Aditi
Denise
Rohan
Carmen
Tilo
Headout Guest
Headout Guest
Headout Guest
Take in the clean air, lush rainforests, and the majestic Southern Alps of the New Zealand outbacks at Te Wähipounamu, the World Heritage Site which houses the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. Explore all the things to do at Franz Josef, including glacier hikes and aerial tours, and take your pick!
The South West Coast of the South Island is fondly known as Glacier Country, and is part of the Te Wähipounamu World Heritage Site. The area is filled with national parks, mountains, lakes, and some of the most active glaciers in the world, including the Fox and Franz Josef Glacier. See it all on a guided helicopter tour!
The Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are some of the fastest moving glaciers in the world. During summers, you can see the ice moving right in front of your eyes!
While you may be able to see the glacier from afar by hiking up free walking trails, the only way you can actually set foot on the glacier is via a heli tour or heli-hike. And trust us, the experience is hugely different!
The towns of Franz Josef and Fox Glacier have plenty of stay options for you to choose from. Stay and explore the Westland Tai Poutini National Park. Go skydiving, hiking, and soak in hot pools, while you're there.
Helicopter tours and heli-hikes are the best way to explore the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, and lucky for you, we have both options for you to choose from! Don't worry about missing out on either one of the glaciers; Franz Josef and Fox Glacier are located just 25 minutes away from each other, and you always have the option of upgrading your tickets to see them both.
Both the helicopter tour and the heli-hike will take you over Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman, so you can enjoy the icy peaks interspersed with the trees of the rainforest.
The weather and time of day plays huge roles in deciding the best time to visit Franz Josef Glacier. We've broken it down for you, so you can plan your visit better; take a look!
There are two main types of tours starting from the Franz Josef & Fox Glacier: heli-hike tours and helicopter tours. Given that they are located close by, you can upgrade your ticket and visit both glaciers on the helicopter tour.
Helicopter tours give you a 20-minute aerial tour of the Souther Alps, covering attractions like the Fox and Franz Josef Glacier, Mt. Tasman, and Mt. Cook, and a 10-minute snow landing on the glacier. You can upgrade your tour to 30/40-minutes, which covers a larger area. Heli-hike tours will take you on a helicopter, to the face of the glacier. From here, you can hike through blue ice caves and crevasses of the glacier for 2/4 hours. There is a return flight back to base, once the hike is completed.
Both heli-hikes and helicopter tours are expensive to begin with. Helicopter tours are comparatively cheaper, starting at NZ$330 for a 20-minute tour, going up to NZ$575 for a 40-minute tour. Heli-hike tours start at NZ$655. They come with an expert hiking guide who will lead you through the tricky surface of the glacier, adding to the premium experience.
While both glaciers are stunning in their own right, Franz Josef Glacier is the steeper of the two, making it a good choice for expert or intermediate hikers. Fox Glacier is less steep, but is longer than Franz Josef. This is a good option for intermediate and beginner hikers.
Helicopter tours will take you on a 20-minute, guided aerial tour of the Southern Alps, and will cover either the Fox or Franz Josef Glacier (based on your selection), and nearby mountains like Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman. Feel free to upgrade your tour for up to 40-minutes to include the other glacier. There is a 10-minute snow landing included in helicopter tours, which is subject to weather conditions.
Yes, you can view the glaciers from free viewing points in the valley, but visibility may be poor during the summer months. Additionally, the only way you can access both glaciers is via helicopter.
It depends on whether you have ever hiked on a glacier, and if you are willing to pay the premium. The experience is surreal, especially if it is your first time. Walking through the blue ice caves and waterfalls, being surrounded by lush trees, will transport you to a different universe, one which is pristine and makes you appreciate nature.
Both Fox and Franz Josef Glacier heli-hike tours require children to be a minimum age of 10 years.
Guests must weigh at least 35kgs and less than 116kgs in order to participate in a heli-hike tour.
The heli-hike tours on both Franz Josef and Fox Glacier are physically demanding. Both experiences are not recommended for young kids, pregnant women, and guests with health risks such as heart or lung conditions.
There are plenty of things to do around Franz Josef Glacier. Try your hand at skydiving in Franz Josef or go on a Fox Glacier valley tour. You can also explore the nearby Lake Matheson and Lake Mapourika. If you want to indulge in retail therapy, there are plenty of shopping and dining options in the Franz Josef Glacier town.
Summers (between December and February) are the busiest months of the year, with the glaciers in their active phase. You will see the glacier in motion as you hike! Winters (between June and August) are when the glaciers are more stable. Chances of seeing blue ice are larger during this period, not to mention, the crowds will be lesser. Mornings are the best time to go on your glacier tour, since the skies get cloudier as the day goes on.
A great experience. It worth the wait till the weather conditions maje the trip possible.
There were road closures and we were not going to make it on time to Franz Josef. We called them and they rescheduled our trip to next day. Thank fully there was an open spot. It is recommended to book the ride for the day you reach Franz Josef so that u have some flexibility in can of any issues. Smooth check in and a memorable trip. We took 1 glacier 20 min ride. The pilot was excellent and took pictures for us .. we stopped for a good 7 mins even though it was supposed to be a 2 min stop. Definitely worth the money.
The Franz Josef / Fox Glacier helicopter tour has honesyly been the best experience of our 4 week holiday. The booking was easy & confirmed quickly,, location was easy to find, booking in & safety talk was enjoyable, everything just flowed , all customer advisers were knowledgaeble & reassuring, pilot was phenomenal & truly made this whole experience wonderful. The scenery is jaw droppingly beautiful, really takes your breath away - as does so much in NZ. However this trip was so humbling & peaceful , it truly has been the cherry on the trifle ♥️
Most amazing experience I've ever had! Clear skies and a amazing view. We did the 20 min. With snow landing and it was worth every minute!
The scenery was beyond compare. I got to throw a snowball at my husband. Our pilot-Olivia was full of good information and operated the heli very smoothly. One of my favorite things I've done in NZ
Awesome experience thoroughly recommend this
The walk around the glacier was fantastic.
Loved walking out on glazier.
Incredible experience. We were blessed with perfect weather and beautiful blue skies. Wonderful memories with our 2 babies for whom the ride was free. Thank you so much!
The weather and the pilot was amazing. The hole glacier landscape is funtastic.
It was amaze balls dude!!!!!!!!!!
the views and experience was amazing
Inclusions
20-min Franz Josef helicopter tour
Snow landing
Pilot guide
30-min Franz Josef & Fox Glacier helicopter tour (optional)
40-min Glaciers & Mt. Cook helicopter tour (optional)
Denise
Aditi
Arlene
The experience was canceled. Please give me a refund.
Inclusions
4-hour guided Franz Josef Glacier hike tour
Round-trip helicopter ride to Franz Josef Glacier
English-speaking expert mountaineering guide
Hiking gear (Crampons, harness, trekking poles, helmet)
Waterproof jacket, over trousers, walking boots, socks,warm hat, gloves
Our Guide was very good. He give is so many information about this area. It was very interesting We enjoyed the time very much.
The tour was awesome because of the individuality and the very good guiding. The ticketing with headout was horrible. Seven different persons always asked the same questions per email. I answered eight times using three different mail accounts to avoid spam. I used the direct and indirect chat two times and at least after six days headout finished the order.
Inclusions
Tour of Fox Glacier Valley
Expert guide
E-bike
Bike helmet
Leather boots
Waterproof jacket
Backpack
The most amazing experience! Our guide Connor was an absolute LEGEND - informative, personable and worked so hard to give us the best time possible. Would highly recommend this to others.
The Heli flight (unfortunately very short) was fantastic. The guide was funny and friendly. But we spent most of der time in small area of the glacier - just on a altitude of 700 m - lots of talks and doing ice holes crossing again and again. We expected more ice walking, hiking and seeing more of the glacier including the upper part. The price - performance ratio was not what we expected. You should offer more options for people, who are used to mountains and have experience. At least you should better inform, about the things in advance.
A very home-like and fmily-like atmosphere.
Our guide Always safety first Very well organized
Fantastic experience, Fiona was very experienced and knowledgeable, the other guide ( sorry I forgot his name ) was very friendly and helpful , the glacier was fascinating and beautiful, we got to see ice caves and get great photos , the weather was perfect , you don’t need to be super fit to do it , I’m 56 and in general good health and found it totally doable , definitely a big highlight of my holiday , if you can weather permitting definitely do this adventure!
An amazing trip. The company has twin objectives of safety and providing an experience to stay with you for a lifetime. We’re an older couple and coped well. Stretch was a great guide - and very tall! The company offers a no questions asked if you arrive and realise there is a chance of not being able to be airlifted from the glacier that day. Bear in mind that this trip is weather dependent. Play it safe and spend an extra night in either Fox or Franz Josef townships.
The guides are the best at Fox Glacier Guiding, we went with Toa and had a great time! He made sure that everyone in the group (12 ppl) had enough time to see, stop, and explore on the glacier. He was super informative, funny, and made sure to keep us safe. Would recommend to everyone!
Inclusions
4-hour guided Fox Glacier hike
Round-trip helicopter ride
English-speaking expert mountaineering guide
Leather boots & crampons
Hats, gloves & backpack
Waterproof jacket & overtrousers
Superb tour, flew right round mount cook saw both fox and Franz Joseph glaciers. Pilot was great.
Experience was super but at time of writing I have not received any credit for being moved to a cheaper tour the next day .So tour was awesome but admin from headout not so good as no credit received for much cheaper tour on the following day.
Absolutely outstanding & a must do. Every staff member was exceptional. And this experience I feel is a must do. We were incredibly lucky with the weather. This goes down as one of the experiences I’ve lived to date. Chris and Dee you are awesome
I wish I could give more than five Stars. Our helicopter departed from Franz Josef early in the morning before the clouds rolled in. It was a perfectly clear sky. We flew around Mt. Cook, Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier and did a snow landing. The ride was smooth and the views were spectacular. I strongly encourage everyone to take the Grand Tour.
Wow this was spectacular, the views, the landing, our pilot was helpful and gave a great commentary. This will be a highlight of this holiday. The check in and ground crew were also very helpful and considerate of my mobility issues. Couldn’t have been kinder.
Inclusions
20-min Fox Glacier helicopter tour
Snow landing
Pilot guide
30-min Franz Josef & Fox Glacier helicopter tour (optional)
30-min Fox Glacier & Mt.Cook helicopter tour (optional)
40-min Glaciers, Mt.Cook & Mt.Tasman helicopter tour (optional)
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Inclusions
20-min Franz Josef helicopter tour
Snow landing
Pilot guide