Tasman Glacier Heli-Hike Tour from Queenstown
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Queenstown, New Zealand
- 6 hours (approx.)
- Flight time: 15 minutes
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
When soaring in a fixed-wing plane from Queenstown to Franz Josef or Tasman Glacier, you may think the one-hour scenic flight is the highlight of this tour. But the best is yet to come. Switch to a helicopter and fly up to a landing point high on the glacier, where you’ll embark on a hike on the snow and ice. Wearing crampons, you’ll explore caves and see remarkable landscapes inaccessible any other way.
- Hiking boots and crampons will be provided
- An unforgettable way to experience the mountains
- Don’t just look at the views: hike within them
- This group tour is an economical way to ride a helicopter
What's Included
- Scenic round-trip fixed-wing flight between Queenstown & Mt Cook
- Scenic helicopter flight to Tasman Glacier landing site
- Guided glacier hike (approx. 2 hours)
- Professional mountaineering guide
- Hiking boots, crampons, and all glacier safety equipment
- Transfers between central Queenstown accommodations and departure terminal
- Lunch (please bring your own food/snacks as time is limited in Mt Cook)
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.8:00 am
Itinerary
1
Tasman Glacier
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Total weight per passenger: 331 lbs
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Children and weight restrictions apply. Max weight: 150 kg (331 lbs) per traveler.
- Guides provide safety instructions in English only. Travelers must understand English or be accompanied by a translator.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 11 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Alex_W
We got lucky to have a beautiful day and were able to hike through ice structures on Tasman Glacier. The helicopter ride from camp to the glacier and the scenic flights from Queenstown town were amazing and an experience in itself!
Reviews
4.9
based on 80 reviews
Matthew_D, Jul 2025
Unreal experience , the view and the hike was amazing. The tour guide ( Kerry or terry ) i think his name was very friendly and helpful towards our group.
Tasnova_S, Jun 2025
I did the Tasman Glacier heli hike and it was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life! The views from the helicopter rides, stomping on the glacier with crampons and crawling through ice caves made for an unreal day. The pilot, Luke, was super friendly and made for such a smooth flight that I nearly fell asleep both ways! Our guide on the glacier, Scott, was also just fantastic - enthusiastic, passionate and helped everyone break the ice (pun intended) and be friends. Super expensive but worth every dollar - don’t think twice!
Rayan_C, Feb 2025
We had an unreal experience & this truly was a top 3 moment of our lives.
Thanks to Andrew, our pilot from TrueSouth who gave us a smooth experience even with some bad winds.
Scott was a great guide who showed us around the glacier. His energy made the whole experience pass by so fast as we explored the glacier.
This is something we would do again & recommend to anyone! It's not cheap but it is 100% worth it.
Silvia_Z, Dec 2024
Gorgeous scenery, the pilot is lovely and very nice. The guide is responsible and attractive. I am so grateful.
Laurie_M, Oct 2024
This was an unforgettable experience for the entire family. The plane flight to the helicopter was smooth, beautiful and great with the added points of interest pointed out by Luke our pilot. We were unable to do the glacier hike portion due to incoming weather so instead, Simon our pilot, landed flawlessly mid point of the mountain. What pristine terrain and unforgettable scenery! Would highly recommend to anyone looking for an incredible adventure.
Jiten_P, Oct 2024
The Tasman Glacier hike was absolutely breathtaking! From the moment we took off our pilot Luke made us feel comfortable and excited for the adventure ahead. He was incredibly friendly and shared fascinating insights about the area, making the flight a highlight in itself.
Our guide, Scott, was super nice and knowledgeable. He expertly navigated us through the stunning glacial landscape and made sure we had a safe and unforgettable experience. His passion for the glacier was contagious and he truly made the trip one of a kind.
I absolutely loved this experience and can't wait to do it again next time I visit!
Phil_K, Oct 2024
A fabulous experience flying over to Mt Cook and back and trekking the glacier - beautiful weather, crawling and sliding through glaciers and learning about the area from the air and ice was a truly memorable day. To top it off, our pilot, Luke, was very knowledgable, and looked after us for the whole trip. Our trekking guide, Ange, made our trek such a safe and great adventure that time went way too fast! Highly recommend!
Jayna_P, Oct 2024
We had an absolutely amazing experience on this excursion! The pilot (Luke) was experienced and so nice. Our tour guide once on the glacier was knowledgeable and so experienced. He was friendly and accommodating and took videos and pictures for us. He even took us into the glaciers. We had a wonderful experience and the weather was amazing that day.
Sunci_B, May 2024
This was an absolutely breathtaking and amazing experience. The views on the plane ride were incredible, so many "wow" moments. The heli ride to the glacier was awesome. The glacier hike was exhilarating! If you do one tour while in Queenstown, this would be my number 1 choice hands down! Everyone involved from the shuttle driver, the staff that briefs you, to of course our pilot and our hike guide - were professional, friendly and made the day unforgettable. Thank you for such a wonderful experience :)
Emily_B, Mar 2024
I ended up at Franz Joseph and it was AMAZING. The flight alone from QT over the alps was unbelievable. I was originally cancelled for Tasman, but they did everything to find me something for the one day I had available. They were open and honest about limitations re: weather (we luckily had none!), and truly were so nice and so helpful. Pilot was great. Could not have had a more amazing experience in the glacier. 5 million stars.
SHUCHENG_K, Mar 2024
It was very fun and the guide is kind :D :) i be the model whem we getting ice claw on when i go up at ski plane i feel little bit throw up
Lyn_S, Mar 2024
Absolutely fabulous trip from the time we got picked until we returned. Light plane flight to Mt Cook was great. Pilot commentary was very informative and interesting. Helicopter up to the glacier was equally as great. Our guides Sam and Emma made sure we experienced as much as we could safely. You are in a group of 10, which was fine.
Megan_S, Dec 2023
Such a great experience, our guide Scott was very knowledgeable and made sure the whole group got to see some unique sights. Seeing the Glacier up close was definitely a highlight of the trip.
Alex_W, Dec 2023
We got lucky to have a beautiful day and were able to hike through ice structures on Tasman Glacier. The helicopter ride from camp to the glacier and the scenic flights from Queenstown town were amazing and an experience in itself!
Casey_W, Dec 2023
Can't beat the beautiful views. Great experience! All guides and pilots we're very professional and ensure everyone is having a great time.
Mehdy_Y, Nov 2023
An Amazing experience! Jason, our pilot, was outstanding and very skilled! They picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel. We highly recommend this once in a lifetime experience. Matt, our hiking guide was amazing too
Blake_W, Oct 2023
The photos speak for them selves
Definitely a must do while in the South Island of New Zealand.
A special thanks to plane pilot and helicopter pilot for sharing their knowledge of the landscape along the way.
Amela_M, Jul 2023
An unforgettable experience, delivered by a group of lovely professionals who clearly know their stuff. It was spectacular from start to finish.
Ying_Z, Jul 2023
Right from the very start, the taxi and staff service was perfect. We never had too long to wait, and there was always a staff member accompanying us. The staff also taught us how to attach the crampons to our boots and what to do when a helicopter was near.
The equipment was clearly professionally designed for this sort of activity and all instructions were informative and thorough.
The experience was truly unforgettable as it looked like pure water trapped in time. As well as learning about the history of the glaciers, the natural architecture of the glacier-tunnels was captivating.
Out of all my travels in my life with Viator, this was absolutely the best of the best. I highly recommend other tourists to check out this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse into the greatness of nature.
YenJu_H, Feb 2023
Awesome & amazing trip I have ever have ! The everything is so good ! Everyone should come and try again!
Ana_C, Jan 2023
It was a beautiful day. Flying over mountains, rivers and lakes, the exciting helicopter ride, and walking over the Glacier.
The plane pilot, Peter, was extremely friendly and made sure to describe everything along the way. Also the guide during the glacier trekking gave us a great insight about the glacier and the surroundings.
The view of the mountains is breathtaking.
It just makes one feel so small and so grateful.
Christopher_L, Oct 2022
One of the best days I've ever had. Firstly we had a small group flight to Franz Joseph, which had spectacular views, I had never been in a small plane before, but it was fantastic to see the Southern Alps from above. Our pilot gave us points of interest as flew, and it was interesting hear the air traffic control.
Next, the helicopter ride to the glacier, was short but sweet. Again, first time in a heli, and it was impressive to see the glacier from above.
The glacier itself was amazing, blue ice that we trekked over, using grips and trekking polls. We had a few hours on the ice, with incredible views.
The day ended with another helicopter ride and a flight back to Queenstown, again lovely views from both.
An expensive day, but well worth it and a unique experience.
Jas_V, Oct 2022
Excellent experience!
Once in a lifetime! I loved every bit of the experience! It was fantastic, and I recommend the heli-hike to everyone!!
Alvaro_M, Mar 2020
We were extremely lucky with the weather and the activity developed perfectly. Our pilot from Queenstown to Tasman Glacier base and return was James and he is an absolute legend!! He is very knowledgeable and friendly. Then our two guides at the Glacier, Sam and Chris, were amazing. They took care of us making sure we were stepping on the right spots and they also took us to really cool caves (as they knew the glacier very well). Highly recommend this trip!
Louisr_B, Mar 2023
La gentillesse du guide et l’organisation a la minute. L’experience du survol en helico du glacier et vol autour du mon Cook en elle meme est irreelle
From $1,197.03
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Tasman Glacier Heli-Hike Tour from Queenstown
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