Franz Josef & Fox Glacier: 60-Min Helicopter with 2 Snow Landings

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/12

Duration1h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Two Snow Landings in the Southern Alps, Mount Cook in View

You fly over four glaciers in 60 minutes with two included snow landings—one for photos, one on the Shackleton Glacier with Mount Cook views. The helicopter departs from Franz Josef, and the full experience including check-in and transport takes about two hours. All fees and taxes are included, and you travel in an air-conditioned vehicle to and from the pad.

Step-by-step itinerary

Mt Cook Supreme Glacier Flight

Check in and prepare for flight
Fly over Franz Josef Glacier
Fly over Fox Glacier
Fly over Tasman Glacier
Snow landing for photos
Landing on Shackleton Glacier
Return to office

The Experience

The helicopter lifts off from Franz Josef and climbs toward the Southern Alps. You're looking down at Franz Josef Glacier first—the white sprawl of it, the crevasses catching light—and then the pilot banks toward Fox Glacier, then Tasman. The whole thing takes about an hour from the moment you step into the aircraft, but what matters is that you're not just flying over these glaciers. You land twice. The first landing is on snow, high enough that you can get out, stand on it, take photos without the rotor wash destroying everything. Ten minutes on the glacier itself, not watching it from above.

Gus and Poppy, who started this operation in 2014, are usually the ones flying. That matters because they know the weather patterns on the West Coast and they know which landings work on any given day. The second landing happens on the Shackleton Glacier, deeper into the range, where Mount Cook sits in the distance. It's another ten minutes on snow, and by then you've stopped thinking about the time and started thinking about the scale of what you're standing in. The flight covers Franz Josef, Fox, and Tasman Glaciers in sequence, so you see how they connect, how the landscape changes as you move south.

The whole experience—flight plus check-in, transport to the helicopter pad, loading, unloading, and getting back to the office—takes about two hours. You'll need to allow 45 minutes beyond the 60-minute flight itself. If you're over 120kg, you'll need to book a Comfort Seat at check-in; otherwise, standard seats are 40cm wide, and you can reserve an empty seat next to you if you want the space. There are two high ladder-style steps into the helicopter, so let the operator know if you have mobility concerns before you book.

What’s included

Your experience includes the 60-minute helicopter flight over Franz Josef, Fox, and Tasman Glaciers with views of Mount Cook, two 10-minute snow landings (one for photos, one on the Shackleton Glacier), air-conditioned vehicle transport to and from the helicopter pad, and all fees and taxes. Allow an extra 45 minutes beyond the flight time for check-in, loading, and unloading.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Glacier Country Helicopters

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to land on a glacier and stand on snow without arranging the logistics yourself—the operator handles transport, timing, and weather decisions, which is what makes two landings possible in a single morning or afternoon.