Franz Josef Glacier: Helicopter Flight & Alpine Landing

About This Experience

This is the 25-minute scenic flight from Franz Josef run by Glacier Country Helicopters, sold on GetYourGuide from $223 per person. It carries 4.8 from 696 GetYourGuide reviews, more than any other helicopter flight with a page on this site. The 25 minutes include a 10-minute landing, so you spend roughly 15 minutes in the air. Add 30 minutes for check-in before departure and a short van ride each way between the office and the hangar.

You check in at the operator's office on Main Road, sit through a safety briefing, then ride a van out to the hangar to meet your pilot. After takeoff you cross the terminal moraine, follow the valley up over the Franz Josef Glacier and look down on its ice pinnacles and crevasses. The pilot then climbs in among the Southern Alps, talking you through the route over your headset.

The landing is on an elevated snow site with views of some of New Zealand's highest mountains, and the listing gives you 10 minutes outside for photos. The operator's listing says that in summer this may become an alpine landing if there is no snow. Weather and the pilot decide if you land at all. If the landing cannot happen, Glacier Country Helicopters reprices the trip as an overflight.

It suits a first helicopter flight, a short stay in town or a tighter budget. The operator's listing says this flight has the highest rate of cancellation of its range, because it has only one route and one landing site with no backup when weather hits them, while the longer flights have several. A few reviewers found the time short for the price, and a few were moved to another landing site or had no snow when cloud came in. Book it for your first day in the area and keep a spare day.

Highlights

• Fly up the valley from the terminal moraine over the Franz Josef Glacier
• Look down on the glacier's ice pinnacles and crevasses
• Climb in among the Southern Alps and some of New Zealand's highest mountains
• Elevated snow landing with 10 minutes outside for photos (an alpine landing in summer if there is no snow)
• 4.8 from 696 GetYourGuide reviews, the most reviewed flight with a page on this site
• Private or small-group options listed

What's Included

• ✓ Safety briefing at check-in
• ✓ Van transfer from the office to the hangar and back
• ✓ 25-minute helicopter flight with an experienced pilot, landing time included
• ✓ Headset with the pilot's live commentary
• ✓ 10-minute snow or alpine landing, weather permitting

Not Included

• Comfort Seat: passengers weighing 120 kg or more at check-in must buy one, at half the flight's retail price
• Front-seat requests (make them 24 hours ahead; they are confirmed at check-in)

What to Bring

• Sunglasses
• Camera
• Jacket
• Closed-toe shoes

Good to Know & Caveats

• The flight is weather-dependent and can be cancelled at short notice. If weather cancels it, GetYourGuide offers a reschedule or a full refund; you can also cancel free up to 24 hours before.
• A minimum number of passengers is needed for the flight to depart. Glacier Country Helicopters needs four and pairs solo bookings with others; if the numbers fall short you are offered a reschedule or refund.
• In summer the snow landing may become an alpine landing if no snow is available, per the operator's listing.
• Check in 30 minutes before departure (45 minutes for groups over ten). Glacier Country Helicopters says a missed check-in forfeits the full fare.
• Not allowed on board: high heels, bags or luggage, drones, selfie sticks, walking sticks and loose clothing.

Meeting Point

Check in at Glacier Country Helicopters' office at 10 Main Road, Franz Josef, 30 minutes before departure; a van then takes you to the hangar.