Queenstown: Franz Josef Glacier Heli Hike & Scenic Flight

About This Experience

This full-day package with True South Flights starts in Queenstown, flies you over the Southern Alps to the West Coast and puts you on Franz Josef Glacier for a guided heli-hike. It is a Franz Josef hike, not a Fox Glacier one. At $1,134 per person it is the most expensive tour on this site and the only one that starts in Queenstown. It is rated 4.8 from 28 GetYourGuide reviews, a small number so far.

The listing sets out the day. After hotel pickup and a 30-minute briefing at True South Flights in Queenstown, you fly for about an hour to the West Coast and take a 15-minute bus to Franz Josef township. At the Glacier Base you get your gear and a second safety briefing, then a helicopter takes you onto the Franz Josef Icefall for about 2 hours of hiking with a guide. You fly back off the ice, ride to the airfield and fly about an hour back to Queenstown.

It suits travelers based in Queenstown who want time on a glacier but not the long drive to the West Coast; Glacier Country puts it at about 4 hours 40 minutes each way before stops. The plane has a window seat for everyone, per the listing. Crevasses and ice caves are often part of a glacier hike, but the ice changes constantly and no feature is guaranteed.

Two weather windows have to line up, one for the plane and one for the helicopter. One reviewer flew to Franz Josef but had the glacier walk cancelled by low cloud, so the day became a scenic flight. Weights are checked: give everyone's approximate weight at booking, and note the limits of 30 kg minimum and 115 kg maximum. Bring a packed lunch, since food is not included.

Highlights

• About 2 hours of hiking on Franz Josef Glacier with a guide
• Two scenic plane flights between Queenstown and the West Coast
• Helicopter flights over the Franz Josef Icefall to the hiking area
• A window seat in the plane for every passenger, per the listing
• A day trip from Queenstown with hotel pickup
• The only tour on this site that starts in Queenstown

What's Included

• ✓ Hotel pickup and drop-off in Queenstown
• ✓ Two scenic plane flights, Queenstown to Franz Josef and back, with pilot commentary
• ✓ Two helicopter flights between Franz Josef township and the glacier
• ✓ A two-hour guided glacier hike
• ✓ Crampons, waterproof pants and jackets
• ✓ A small waist bag for what you carry on the ice

Not Included

• Food and drinks

What to Bring

• Three or four warm layers, including thermals
• Shorts or lightweight trousers (no jeans)
• Sunglasses and sunscreen
• A packed lunch and a small water bottle
• Closed-toe shoes
• Any daily medication

Good to Know & Caveats

• Give everyone's full name and approximate weight when you book; large differences on the day can mean you cannot take part.
• Passengers over 115 kg or under 30 kg cannot join, and the tour is not suitable for children under 10 or people with low fitness.
• The glacier hike depends on the weather at Franz Josef; it can be cancelled even when the plane flies.
• Everything you take on the ice must fit in the supplied 2-liter waist bag; the listing says lockers at the Glacier Base hold the rest.
• Cancel up to 24 hours ahead on GetYourGuide for a full refund.

Meeting Point

Hotel pickup in Queenstown, or the True South Flights base in Queenstown; check your voucher for the time and place.