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Ultimate Discovery: 3 Glaciers & Snow Landing – 45min

Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Franz Josef & Fox Glacier, New Zealand
Great choice
20+ bookings last month.
  • 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Flight time: 45 minutes
  • Mobile ticket

Why travelers loved this

4.8
·
· Marius_G ·
Jan 2026
Highly recommended. The view is amazing and our pilot Mark was very professional. The landing on the top part of the glacier is a must. Watch out for the weather as it may affect your schedule. In our case we book for afternoon but the company advise us to do it in the morning. It’s was a very good decision. All around, highly recommended trying to tour.
· Richard_F ·
Mar 2026
Great helicopter experience with very professional company. Plenty of time on the glacier to look around and take photos. Knowledgeable pilot gave a great deal of information on route. Would recommend.

Overview

See more mountains and glaciers from the air on a scenic 45-minute helicopter ride than you can from the ground at Franz Josef. You’ll fly deep into the Southern Alps, where you’ll see Mount Cook and three major glaciers: Franz Josef, Fox, and Tasman. Land on the snow for an up-close encounter and to take some unique photos.
  • Enjoy views of the longest glacier in New Zealand, Tasman Glacier
  • Receive personalized attention during a small-group experience
  • Flight is approx. 45 minutes but allow extra time for boarding/disembarking
  • Experience the mountains and glaciers up close

What's Included

  • 45-minute scenic helicopter flight with snow landing included
  • Experienced and professional pilot
  • Safety briefing
  • All fees, GST, and taxes
  • Comfort Seat (required for passengers 120kg/265lbs & over; optional for extra space)
  • Front Seat Upgrade (must request at least 24 hours in advance & confirmation at check in)
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off (check-in at 10 Main Road, Franz Josef)
  • Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • 10 Main Road, Franz Josef / Waiau 7886, New Zealand

    Please check in at our office 30 minutes prior to your flight time. We recommend bringing sunglasses, a light jacket, camera, and shoes you don’t mind getting wet.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Franz Josef Glacier (Pass By)

Fox Glacier (Pass By)

Tasman Glacier (Pass By)

Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Te Wahipounamu) (Pass By)

Additional Info

  • Total weight per passenger: 265 lbs
  • Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Please let us know if you have limited mobility e.g. injury, arthritis or recent surgery? There are two high ladder style steps into the helicopter. This information could effect what helicopter we fly you in.
  • Comfort Seats: Our helicopter seats are 40cm wide, an empty seat can be reserved next to you if you prefer extra space (passengers 120KG & over when weighed at check in will be required to purchase a Comfort Seat - these are half the RRP of your flight).
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Steven_G
What an amazing trip we had. The whole team looked after us and Mark our pilot was brilliant. (Seeing as it was his first trip 😂😂) he looked after us through out the helicopter ride showing us all the main glaziers and we were privileged to be able to land twice. I highly recommend this trip with this company. The views are breathtaking and surreal, hard to comprehend your on these amazing glaziers. Thank you very much for a highly memorable experience.

Reviews

4.8
based on 128 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Amazing Views

Sean_S, Mar 2026
Amazing views of Franz Joseph glacier and surrounding mountains in both sides of the divide! Note that the helicopters are 6 seaters (2 in the front and 4 across the back) a snug fit with limited views if you’re in the 2 middle seats.

Helicopter experience

Richard_F, Mar 2026
Great helicopter experience with very professional company. Plenty of time on the glacier to look around and take photos. Knowledgeable pilot gave a great deal of information on route. Would recommend.

Fine flight and lovely landing

RubySiganporia, Mar 2026
The flight was exceedingly beautiful. The tour operators were very cordial and thoughtful. They cancelled the tour because of bad weather and gave us 3 options. We rescheduled and got a glorious day to see the glaciers. The pilot was also very helpful. The landing at Shakelton glacier was great. But we did not see Mt. Cook or Mt. Tasman because they were shown to be in the clouds !

Disgraceful service - NZD 5,000 lost due to trap-like check-in policy

HSUYANG_H, Mar 2026
This is our first time participating in a helicopter activity. I am extremely disappointed with the way we were treated that day. We arrived at 10:04 for a 10:15 booking. Instead of being helped, we were told by a unfriendly staff member with unfriendly tone that because we weren't 30 minutes early, our tickets for 8 people were forfeited. No refund, no reschedule, and no discount for the next flight. The "30-minute rule" was hidden at the bottom of the page and never mentioned in any reminder emails. Yet, when we re-booked the 12:15 flight, your shuttle was late (12:23) and the helicopter didn't fly until 12:51. Why is it that when we are 10 minutes early, you steal our $5,000 NZD, but when your company is 40 minutes late, there are no consequences? This make no sense and the staff’s attitude was the cherry on top of a miserable experience. I do not recommend the services provided by this company.

Heli flight. 3 glaciers with snow landing

Sharon_G, Feb 2026
Amazing heli flight. Mark our pilot was experienced and made me feel extremely safe. Highly recommended. If you are sitting in the fence - book!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Once in lifetime

Paul_T, Feb 2026
A professionally run outfit, with saftey a the forefront. Helpful and friendly from start to finish. As an experience: not to be missed. The snow landing was magical, with superb views. Thank you to Mark for a great flight.

Helicopter ride to franz josef

Iain_M, Feb 2026
This is an amazing experience . Make sure you have strong footwear as it’s slippy on the glacier. It’s also cold and do bring your sunglasses . Other than that enjoy the experience . The pilot mark was really great at pointing out areas of interest . He also took our photo on the glacier . Very informative and you are in safe hands with mark . Time transported us to and from the air base and went through safety procedures .

Highly recommended. The...

Marius_G, Jan 2026
Highly recommended. The view is amazing and our pilot Mark was very professional. The landing on the top part of the glacier is a must. Watch out for the weather as it may affect your schedule. In our case we book for afternoon but the company advise us to do it in the morning. It’s was a very good decision. All around, highly recommended trying to tour.

Fantastic views!

Yen_W, Jan 2026
Aaron our pilot/guide was excellent. Definitely one of the highlights of our holiday to see Franz Josef and Fox glacier. The weather had finally cleared after days of rain so we got very lucky. If you really want to get a sense of the beauty of the glaciers, a helicopter ride is the best way to view them.

Amazing view of the...

Nina_W, Jan 2026
Amazing view of the glaciers from above! We were so lucky to have good weather and an awesome pilot Mike! I’m so glad that I booked this activity :)

Great experience

Nitish_A, Nov 2025
Due to weather , we were not able to land, but the experience of viewing from top was amazing. Must have.

Almost an essential experience

Jools_S, Nov 2025
Despite the cost, almost an essential experience in this location. Even pricier for the, ahem, chunkier guy, but still an amazing experience. The landing on the glacier made it an even more amazing flight, with great photographic memories to boot. Mike gave an informative in-flight commentary (just make sure your head-set is plugged in!)

Man dwarfed by nature. Stunning

Steven_G, Nov 2025
What an amazing trip we had. The whole team looked after us and Mark our pilot was brilliant. (Seeing as it was his first trip 😂😂) he looked after us through out the helicopter ride showing us all the main glaziers and we were privileged to be able to land twice. I highly recommend this trip with this company. The views are breathtaking and surreal, hard to comprehend your on these amazing glaziers. Thank you very much for a highly memorable experience.

Absolutely perfect. Highly recommend

Paul_S, Nov 2025
Excellent provider- proactive planning, re weather,to give us the best experience. Super pilot explaining and guiding our flight, glacier landing and safe return. Absolutely perfect. Highly recommend.

This was an exceptional...

Alexander_C, Sep 2025
This was an exceptional experience and I would highly recommend. The pilot we had gave a great commentary of the landscape. Must do!!

Definitely worth doing....

kim_y, Sep 2025
Definitely worth doing. Unfortunately because of weather constraints our trip was cut short and we didn't get to land on any glaciers. The operator has assured us a refund and we're waiting for the process to be finalised. The whole experience was professionally handled and safety was their main concern.

Great experience.

William_D, Apr 2025
What an exceptional adventure. Poppy and the gang were top notch , very professional and safety was a priority. Poppy pointed out landmarks during our flight that were eye popping.

Chopper ride

Michael_C, Mar 2025
Good helicopter ride. Poppy the pilot gave us lots of information. We landed on the Glacier. Enjoyable tour.

Making lasting memories

David_H, Mar 2025
What a brilliant way to see Mount Cook, Franz Josef and Fox Glacier from the air with Mike our pilot, landing on the snow and being able to enjoy the breathtaking views are where memories are for a lifetime. Fred, Olly, and the ladies that run the office, thank you

Incredible flight over glaciers.

Marta_R, Mar 2025
Incredible flight. Mike, the pilot, was amazing, navigating through clouds and making sure we enjoyed the whole trip. Highly recommended.

Good flight

Jacqueline_C, Feb 2025
Beautiful day up in the glacier. Weather was ok - had to do a shorter flight because of weather. Poppy was a great pilot.

Flying high

mirelle_d, Feb 2025
Extremely well organised with good pilot. Cloud prevented him flying where he was supposed to but he found other routes and still made the ride beautiful

Amazing views

Sally_M, Feb 2025
Sadly we’re were not able to do the 3 glaciers and one landing due to the weather. However we were able to get a helicopter ride and get up close to a couple of glaciers on the day. Pilot very informative,

Highlight of our trip

Kenneth_W, Feb 2025
This was a highlight of our trip. The views were amazing. Clouds delayed us a bit, but the staff kept us advised on flight status. Don’t wander too far away when waiting. We were standing just outside the door and didn’t hear our name called when it was time for our safety briefing. They were able to find us, thanks to help from some other customers. We flew during early Feb and it wasn’t very cold up at our snow landing.

Fantastic

John_T, Jan 2025
It was something I have always wanted to do. It was beyond my expectations truly wonderful. Our pilot I think her name was Rebecca not sure, was so good as smooth as butter I would recommend this company so accommodating with weather changing they have a handle on it. Cheers

The weather was really...

Amelie_Z, Dec 2024
The weather was really bad unfortunately so we had to re-schedule the flight. that is just how it is in this region, so you have to be on stand by any time as a little window could open up suddenly… the staff was super helpful and the rescheduling worked well. the pilot was amazing. we had an incredible time and flight! definitely recommend this activity!

Great flight

Kathleen_W, Dec 2024
Wonderful to see the Franz Joseph Glacier up close but the weather was against us, should have been 3 Glaciers and a snow landing but the cloud was closing in so we had to have a shorter flight, still very good and they kept us updated.

Awesome morning

Linda_L, Nov 2024
Enjoyed every minute. Trip cut short due to weather but part of money refunded.. they kept us up to date the day before about this being a possibility. Pilot Poppy was very friendly and made sure everyone was comfortable re the ride. I would do this again.

Spectacular

MARK_D, Oct 2024
The view was spectacular and Gus Gordon our pilot made the flight and trip even better with his flying skills and knowledge of the terrain .thanks so much for the memories

Memories that will last lifetime!!

Himani_B, Aug 2024
It was a great experience bit expensive but views are worth it , staff gave exceptional service. Due to weather some times were affected but staff assisted in moving time to ensure we get the experience

From $382.80

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 46 days in advance.

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