. Once everyone had been picked up Angelo gave us an overview of the route and pointed out things of interest on the drive to the start point. The route itself was a gentle uphill walk for the first five miles and then quite a bit steeper for one and a half miles to the Falls Hut. The scenery was stunning and the forest enchanting.
Along the way Angelo stopped to explain how the forest had evolved and what the plants were. He also had an extensive knowledge of the bird life in the forest. He was a very good guide constantly checking that everyone was ok and encouraging us.
A Fantastic experience, one I’ll never forget, thank you Angelo.
“An amazing day hike!”
• Couple
This was an amazing day! Our guide, Angelo, was incredibly knowledgeable about all the plants, mosses and birds in this incredible beech tree forest that you hike through to get to the 2nd part of the hike where you go up to near the origin of the Routeburn River. This was a reasonable long hike at about 13 miles with elevation gain around 3,000 feet. It was slow and steady so no real killer elevation gains – just a fairly steady uphill hike. It is an up and back, and there are amazing vistas along the way.
“Beautiful experience”
• Friends
Our guide Angelo gave detailed and beautiful stories about the plants, animals and wilderness. Got to enjoy nature from the smallest plants to the rushing waterfalls. What a great experience!
“Amazing day on the Routeburn Track!”
Angelo was an amazing guide! He taught us so much about the different plants and birds in the area. The track itself was great, not too difficult but very scenic throughout the entire thing. Angelo had all the best stopping points along the trail, which was great for taking in the scenery. I would recommend this guided hike to anyone!
“Best hike ever!!”
Angelo G was the best guide, patient, encouraging and so knowledgeable. He took the time to explain bird sounds and all the fauna. So many beautiful plants!! Loved Angelo and the hike is stunning!!
Your Guide - Sky
Guide / Land reader / self-taught Botanist
ECOTRAILS is co-led by Sky, a nature enthusiast with a deep appreciation for New Zealand’s landscapes and a lifelong curiosity about how natural systems work.
With a background in plant biology, agricultural science, and land-based environmental work, Sky has spent years observing and working alongside the land. But more than qualifications, it’s a genuine love of being outdoors — noticing seasonal shifts, native plants, birdlife, and the quiet details most people walk past — that shapes each experience.
Book a knowledge-based nature experience, and join us on the track from
Nov 2026!
Nature journeys for couples and small groups.
About ECOTRAILS
ECOTRAILS operates in accordance with Department of Conservation concession requirements, and we follow Leave No Trace and minimal impact guiding principles, aligned with our Tiaki Promise.
