Twin Glacier Helicopter Flights

A twin glacier flight takes you over Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier in one trip, with a landing on the snow high on one of them. Glacier Helicopters’ Franz Josef & Fox Glaciers Helicopter Flight & Snow Landing flies that route from Franz Josef township, from $280 per person, rated 4.7 from 410 GetYourGuide reviews. Allow 35 minutes for the flight, landing included, and 30 minutes before it for check-in.

Three flights to compare first:

• Fixed route over Franz Josef and Fox, from $280: Glacier Helicopters’ twin glacier flight. View Dates & Prices or Check Tour Details.
• Franz Josef plus Fox or Tasman, from $280: Glacier Country Helicopters’ 35-minute flight, rated 4.9 from 535 reviews. View Dates & Prices or Check Tour Details.
• 30 minutes, from $260: HeliServices’ twin flight over Fox and Franz Josef. View Dates & Prices or Check Tour Details.

What a twin glacier flight covers

Franz Josef and Fox glaciers both lie in Westland Tai Poutini National Park, and their townships sit 24 km apart by road. A helicopter links the two glaciers in one loop: you fly up over the icefall and crevasses of one, cross to the snowfields of the other and land on snow near the head of one of them. The pilot picks which, depending on the weather and the landing sites that are clear.

The landing is the same short photo stop you get on a 20 or 25-minute snow landing flight. Glacier Helicopters gives around 6 to 8 minutes on the snow in its FAQ, while Glacier Country Helicopters and HeliServices list 10 minutes on their twin flights. For the extra cost over a short flight you get a second glacier from the air and more of the névé above both.

30 or 35 minutes: the listings disagree

Glacier Helicopters and The Helicopter Line belong to one group, and both sell a twin glacier flight direct for NZ$495. Glacier Helicopters’ price list calls it 30 minutes; The Helicopter Line’s calls it 35. On GetYourGuide both versions are listed at 35 minutes: Glacier Helicopters’ flight and The Helicopter Line’s Twin Glacier Helicopter Flight and Snow Landing, rated 4.8 from 12 reviews. Glacier Helicopters’ own listing mentions a 30-minute scenic flight in its inclusions and tells you to allow 35 minutes in total, landing included.

Plan on 35 minutes from take-off to touchdown. With a landing of 6 to 8 minutes, that leaves somewhere under half an hour in the air. The Helicopter Line says to allow about an hour altogether for check-in, the safety briefing and the 35-minute flight. Glacier Helicopters’ direct price list was marked valid to 30 September 2026, so check the current rate if you book with the operator.

Fixed route or flexible route

Glacier Helicopters flies a fixed route over Franz Josef and Fox. Glacier Country Helicopters’ 35-Minute Helicopter Trip over Two Glaciers flies over Franz Josef Glacier and then either Fox Glacier or the Tasman Glacier, the route varying with the weather. Glacier Country does not publish how the second glacier is chosen; it says only that routes may vary due to weather and its team will keep you updated. Viator sells the same flight as Pilot’s Choice, from $287 and rated 4.8 from 401 Viator reviews.

With two possible routes, the pilot has a second option when one valley is cloudy. Glacier Country’s 25-minute listing makes the point from the other side: it has a single route and landing site, with no backup if that route is weather-affected. The trade-off is that you may not see Fox. One low-star reviewer saw a single glacier in bad weather, and not the one they expected.

Choose the fixed route if seeing Fox Glacier is the point. Choose the flexible one if you would like the Tasman as a possibility and more ways to fly on a marginal day. The Pilot’s Choice guide goes into the route options.

The 30-minute HeliServices twin

HeliServices’ Twin Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers Helicopter Trip is the lowest-priced Fox and Franz Josef flight compared here, from $260 per person and rated 4.9 from 154 reviews. Its listing gives 30 minutes, a 10-minute landing and views of the Southern Alps, Mount Cook and Mount Tasman along the way.

GetYourGuide files it under Fox Glacier, but the flight departs from Franz Josef town, as its description says. Book it if price or the 10-minute landing decides it for you. Book Glacier Helicopters’ flight if you prefer its longer review record and a route that names both glaciers.

Weather and the backup day

Most low-star reviews of Glacier Helicopters’ twin flight are about weather. Two reviewers were rescheduled three or four times before giving up, and a few were still waiting for GetYourGuide refunds when they wrote. Operators make the final call at check-in, 30 minutes before departure, and none publishes a cancellation rate.

Book your first morning in Franz Josef and keep the next day free. GetYourGuide bookings cancel free up to 24 hours before, and a weather cancellation gets you another date or a full refund. When cloud blocks the landing sites, Glacier Country Helicopters also flies an 18-Minute Twin Glacier Helicopter Flight over both glaciers with no landing, from $223 and with no reviews yet; booked direct, it costs the same as the company’s 25-minute flight. The weather and refunds guide has each operator’s terms.

Who a twin glacier flight suits

It suits a first flight when you want more than the shortest loop, and it saves the drive to Fox if you are staying in Franz Josef. Children can fly with Glacier Helicopters: those aged 4 to 14 over 15 kg need their own seat, and infants under 4 who weigh less than 15 kg sit on an adult’s knee. The kids guide covers the other operators.

For Aoraki/Mt Cook up close, look at the Mount Cook flights; for three or four glaciers and two landings, see multi-glacier flights. If a short flight and a few minutes on the snow are enough, the snow landing flights cost less, and helicopter prices lays out the cost of each type. When you know your dates, check availability for your first morning.