Franz Josef or Fox Glacier: which village should you fly from?
Which flights leave Franz Josef and which leave Fox Glacier, how twin flights cover both glaciers, the two heli-hikes, and the walks at each village.
Fly from Franz Josef unless you are staying at Fox Glacier or have chosen the Fox heli-hike. Of the 15 tours with a page on this site, 12 check in at Franz Josef, the twin-glacier flights from Franz Josef cover Fox Glacier as well, and the two villages are about 24 km and 25 minutes apart by road, so a bed in either works for a flight from either.
Fox Glacier village has its own short flight, the Fox Glacier: Scenic Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing from Glacier Helicopters, 25 minutes for $223 per person and rated 4.6 from 127 GetYourGuide reviews, plus a flight past Aoraki/Mt Cook and a heli-hike that gives up to 3 hours on the ice. Prices are per person in US dollars, checked October 2026.
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Which flights leave from which village
Franz Josef / Waiau is the bigger base. Glacier Country Helicopters, Glacier Helicopters, HeliServices, INFLITE and The Helicopter Line all fly from there, and Franz Josef Glacier Guides runs its heli-hikes from the village. Every flight length is on offer, from the 20-minute snow landing to the 60-minute four-glacier flight. Glacier Country Helicopters’ own listings say its only base is at Franz Josef.
Fox Glacier / Weheka has three tours with a page here. Glacier Helicopters flies its 25-minute Fox Glacier flight from its base in the township. The Helicopter Line’s Fox Glacier and Mount Cook Helicopter Flight leaves from its base on the main road and is sold for Fox Glacier village only. Fox Glacier Guiding’s heli-hike starts at 44 Main Road. HeliServices also flies from both villages on separate schedules, according to its Viator listing.
Read the meeting point on any listing filed under Fox Glacier, because four of them check in at Franz Josef. They are HeliServices’ Twin Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers Helicopter Trip, The Helicopter Line’s Franz Josef, Fox Glacier & Mt Cook Helicopter Scenic Flight and Twin Glacier Helicopter Flight and Snow Landing, and INFLITE’s Grand Circle 60 Minute Scenic Flight, which starts at 69 Cron Street in Franz Josef. A fifth, Glacier Country Helicopters’ 90-minute Grand Adventure Helicopter Flight, checks in at 10 Main Road, Franz Josef.
No operator offers hotel pickup. In Franz Josef the operators sit on the main road, a short walk from most accommodation. If you book a Fox departure while staying in Franz Josef, add the 25-minute drive each way, and leave a margin: check-in closes 30 minutes before departure, and a missed check-in at Glacier Country Helicopters forfeits the fare.
Seeing both glaciers from one village
You do not need to stay at Fox to see Fox Glacier from the air. Three twin-glacier flights with a page here leave Franz Josef and take in both. Glacier Helicopters’ Franz Josef & Fox Glaciers Helicopter Flight & Snow Landing ($280, 4.7 from 410 reviews) flies a fixed route over both. HeliServices’ 30-minute twin flight ($260, 4.9 from 154 reviews) does the same with a 10-minute landing. Glacier Country Helicopters’ 35-Minute Helicopter Trip over Two Glaciers ($280, 4.9 from 535 reviews) covers Franz Josef plus either Fox or Tasman, depending on the weather, so Fox is likely but not certain on that one.
The two glaciers lie side by side in Westland Tai Poutini National Park, both running from the Southern Alps to termini below 300 m above sea level. 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; sources disagree on the exact lengths, so treat any claim that one is the longer as unsettled.
Flying from Fox does give you one route the Franz Josef twin flights do not: The Helicopter Line’s 35-minute Fox flight lands on a snowfield at the top of Fox Glacier for about 10 minutes, then flies past Aoraki/Mt Cook on the way back. It costs $280 and is rated 4.5 from 44 reviews. From Franz Josef, the views of Aoraki/Mt Cook come on the 40 to 60-minute flights and on INFLITE’s 30-minute crossing to the Tasman Glacier; the Mount Cook flights page compares them.
The two villages side by side
| Franz Josef | Fox Glacier | |
|---|---|---|
| Tours with a page here | 12 | 3 |
| Shortest flight with a landing | 20 min, from $204 | 25 min, from $223 |
| Twin-glacier flights | Yes, 30 to 35 min, $260 to $280 | None with a page here; HeliServices lists Fox departures on Viator |
| Aoraki/Mt Cook flights | 30 to 60 min, $243 to $506 | 35 min, $280 |
| Heli-hike | Franz Josef Glacier Guides, up to 2.5 hours on the ice, from $508 | Fox Glacier Guiding, up to 3 hours on the ice, from $480 |
| Heli-hike minimum age | 10 | 9 |
| Free glacier walk | Valley walk to a viewpoint about 3 km from the face | South Side Walkway, viewpoints hundreds of metres from the face |
| Walk length | 1.7 km return, about 30 min | 6.4 km return, about 2 hours |
| Valley road | Open, unsealed, about 4 km; can close for floods or rockfall | Closed indefinitely since 2019 |
| Lake Matheson | About 30 min drive | About 5 min drive |
Counts and prices cover the GetYourGuide tours with a page on this site. Check track status at the DOC visitor centre in Franz Josef on the day.
Franz Josef heli-hike or Fox Glacier heli-hike
Both heli-hikes fly you onto the ice and send you out with a guide in crampons for a few hours, and both take about four hours from check-in. The Fox version gives more time on the ice and costs less. Fox Glacier Guiding’s Fox Glacier: Up to 3 Hours Hike with Helicopter Transfer is from $480 per person, with up to 3 hours on the ice, two flights of about 5 minutes each, and a minimum age of 9. It is rated 4.9 from 370 GetYourGuide reviews, and the same hike on Viator, Heli Hike Fox Glacier, is rated 4.9 from 602 Viator reviews.
Franz Josef Glacier Guides’ Franz Josef Glacier Heli-Hike with Helicopter Transfer is from $508, with up to 2.5 hours on the ice, transfers of around 4 minutes each way, and a minimum age of 10. It is rated 4.7 from 404 reviews. The Franz Josef company also runs an extended small-group hike with lunch and up to about 5.5 hours on the ice, from $876.
Fox Glacier Guiding says its lower operating altitude means weather stops it less often than other operators; no company publishes cancellation figures to compare. Both need clear weather to fly, and both advise booking for your first day in the village. Check the start point: the Fox hike starts at Fox Glacier village, not Franz Josef. The heli-hikes page sets out the age, weight and fitness rules for both.
Seeing each glacier on foot
At Franz Josef, the glacier access road runs about 4 km, unsealed, from the Waiho River bridge to a car park. The Department of Conservation charges for parking there: $2.50 per half hour or $20 a day, cards only, free if you leave within 10 minutes. From the car park the valley walk is 1.7 km return, about 30 minutes, to a viewpoint about 3 km from the glacier face. Sentinel Rock (900 m return, 20 minutes) and Peters Pool (1.1 km return, 25 minutes, wheelchair accessible) start from the same area.
At Fox, the valley road on the north side has been closed since 2019. The Department of Conservation said that August it would stay closed indefinitely after the Alpine Gardens landslide, and that remains its latest published position. The South Side Walkway is the way in now: 6.4 km return, about 2 hours, from a trailhead 2 km south of the township across the Fox River bridge. The first viewpoint comes after about 40 minutes, and the viewpoints are hundreds of metres from the face.
At neither glacier can you walk onto the ice. Stay behind the barriers: ice collapse and rockfall can happen at the terminal face at any time, and both tracks close for flooding or rockfall. Our guide to seeing the glacier without a helicopter covers the walks in more detail.
Lake Matheson and the rest of the Fox side
Lake Matheson is a good reason to spend time at Fox even if you fly from Franz Josef. The lake is about 5 minutes’ drive from Fox Glacier and 30 minutes from Franz Josef, with free parking. The loop takes about 1.5 hours over 4.4 km, and the Jetty Lookout, 2.4 km return, is wheelchair accessible. On a fine, windless day the lake reflects Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman, and the Department of Conservation names dawn and dusk as the times for mirror reflections. It gets busy from November to April. A morning flight from Franz Josef leaves time to drive south for an evening at the lake.
Choosing a base for your flight
Staying in Franz Josef puts you a short walk from most operators and the Franz Josef heli-hike. Staying at Fox puts you next to the Fox heli-hike, two flights and Lake Matheson. Either way, keep a second day free in case the weather cancels your first flight. Our where to stay in Franz Josef page covers the areas and hotels.
Frequently asked questions
Should I fly from Franz Josef or Fox Glacier?
Fly from Franz Josef if you want the widest choice: 12 of the 15 tours with a page here check in there, including every twin-glacier flight and the 20-minute snow landing from $204. Fly from Fox if you are staying there, want The Helicopter Line’s 35-minute Fox and Mt Cook flight, or have booked the Fox Glacier heli-hike.
Can you see Fox Glacier on a flight from Franz Josef?
Yes. Glacier Helicopters’ 35-minute twin flight and HeliServices’ 30-minute twin flight both cover Franz Josef and Fox Glacier from a Franz Josef departure. Glacier Country Helicopters’ 35-minute flight covers Franz Josef plus Fox or Tasman, chosen on the day, so Fox is not certain on that one.
How far is Fox Glacier from Franz Josef?
About 24 km by road on State Highway 6, roughly 25 minutes’ drive. No flight or heli-hike operator offers hotel pickup, so plan to drive yourself. Allow extra time if you are crossing to a departure in the other village, because check-in closes 30 minutes before the flight.
Ready to fly from Fox? Check the 25-minute Fox Glacier flight for your date, or compare two-glacier flights on the twin glacier flights page.
Related reading:
Pick a Morning Above the Glacier
Flights run on the weather. Book early in your stay so a cancelled slot can move to the next day.
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