Twin Glacier Helicopter Flight

To see Fox and Franz Josef glaciers in one flight, book HeliServices.NZ’s Twin Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers Helicopter Trip. It takes 30 minutes, includes a 10-minute snow landing and starts at $262 per person, and at 4.9 from 154 GetYourGuide reviews it has the highest rating of the three twin-glacier flights compared here. Like the other two, it leaves from Franz Josef. If you are staying in Fox Glacier, that means a drive of about 24 km (25 minutes) north before check-in. If you would like to fly from your own doorstep, the Fox Glacier flights start in the township, but they cover Fox Glacier only.

Both glaciers lie in Westland Tai Poutini National Park, part of the Te Wāhipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. Franz Josef Glacier (Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere) is roughly 12 km long and Fox Glacier (Te Moeka o Tuawe) roughly 12 to 13 km. The walking tracks stop at viewpoints in the lower valleys, and DOC notes that to see the snowfields of Franz Josef’s upper névé you need to take a helicopter or ski plane.

Quick picks for twin flights

• Highest-rated of the three: HeliServices.NZ’s 30-minute flight, from $262, 4.9 from 154 reviews, with a 10-minute landing on its listing.
• Most reviews of the three: Glacier Helicopters’ Franz Josef & Fox Glaciers Helicopter Flight & Snow Landing, from $281, 35 minutes, 4.7 from 410 reviews.
• A set three-part route: The Helicopter Line’s Twin Glacier Helicopter Flight and Snow Landing, from $281, 35 minutes, 4.8 from only 12 reviews so far.
• Staying in Fox and happy with one glacier: the 25-minute Fox snow landing flight, from $225, which leaves from Fox Glacier township.

Where the twin flights leave from

All three twin-glacier flights start in Franz Josef. GetYourGuide files two of them, the HeliServices.NZ and Helicopter Line flights, under Fox Glacier, but the listings themselves describe a departure from Franz Josef township and a return to the same base. Read the meeting point on your voucher before you leave.

From Fox Glacier township the drive north on State Highway 6 is about 24 km and takes about 25 minutes. The InterCity coach takes about 35 minutes. None of these flights includes hotel pickup, so plan your own transport and arrive in time for check-in, which Glacier Helicopters, HeliServices.NZ and The Helicopter Line all set at 30 minutes before departure. The Helicopter Line suggests allowing about an hour in total for check-in, the safety briefing and its 35-minute twin flight, so from Fox a twin flight takes up most of a morning or an afternoon.

That drive is no detour if you are already heading north along the coast, or if you are staying in Franz Josef. It is a cost in time if you are based in Fox and only want a short flight.

What you see on a twin-glacier flight

The three listings describe similar routes in different words. HeliServices.NZ crosses the Franz Josef icefall within minutes of take-off, then climbs among the mountain tops for the landing while you look over the snowfields of both glaciers, and lists views of the Southern Alps, Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mount Tasman. The Helicopter Line’s itinerary breaks its 35 minutes into about 10 minutes over Franz Josef Glacier, about 10 over Fox Glacier and about 10 at the landing, at the head of one of the glaciers. Glacier Helicopters describes a flight over both glaciers with commentary from the pilot and a snow landing high on one of them, and lists 30 minutes of flying within its 35.

Every listing says routes and landings can change with the weather and at the pilot’s discretion. On a cloudy day a pilot may not reach both glaciers or the high peaks, so which peaks you see depends on the route and the cloud on the day. The flight times include the landing.

The snow landing

The listings give different times on the snow. HeliServices.NZ includes a 10-minute landing, and The Helicopter Line gives approximately 10 minutes. Glacier Helicopters’ listing does not give a figure, and its own FAQ says its landings last around 6 to 8 minutes. In each case you stay near the helicopter for photos in the area the pilot shows you.

HeliServices.NZ says it can be 5 to 10 degrees cooler on the snow than in the village. The listings ask for warm clothing, closed-toe shoes and a camera, and sunglasses help with the glare. All three operators bar selfie sticks and tablets on board, and drones are not allowed.

Children can fly. On the Glacier Helicopters and Helicopter Line flights, children aged 4 to 14 who weigh more than 15 kg need their own seat, and infants under 4 and under 15 kg sit on an adult’s knee. HeliServices.NZ seats infants under 3 and under 15 kg on a lap and charges the child fare for heavier infants.

What lower-rated reviews say

The HeliServices.NZ flight has no low-star themes in its reviews. On Glacier Helicopters’ flight, several low-rated reviews are about weather cancellations, with two travelers rescheduled several times before giving up and a few still waiting for refunds weeks later. One group could not land on the same day another group did. On The Helicopter Line’s flight, one passenger in the middle of the back row found the view and photos limited, and you do not pick your seat in advance.

Glacier Country Helicopters sells two more flights over both glaciers on GetYourGuide: a 35-minute helicopter trip over two glaciers, rated 4.9 from 535 reviews, and an 18-minute twin-glacier overflight with no snow landing and no reviews yet. Both leave from Franz Josef.

Staying in Fox: fly from Fox or drive to Franz Josef

If you are based in Fox Glacier, you have two flights on your doorstep. The 25-minute Glacier Helicopters flight from $225 lands in the snow above Fox Glacier for about 8 minutes and carries up to six passengers. The Helicopter Line’s 35-minute Fox Glacier and Mount Cook Helicopter Flight, from $281, lands at the top of Fox Glacier and then passes Aoraki/Mt Cook. Our breakdown of the Fox snow landing flight has the details.

Choose a twin flight if seeing both glaciers is the point, or if your route already takes you through Franz Josef. Choose a Fox flight if you would rather not drive, or if Aoraki/Mt Cook matters more to you than the second glacier. If you want to walk on the ice, neither is a substitute: the Franz Josef heli-hike and the Fox heli-hike give you up to 2.5 and up to 3 hours on the ice.

Weather and booking

Helicopter flights on the West Coast cancel at short notice for cloud, wind and rain, and no operator publishes a cancellation rate. When weather cancels a flight, the listings offer another date or a full refund, and any GetYourGuide booking here can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. Glacier Helicopters says November to March is its busiest period and suggests booking about a month ahead then.

Book your flight for the first full day of your stay and keep the next day free. If the helicopters stay grounded, the walks without a helicopter still reach glacier viewpoints. Our breakdown of the HeliServices.NZ twin flight has the full listing, and when you have dates you can check availability.