Franz Josef heli hike tickets

As long as you remain active regularly and have some experience with hiking, you should be able to participate in the heli hike without any issues. However, if you’ve had a history of any medical conditions, we suggest that you get a doctor’s recommendation to remain on the safe side.

If drastic weather changes lead to the cancelation of your tickets, you can either get a refund or reschedule your heli hike for another day. If your holiday itinerary includes multiple experiences, keep the Franz Josef heli hike towards the beginning of your itinerary to accommodate for a reschedule.

Franz Josef has a much steeper descent compared to the Fox Glacier, this means that ice formations are more drastic, but the terrain is also riskier. If you’re a beginner to mountain hikes, we suggest you pick the calmer Fox Glacier instead. If you’re an experienced mountaineer and want to see drastic ice formations, then Franz Josef in the summer is your best option.

Although a guided hike of Franz Josef takes you quite close to the glacier, you will not have the opportunity to hike atop the glacier. With a heli hike, not only can you see the surrounding mountains and valleys, but you also get to land on the ice and get exclusive views of the various ice formations atop the glacier. It’s also a better option for if you want to see blue ice.

While there’s no guarantee that you will be able to see specific ice formations, the helicopter takes you high up the glacier where blue ice is quite prominent.

Your Franz Josef heli hike will include a short trip to the top of the glacier, after which you will put on your crampons provided by your guide and take a 2-hour hike on the glacier. Your guide will carve the path for you and show you various ice formations on the glacier. Once the hike is complete, you will return to the helipad where the helicopter dropped you off at first to go back down to the glacier base.

Apart from Franz Josef heli hikes and heli tours, there are also other experiences like guided hiking tours, boating on Lake Mapourika and Okarito Lagoon. Most hiking trails are free for you to access. However, be sure to check with the Department of Conservation on whether these trails are open and if there are any ice or landslide warnings.

One expert glacier guide is assigned to up to 10 tourists at Franz Josef. However, the helicopter can only fit up to 6 people at a time, including the pilot and the guide.

The price of your Franz Josef heli hike includes all the items essential to your experience, including waterproof jacket and pants, snow boots, crampons and a fanny pack. However, you will need to bring your own sunglasses. If you don’t have one, you can purchase sunglasses from a kiosk at the heli hike base.

You can cancel or reschedule your Franz Josef heli hike up to 24 hours before the beginning of your experience. If you need to make any reschedules within this period, you may have to forfeit your refund. However, if there is a cancelation due to unforeseen weather changes, then you will be entitled to a full refund or reschedule your heli hike for free.

We suggest that you not carry a backpack as the helicopter has limited space for seating. The facility will give you a small fanny pack to keep your essentials like phone, snacks, water bottle, etc.

The Franz Josef Glacier is usually about 8 to 10°C cooler than the town below. The breeze usually adds to this chill. As conditions can change quite drastically, we suggest that you have at least 2 warm layers beneath the jacket provided by the facility.

Weather in Alpine regions can change drastically, so it’s best to be prepared with extra layers. In the summer, we suggest that you have at least 2 warm layers beneath the jacket. In the winter, wear at least 3 layers underneath. You can always take off one of these layers if you’re too warm.

Denim is a highly absorbent material that will easily get wet during the hike. This will not only drastically add to its weight but also increase the chances of frostbite. To avoid such situations, we suggest that you wear lightweight joggers or track pants under the facility’s waterproof overpants.

Although there is good connectivity between nearby towns and Franz Josef by road, it is best to drive up to the glacier only if you have experience driving under rain or snow. The road conditions may be unpredictable, especially during the winter, so drive up here at your own discretion.