Franz Josef: Twin Glacier Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Franz Josef & Fox Glacier, New Zealand
- 35 minutes (approx.)
- Flight time: 20 to 25 minutes
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Appreciate the majesty and scale of Franz Josef and Fox glaciers from the air during a 30-minute helicopter flight and snow landing. Enjoy aerial views over both glaciers from your prime position in the sky, and hear live commentary from the pilot before landing atop one of the glaciers. Then hop out to get a better view of one of New Zealand’s most stunning landscapes.
- A 2-for-1 flight that includes Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers
- Enjoy panoramic views of the glaciers from the air
- Hear interesting commentary from your pilot
- Meet at a handy central spot in Franz Josef town
What's Included
- Scenic helicopter flight
- Pilot guide
- Informative commentary during the flight
- Allow 35-minute total trip duration including snow landing
- Guaranteed snow landing
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- The Helicopter Line Franz Josef GlacierMain South Road, SH6, Franz Josef / Waiau 7856, New Zealand
Weather check – due to very changeable weather conditions your weather is at same time as check-in. Check-In closes 30 minutes prior to departure time.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Start your Southern Alps glacier discovery at Franz Josef town, where you'll board your helicopter for the 30-minute flight. Strap yourself into your seat and prepare for a once-in-a-lifetime ride, soaring above the pristine scenery of New Zealand’s Franz Josef and Fox glaciers—the result of millions of years of geologic change.
En route, listen to live narration from your experienced pilot and gaze out the panoramic windows to the stunning frozen landscape below. Your helicopter hovers above a mantle of ice and snow, then makes a thrilling snow landing at the top of either the Franz Josef Glacier or Fox Glacier. Hop out to get up close to the breathtaking scene, including shimmering blue icefalls, ice caves, deep crevasses, pinnacles and seracs.
Take some time to pose for photos, capture the alpine terrain on camera, and take in the mountaintop views over the valley beyond. Finally, settle back inside your helicopter for the short flight back to the base.
En route, listen to live narration from your experienced pilot and gaze out the panoramic windows to the stunning frozen landscape below. Your helicopter hovers above a mantle of ice and snow, then makes a thrilling snow landing at the top of either the Franz Josef Glacier or Fox Glacier. Hop out to get up close to the breathtaking scene, including shimmering blue icefalls, ice caves, deep crevasses, pinnacles and seracs.
Take some time to pose for photos, capture the alpine terrain on camera, and take in the mountaintop views over the valley beyond. Finally, settle back inside your helicopter for the short flight back to the base.
Franz Josef Glacier (Pass By)
1
Franz Josef Glacier
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Fox Glacier (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Total weight per passenger: 276 lbs
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Children must be accompanied by an adult, Children weighing less than 15kgs are required to sit on a parents lap.
- It is recommended that warm clothing and suitable footwear be worn on this tour due to cold temperatures
- Passengers MUST advise individual weight at time of booking
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Waking to cloud cover only to see the skies clearing just in time to lift off and be able to land on the glacier..a stunning view of snow and ice and a truly amazing experience. Tim was our pilot and gave us an unforgettable and joyous trip.
Reviews
4.6
based on 189 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
What an amazing experience. Highly recommended. Easy to book, easy to check in and very friendly staff. The helicopter flight was fun and the glacier views and snow landing were fabulous.
Unfortunately, weather did not cooperate with our plans. It was extremely foggy for our tour date, but the staff rebooked us for the following day. We went through all of the safety training and were waiting by the helipad when our second excursion was canceled again due to weather. Mother nature always has the final say! The staff offered to rebook us, but we had to move onto our next location. The staff was completely understanding and refunded our payment.
Hands down THE most amazing thing I’ve done. To be standing on a glacier..wow! The pilot was fantastic, very friendly and knowledgable.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Kia ora Samantha,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We're happy to hear it left such a strong impression and that your pilot helped make the flight even more special.
Kind regards,
The Helicopter Line
Flying over the glacier. Absolutely awesome flight up to glacier and then landing on the plateau. The snow was packed harder than what we anticipated.
Response from Host, May 2024
Kia Ora Geof,
Thank you for your 5-star review. We're delighted to hear how much you enjoyed your flight. The views of the glacier from above are fantastic. Thank you for flying with us.
Kind regards,
The Helicopter Line
It appears that weather affects this A LOT! So get on when you can. We only saw Franz Josef, and unable to land, but we are so grateful we did it regardless of this. Brilliant!
Response from Host, May 2024
Kia Ora Michelle,
Thank you for taking the time to share your 5-star review. We appreciate your recommendation. We are sorry to hear the weather didn't allow for a landing on your flight. The views are beautiful from above and we're glad you came to explore the West Coast with us.
Kind regards,
The Helicopter LIne
There was cloud coverage coming in so we spent more time on the glacier than I believe is normal. Our pilot wasn't the most informative but that was ok.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kia Ora Jonathan,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed your time with us. Unfortunately, sometimes it is hard for our pilots to talk over their traffic radio with all other pilots flying in the area. We appreciate your feedback. Thank you for joining us in Franz Josef.
A wonderful experience! To the folks that checked me in to the pilot, just wonderful people. The snow landing was super neat, glad to see both glaciers because I didn’t have time to stop into Fox glacier area.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kia Ora Jennifer,
Thanks so much for your 5-star review. We're so glad you enjoyed your experience with our team. It's truly special to be able to see both Franz and Fox Glaciers from above. Thank you for joining us.
Best wishes,
The Helicopter Line
The weather on the day we went was fantastic and our pilot was very informative and easy to chat with.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Hi Sally,
Thanks so much for your 5-star review and for sharing your experience. We're so glad you enjoyed your flight. Thank you for joining us.
Best wishes,
The Helicopter Line
The support and service offered by all, from office help, to guides to the helicopter were first class!
Our pilot was wonderful, fullnof help, knowledge and expertise.
We would highly recommend this
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kia Ora Mark,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed your time with us and our ground crew and pilot made the experience even better! Thank you for your recommendation.
lack of honesty & transparency. We were put on a flight with other people who booked a flyover flight. Indicating the flight was never going to attempt our booked 30min route over both glaciers or attempt landing. This was never communicated with us. I understand the weather required for such a beautiful ecosystem dictated flying conditions & routes were scheduled around safety requirements but don’t herd us like sheep & hope we won’t notice the manipulation. Marketing should be transparent & flights should be honestly communicated to passengers. The flyover could have still been a delightful experience if I hadn’t been infuriated by the poor management of the process.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kia Ora Helen,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. Unfortunately, the weather in the West Coast region changes extremely fast, without any warning. With the safety of all our passengers being our top priority, we do not want to put our ground crew, pilots, or customers in harm’s way. We do our best to explain this information on when checking in our staff. We do apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused and still hope you enjoyed the views from your shorter flight. We appreciate your feedback and will take this on board for future customers.
Kind regards,
The Helicopter Line, West Coast
Just the absolute stunning vista from the helicopter flying over the glaciers and seeing Mt Cook.
The stop on the snow was great but slippery as it was ice and we only had walking shoes on. No problems though.
Only slight negative was sitting in the middle back couldn’t see as much and communication from pilot hard to hear. Radio clutter.
Overall, value for money.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Kia Ora Anthony,
Thank you for leaving us a 5-star review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed your time with us. The glacier views are spectacular and we love being able to share them with our guests. We are sorry to hear you were unable to hear your pilot's commentary clearly. We thank you for joining us and hope to see you for another flight in the future.
The breathtaking views of Fitz Glacier are a testament to nature's grandeur and beauty. As the glacier stretches out across the landscape, its icy expanse glistens under the sunlight, creating a mesmerizing tapestry of blues and whites. Towering peaks and rugged cliffs serve as the glacier's backdrop, forming an awe-inspiring scene that evokes a sense of both tranquility and majesty. The sight of the glacier's jagged edges and crevasses speaks to the immense power of geological forces at work, while also highlighting the fragile balance of our planet's ecosystems.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Kia Ora Chaitanya, thank you for your review. It is a great explanation of what spectacular views you get throughout your flight journey. We hope to have you back flying with us again in the future.
From the moment we walked through the doors of The Helicopter Line we were made to feel welcome and at ease. Our pilot James was fabulous he was funny and informative also helpful getting us up off the snow when we fell
The views of the glaciers were amazing but stepping out of the choppa onto the snow was something we will remember forever. It was an awesome experience
We highly recommend if you are in Franz Josef taking this trip
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Kia Ora Kerrie, thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review. We are so happy to hear how much you enjoyed your flight and informative experience with James. We agree- the views are definitely amazing. Thank you for your recommendation. We appreciate your support of The Helicopter Line.
Visually stunning scenery and the local knowledge of the pilot was awesome, I would recommend in a moment this flight
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Kia Ora Heath, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are glad to hear your pilot was awesome and helped make this flight even better. Thank you for your recommendation. We hope to see you for another flight in the future.
A fantastic trip. Andrew the pilot was very friendly and informative. The weather was perfect and the time on Fox Glacier just below Mt Tasman was brilliant.
The ground staff were all warm and informative too
Response from Host, May 2023
Kia Ora,
Thank you for sharing your brilliant experience and leaving us a 5-star review. We are pleased to hear you had an awesome flight with our lovely ground crew staff and Andrew. We appreciate your support and hope to see you for another flight in the future. Thank you for joining us.
Amazing experience to see Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, with Mt. Cook and great landing and time on ice to click pics. Could have been better if there was live interaction with the Pilot during the flight. Total time scheduled was 30 mins but entire experience was completed in 25 mins. Would have been great if we could see more of the glaciers.
Response from Host, May 2023
Kia Ora,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and to give us a review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed seeing Franz Josef and Fox Glacier as well as Mount Cook.
For safety, our pilots don't have much opportunity while flying to chat with customers, as they are communicating with other aircraft in the area. We appreciate your understanding and will pass along your feedback to the team. We thank you for joining us and appreciate your support.
We wanted a WOW factor and we feel that after the helicopter ride. It was perfect from start to end process; well explanation before and during the ride. Pilot Simon was friendly. We just loved it! Must do a helicopter ride if you were in town Fox Glacier.
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Kia Ora, Thank you for your 5-star review. We're so happy to WOW you. We're glad to hear how much you enjoyed your flight with Simon. Thanks for joining us, we appreciate your support.
Gorgeous day. Gorgeous views. Smooth liftoffs & landings.
Loved being the co-pilot.
Incredible how immense the glaciers are.
Timely checkin & take-off.
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Kia Ora, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a gorgeous 5-star review. It really is a spectacular experience to see the glaciers from above. We're grateful to be part of your West Coast adventure. Thank you for joining us.
Wonderful and frankly amazing experience whilst visiting New Zealand from the UK with friends and family. Beautiful clear skies. Trip of a lifetime. All before breakfast!
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Kia Ora, Thanks so very much for your 5-star review and for sharing your experience. We are so thrilled you enjoyed your flight with us. We thank you for joining us and hope to see you for another flight again in the future.
Stunting Views and great fun. certainly worth it. We were lucky to have great weather
so we were able to see both glaciers clearly. flying in an helicopter is a different experience. The crew was very hospitable and professional.
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Kia Ora, David. Thank you for your wonderful, 5-star review. We are so glad you enjoyed your time with us in Franz Josef. Thank you for joining us and including us on your West Coast adventure.
Memorable experience, everyone should try it!!!! Watching those snow capped mountains from the top is magnificent, our pilot (Kody) has been great!!!
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Kia Ora Hari, Thank you for your review. We are so happy to know how much you enjoyed your flight with Kody. The views from above truly are magnificent. Thank you for joining us.
Waking to cloud cover only to see the skies clearing just in time to lift off and be able to land on the glacier..a stunning view of snow and ice and a truly amazing experience. Tim was our pilot and gave us an unforgettable and joyous trip.
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Kia Ora Penny, Thank you for leaving us a 5-star review. What an incredible experience to explore the glacier. We are so glad you enjoyed your flight with Tim. Thank you for including us on your West Coast adventure.
Our first helicopter ride and first contact with a glacier we couldn't stop smiling start to finish
The whole experience from booking to return was handled with care and interest
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Kia Ora Roy, We are so happy to read your glowing review of your experience with our team in Franz Josef. Thank you for your support. We hope to fly with you again in the future.
Simon was a very careful pilot and we know that our safety and enjoyment was his number one priority
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Kia Ora, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are happy to hear how much you enjoyed your flight with Simon and felt safe in his hands. We re grateful for your support of our team in Franz Josef.
The majesty and wonder and the joy of 3rd time lucky with the weather. It was a ‘pinch me ‘moment. And on the other side looking from up the top and from the land of the changes over the century. Very sad.
But it was a glorious 30 minutes.
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Kia Ora, Thank you so much for your review. We really appreciate it. We are so happy to know how much you enjoyed your experience with us. It is eye opening to see the changing landscape from an in-person experience. We thank you for joining our team in Franz Josef.
A Stunning scenery and a great experience ! It was a beautiful day. Absolutely amazing experience! We’ve enjoyed very much.
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Kia Ora, Thank you for your 5-star review. We are happy to hear about your experience. Thank you for joining us.
Fabulous experience, only one glacier due to bad weather but worth it; part refund given.
We found that we could fly from Fox Glacier where we were staying, instead of driving to Franz Josef.
Franz Joseph was closed in but they offered single glacier flight at Fox instead.
Tim the pilot and the ground crew were superb.
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Kia Ora, Thanks so much for taking the time to leave us a review. We are sorry the weather was unable to cooperate with your stay on the West Coast. We're glad you enjoyed your time with us. We hope to see you on a clear weather day to see both glaciers. Thank you for your support.
Well worth paying for the opportunity to see glaciers close up, the scenery over the ridges is awesome and the snow landing a bit of added fun
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Kia Ora, Thanks so much for your wonderful review. Seeing the glaciers up close is certainly very special. We are so glad you enjoyed your experience with our team in Franz Josef. Thank you for joining us.
Outstanding scenery but weather conditions regularly prevent full flight experience in that we were unable to land on glacier. A partial refund has been promised
This was without doubt the highlight of our 2 week NZ holiday. Absolutely amazing. Highly recommended.
I would advise booking early in the day as the weather can change quickly from midday.
Member Pricing
From
$272.97
per personWas $287.34(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Member Pricing
Franz Josef: Twin Glacier Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing
189
35 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$287.34
$272.97
5% savings
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Franz Josef & Fox Glacier, New Zealand
More attractions near Franz Josef & Fox Glacier, New Zealand