Franz Josef from Queenstown

True South Flights’ Queenstown: Franz Josef Glacier Heli Hike & Scenic Flight is the only flight on this site that starts in Queenstown. You fly to the West Coast by plane, take a helicopter onto the Franz Josef Icefall for about two hours of guided hiking, and fly back to Queenstown the same day. It costs from $1,128 per person for a 6.5-hour day, rated 4.8 from 28 GetYourGuide reviews, and the price includes hotel pickup and drop-off.

Every other Franz Josef helicopter flight and heli-hike starts in Franz Josef or Fox Glacier, about 5 hours’ drive from Queenstown, more with stops. So the choice comes down to two plans: pay for the planes and see the glacier in a day, or drive over, stay at least one night and book locally for far less.

Quick picks

• One day, no car, fit enough for a two-hour ice walk: the Queenstown day trip, from $1,128 per person.
• Driving the West Coast anyway: the Franz Josef Glacier Heli-Hike with Helicopter Transfer, from $508, with up to 2.5 hours on the ice and about 4 hours in total from check-in.
• A longer day on the ice after the drive: the Extended Heli-Hike with Lunch, from $876, with up to about 5.5 hours on the ice in a group of no more than four.
• No hiking and a smaller budget: the 25-minute flight with a snow or alpine landing, from $223, the most-reviewed flight here (4.8 from 696 reviews).
• Aoraki/Mt Cook from the air: INFLITE’s Grand Circle 60 Minute Scenic Flight, from $395, which lists a landing on the Tasman Glacier, weather permitting.

How the Queenstown day runs

The listing sets out the day in this order:

1. Hotel pickup in Queenstown, then a 30-minute briefing at True South Flights.
2. About an hour by plane over the Southern Alps to the West Coast. The listing promises a window seat on the plane, and the pilot gives commentary on the way.
3. A 15-minute bus ride into Franz Josef township, where you collect crampons, waterproof jacket and overtrousers at the Glacier Base and sit through a second 30-minute safety briefing.
4. A helicopter flight onto the Franz Josef Icefall. The itinerary allows 15 minutes for each helicopter leg.
5. About two hours on the ice with a guide, exploring crevasses and ice caves. The route changes with the glacier.
6. The helicopter back to the township, the bus to the plane and about an hour’s flight to Queenstown, followed by a break at the True South Flights base before you are dropped off.

Food and drinks are not included, so bring a packed lunch. The listing also asks for 3 to 4 warm layers, shorts or lightweight trousers (no jeans), sunglasses, sunscreen, a small water bottle and any medication you take daily. On the ice, everything you carry must fit in the small 2-litre waist bag provided, and there are lockers at the Glacier Base for the rest. Selfie sticks, bags, tablets and vaping are not allowed.

Our breakdown of the Queenstown day trip has the full inclusions and reviews.

What it costs against driving over

The day trip is the most expensive of the 20 flights with a page on this site. The local heli-hike from Franz Josef costs from $508 per person, so flying in from Queenstown adds about $620 per person, or about $1,240 for a couple.

For that difference you skip the road. Glacier Country, the regional tourism body, gives 351 km and 4 hours 40 minutes of driving between Queenstown and Franz Josef; Franz Josef Glacier Guides says about five hours plus stops, and the GetYourGuide listing itself says 6 hours. Allow about 5 hours each way, and more if you stop at Wanaka or Haast. InterCity’s coach timetable puts the trip at about 8 hours. A day trip by car is not realistic, because the drive alone takes most of a day each way.

You also get two scenic plane flights of about an hour each, which the drive cannot replace. What you give up is time on the ice and a spare day. The local heli-hike allows up to 2.5 hours on the glacier, against about two hours on the Queenstown itinerary, and travelers who stay in Franz Josef can rebook the next morning if cloud stops the helicopter.

Driving over makes most sense when Franz Josef is already on your route. State Highway 6 is the only road into the national park, from Haast in the south or Hokitika in the north, so a West Coast road trip passes the glacier anyway. Our price guide compares every flight.

Weather on a one-day trip

This day trip needs good weather at both ends: for a plane over the Southern Alps and for a helicopter onto the icefall. The national park can get heavy rain in any month, and Glacier Country Helicopters says the township and the Alps can have quite different weather on the same day.

The one low-star review on GetYourGuide describes the risk well. Low cloud formed after the plane reached Franz Josef and the glacier hike was called off. The scenic flights still ran, and the pilot looked for a glacier landing near Mt Cook as a substitute, but there was no space that day. The listing does not say how much is refunded when the plane flies and the hike is cancelled, so ask True South Flights before you book if that matters to you.

GetYourGuide’s free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before the start. Book the trip for an early day of your Queenstown stay so that later days are free if it has to move. Our weather and best-time guide explains how cancellations work at Franz Josef.

Who can go

The listing excludes children under 10, anyone under 30 kg or over 115 kg, people with mobility impairments, wheelchair users and people with a low level of fitness. The terrain on a heli-hike is uneven and you walk in crampons, sometimes on steps cut into the ice. If you can walk comfortably for two to three hours on rough ground, Franz Josef Glacier Guides says you will probably manage its own heli-hike, and the same test is a fair guide here.

The local heli-hike in Franz Josef has similar limits: at least 10 years old, 35 kg and 137 cm tall, and no more than 115 kg. Our what to wear and expect guide covers difficulty and clothing for the ice.

Booking locally after the drive

If you drive, all the Franz Josef flights check in in the township, and Fox Glacier flights check in in Fox Glacier village, about 24 km and 25 minutes further south. None of the local operators offers hotel pickup. Book your flight or heli-hike for the morning of your first full day and keep a second day free; every operator recommends booking early in your stay because of the weather.

The heli-hike page compares the ice walks, the Mount Cook flights page covers the longer flights across the Main Divide, and where to stay in Franz Josef helps you pick a base near the heliports. The classic Franz Josef heli-hike breakdown and the extended heli-hike breakdown have the details of each ice option.

If a single day from Queenstown suits your trip better, check availability for your dates, because the day trip depends on seats on the plane as well as on the glacier.