Franz Josef Glacier Tours

What’s included and what’s not

It depends on the type of tour more than the operator.

Heli hikes: two helicopter flights, a guide, boots, crampons and waterproofs. No food. The hot pools pass one operator’s video mentions isn’t on the current listing.

Scenic flights: the flight, the pilot and a snow landing of about 10 minutes when conditions allow. Glacier Country Helicopters says that in summer the landing site may be bare rock, and if the pilot can’t land you get the landing fee back and a shorter flight.

Guided nature walks: a guide, walking poles, umbrellas, wet weather gear and, on the listings, lunch and water. Boots are limited stock, so ask. You see the glacier from a distance; Glacier Valley Eco Tours says access to the ice is restricted for safety.

Kayak and lake trips: a guide, transport to Lake Mapourika, dry bags, splash jackets and gloves, and photos of your trip. Tea and coffee on the kayak and walk combination, hot drinks on the cruise. Bring your own snack.

Quad bikes: waterproofs, gumboots, a helmet and free photos. A guide teaches first timers; the listing doesn’t mention a licence.

Not included anywhere here: getting to Franz Josef, hot pools entry, and alcohol.

What a day looks like

Most people give Franz Josef one full day and a spare. The tours are short, the village is small, and almost everything leaves from the same few buildings on Main Road. A typical first day:

8:00am. Check the weather before anything else. Helicopter trips are decided on the morning, and Fox Glacier Guiding makes its call 10 minutes before check-in.

8:15am to 12:30pm. The big trip, if you’ve booked one. A heli hike takes 2.5 to 4 hours from check-in to gear return, depending on the glacier. Devang Sethi filmed the Fox version: bags into a locker, boots, socks, gloves and a jacket handed out, a bus to the helipad, a flight of 3 to 4 minutes, then about 3 hours on the ice. A scenic flight with a snow landing takes 25 to 45 minutes in the air, plus 30 minutes to check in.

9:30am alternative. If you’d rather walk than fly, the Franz Josef Nature Tour leaves at 9:30am for a guided walk into the glacier valley with lunch, about 2 to 3 hours. Its Fox Glacier twin leaves at 1:30pm.

Afternoon. Something on the water. The kayak trips on Lake Mapourika take 2.5 to 4 hours with transport from the village; the small group lake cruise takes about 2. The quad bike tour is about 2 hours through rainforest and river crossings.

Late afternoon. The free walks. Craig & Chantal did Sentinel Rock and the forest walk to the glacier viewpoint in about an hour, and drove 10 minutes from Fox village to the Peak Viewpoint, where a sighting tool picks out Aoraki/Mount Cook. Lake Matheson near Fox is a loop of about 1.5 hours, best for reflections early or late on a calm day, according to CJ Explores.

Evening. Hot pools in the village. Travel of Two Halves finished at the Waiho Hot Tubs after their walks.

Keep the second day loose

If the helicopters don’t fly on day one, day two is your second chance. Chasing Dain lost their first morning to cloud at the helicopter door and flew the next day. Dane and Stacey were still on standby for their Fox flight on the third day. Abbie and Wiebe never got up, and moved their money to a helicopter flight in Queenstown instead of taking a refund. The guided nature walks supply umbrellas and wet weather gear, so they’re the easiest way to fill a cancelled morning.

Meeting points and getting there

Almost every tour on this page checks in on Main Road in Franz Josef village, within a few minutes’ walk of each other. The exceptions are the Fox Glacier heli hike, 25 km south in Fox village, and Franz Josef Glacier Guides on Cron Street.

The kayak and cruise trips include transport out to Lake Mapourika. The Fox Glacier nature tour offers pickups from Fox village.

Getting to Franz Josef

Franz Josef is about 355 km from Queenstown over the Haast Pass, roughly 5 to 6 hours of driving before stops. Most people break it with a night in Wanaka or Haast, and leave at least one full day in the area. Fox Glacier is 25 km further south.

If that’s too far, there are two shortcuts. A heli hike flies from Queenstown and back in a day, and a small group tour runs one way from Queenstown to Franz Josef via Wanaka in about 12 hours; that one is on our Wanaka tours page.

If the weather turns

Call the operator on the number in your Viator confirmation. Helicopter operators decide on the morning. If the operator cancels, you’re offered another time, and Glacier Valley Eco Tours offers a new date or a full refund.

What to bring

The West Coast is wet, and the operators know it. Most tours here supply the outer layer, so bring what goes underneath.

• A rain jacket of your own for the free walks. CJ Explores had rain and cloud on their first day and wished for one.
• Warm layers. Fox Glacier Guiding asks for three or four on the top half for the heli hike.
• Sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen for anything on the ice or snow. Devang Sethi’s guide warned the sun on the glacier is far stronger than it feels.
• Insect repellent for the lake trips and the bush walks.
• Snacks. The nature tours include lunch and water on their listings. The heli hikes and flights don’t feed you.
• Your weight, at booking, for any helicopter trip. The Franz Josef heli hike stops at 115 kg, and on Glacier Country Helicopters’ flights anyone 120 kg or over buys a comfort seat.

Supplied, depending on the tour: boots, crampons and waterproofs on the heli hikes; walking poles, umbrellas and wet weather gear on the nature tours; splash jackets, gloves and dry bags on the kayaks; waterproofs, gumboots and a helmet on the quad bikes.

How to choose

Start with one question: do you want to be on the ice, over it, or near it? The answer narrows 11 tours to two or three.

Where each option is covered in depth

• On the ice. The heli hikes at Franz Josef and Fox, compared hour by hour with fitness, ages and cancellations, are on our Franz Josef Glacier heli hike page.
• Over the ice. Scenic flights of 25 to 45 minutes with a snow landing. A full comparison of routes and operators is on our helicopter flights page.
• Near the ice, for free. Sentinel Rock, the valley track and Lake Matheson are in our Franz Josef Glacier guide, with what’s open after the flood damage.

Pick this if

• You’ve come this far to stand on a glacier: a heli hike, booked for your first morning.
• You have one afternoon and a modest budget: a snow landing flight, or the nature walk if you’d rather stay on the ground.
• You’re travelling with young children: the kayak and walk takes them from 4.

Skip it if

• You’re only passing through for a night with no slack. A cancelled helicopter has no second chance, and the free viewpoint walks may serve you better. CJ Explores chose not to pay for a tour at all and found the free view decent on a clear morning, though far back.

Season and timing

Every tour here runs year round. On the West Coast the forecast for the day decides more than the month does.

The travellers we watched didn’t compare seasons, so this page doesn’t rank them. What they agree on is the day-to-day pattern. Chasing Dain went in April and found it cold and wet, with snow possible. CJ Explores had a day of rain and cloud, then a clear morning as they left. Peter and Yen drove 10 minutes from sunshine into a downpour and got their clear view at Fox the next day, and Dane and Stacey’s clear window at the glacier lasted about 15 minutes. Go the moment it clears.

Planning around the weather

• Helicopters first. Put any flight or heli hike on your first morning. If it’s called off, there’s still tomorrow.
• Ground tours as the backup. The nature walks supply umbrellas and rain gear, and the lake trips go out in drizzle, per reviewers. They’re the natural fill for a cancelled flight.
• Mornings for Lake Matheson. Its mirror reflections need still air; CJ Explores got none at midday.
• A spare day if you can. Chasing Dain left one and needed it.

In summer, the snow landings can be on bare rock. Glacier Country Helicopters says so on its listing, so if snow underfoot matters, ask the operator before booking a December to February flight.

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