Every flight over Fox Glacier
Fox Glacier helicopter tours cover one valley and eight different flights, from a twenty-five-minute scenic flight with a snow landing, from $223, to a heli hike that puts you on the ice for up to three hours, from $479. In between sit flights over the Southern Alps and Aoraki, twin-glacier flights that take in Franz Josef as well, and the longest scenic flight on this site. This page lays out all eight, with the live price, duration and rating for each, so the choice is which flight, not which listing to trust.
Quick answer
The short answer. Fox Glacier helicopter tours range from $223 for a twenty-five-minute scenic flight with a snow landing to $843 for the longest scenic run on this site, ninety minutes over three glaciers. The one flight that gets you walking on the ice, not just standing on it after a landing, is the heli hike from $479.
How the eight flights differ
All eight Fox Glacier helicopter tours lift off from the same helipad in the township and fly some part of the same icefall. What changes between them is how long you are in the air, whether the helicopter puts you down, and whether that landing is on snow for a few minutes or the start of a hike.
Three of the eight are built around a snow landing: the twenty-five-minute flight from $223, the twin-glacier flight from $279, and the twin-glacier flight that lands at either Fox Glacier or Franz Josef Glacier, from $279. All three are covered in full on this site’s snow landing page.
One flight goes further than a landing: the heli hike, from $479, flies you in, fits crampons, and spends up to three hours walking the ice on foot before flying back out.
The rest are scenic flights over the icefalls and the Southern Alps, several of them named for Franz Josef because they lift off from there and cover both glaciers on the way — $259, $279, $392 and $843 among them.
Every flight compared
Fox Glacier helicopter tours sorted from the cheapest to the longest, with what each one actually does.
The cheapest way onto a helicopter here: 126 reviews at 4.6. A short flight over the icefalls with a landing on the snowfield, wheelchair accessible, and bookable as little as two hours ahead.
The one flight that lands you for longer than a look: 366 reviews at 4.9, the highest rating on this site. Crampons are fitted after landing and the walk covers ice caves and arches for up to three hours.
The most reviewed flight here, at 405 reviews and 4.7. It takes in both Franz Josef and Fox Glacier and lands on snow partway through.
153 reviews at 4.9. Views of the Southern Alps, Aoraki and Mount Tasman from both glaciers, with the longest booking window of the eight, twenty-four hours ahead.
44 reviews at 4.5. Departs Fox Glacier village and adds Aoraki/Mount Cook to the icefalls below.
12 reviews at 4.8. The landing happens at the head of either Franz Josef Glacier or Fox Glacier, decided on the day.
13 reviews at 3.9, the lowest rating on this site. Franz Josef, Fox Glacier and Mount Cook in one flight, in a small group.
The longest flight on this page, and the most expensive: one review at 5.0. It covers Franz Josef and several other glaciers, with three landings across two national parks.
Want to know exactly which of these land on snow, and which just fly over it?
Which flights actually land→Same flight, different wording
A few searches reach this page by accident, or in another language, and it is worth being straight about them.
In French, Italian and German. A helicoptere Fox Glacier search is French for the same flight, a tour elicottero Fox Glacier search is the Italian version, and a Fox Glacier neuseeland search is simply German for «Fox Glacier, New Zealand». All three land on the same eight listings compared below; the numbers do not change with the language a search is typed in.
A helicoptero Fox Glacier search is the Spanish spelling of the same flight, and it lands here for the same reason.
Fox Glacier skydive. There is no skydive over Fox Glacier itself on this site. The nearest thing is a tandem jump based near Franz Josef, from $197, and it is a different day out entirely — a jump, not a scenic flight.
Bella vista Fox Glacier. A bella vista Fox Glacier search is almost always about where to sleep, not where to fly from. This page compares helicopter flights, not accommodation.
Fox Glacier lookout and Fox Glacier view point. Both usually mean seeing the glacier without booking a flight. The closest this site comes is the guided half-day walk in the valley, from $62, which brings you toward the ice on foot rather than over it.
Fox Glacier hikes and Fox Glacier things to do. Two of the thirteen listings on this site are on foot, not in the air: the half-day valley walk above, and a half-day nature tour to Lake Matheson, from $68. Neither uses a helicopter.
Fox Glacier south side walkway. None of the eight flights on this page is a walking route; the south side of the glacier is reached on foot or not at all from these listings.
Haast to Fox Glacier and hokitika to Fox Glacier. Both are road questions rather than booking ones — the coast highway runs through the township from both directions, and every flight on this page departs from the same helipad regardless of which way you arrived.
Fox Glacier fruits. The roadside fruit and ice-cream stall in the township turns up under this search more often than any tour does; it sits a short walk from where the flights lift off, and it is not one of the thirteen bookable listings on this site.
Fox Glacier trip. A Fox Glacier trip built around the ice, rather than the drive, comes down to the eight flights and two walks compared on this site.
What matters most, by flight
If price is what matters most, the shortest scenic flight at $223 is the cheapest way onto a helicopter here, with a snow landing included. If rating is what matters most, the heli hike at 4.9 across 366 reviews sits above the rest, followed by the twin Fox and Franz Josef flight at the same 4.9 across 153 reviews.
If the question is which flight sees the most, the three-glacier flight and the Grand Adventure cover the widest ground, taking in Franz Josef, Fox Glacier and Mount Cook or several more glaciers in one booking. If the question is which flight puts you on the ice longest, only one answer fits: the heli hike, at up to three hours rather than a landing measured in minutes.
None of the eight is a wrong choice; they answer different questions about the same valley, and the table below has the live number for whichever one matters to you.
Book direct
The six flights booked most, with live prices and ratings.
★ 4.6 · 126 reviews
★ 4.9 · 366 reviews
★ 4.7 · 405 reviews
★ 4.9 · 153 reviews
★ 4.5 · 44 reviews
★ 4.8 · 12 reviews
Every trip, current fare
All eight Fox Glacier helicopter tours, current fare, with cost per hour for a fair comparison.
| Flight | Length | Price | What is included | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Glacier: Scenic Helicopter Flight with Snow LandingTwenty-five minutes with a snow landing | 25 min | $223 | Twenty-five minutes with a snow landing | $535.20 | 4.6 · 126 |
| Fox Glacier: Up to 3 Hours Hike with Helicopter TransferFly up, walk three hours on the ice | 4 h | $479 | Fly up, walk three hours on the ice | $119.75 | 4.9 · 366 |
| Franz Josef & Fox Glaciers Helicopter Flight & Snow LandingBoth glaciers and a snow landing | 35 min | $279 | Both glaciers and a snow landing | $478.29 | 4.7 · 405 |
| Franz Josef: Twin Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers Helicopter TripThirty minutes over the twin glaciers | 30 min | $259 | Thirty minutes over the twin glaciers | $518.00 | 4.9 · 153 |
| Fox Glacier and Mount Cook Helicopter FlightFox Glacier and Aoraki in one flight | 35 min | $279 | Fox Glacier and Aoraki in one flight | $478.29 | 4.5 · 44 |
| Franz Josef, Fox Glacier & Mt Cook Helicopter Scenic FlightThree glaciers on one scenic flight | 40 min | $392 | Three glaciers on one scenic flight | $588.00 | 3.9 · 13 |
| Franz Josef: Twin Glacier Helicopter Flight and Snow LandingTwin glaciers, one landing on snow | 35 min | $279 | Twin glaciers, one landing on snow | $478.29 | 4.8 · 12 |
| The Grand Adventure Helicopter Flight: Franz Josef GlacierThe longest flight on this page | 90 min | $843 | The longest flight on this page | $562.00 | 5.0 · 1 |
Common questions
Eight, from a twenty-five-minute scenic flight at $223 to a ninety-minute flight over three glaciers at $843. Three of the eight land on snow, and one, the heli hike, lands you for up to three hours on foot.
The twenty-five-minute scenic flight with a snow landing, from $223. It is also wheelchair accessible and bookable as little as two hours ahead, and it carries 126 reviews at 4.6.
Three do: the scenic flight from $223, the twin-glacier flight from $279, and the twin-glacier flight from $279, which lands at either Fox Glacier or Franz Josef Glacier. A fourth, the heli hike, lands and adds a walk.
A scenic flight stays in the air, with a snow landing on some of them lasting a few minutes. The heli hike, from $479, lands and then spends up to three hours walking the ice on foot before flying back.
Both townships have a helipad, half an hour apart by road. Several flights on this page, including $259 and $392, are named for Franz Josef because they lift off there and fly over Fox Glacier too.
From $223 for the shortest scenic flight to $843 for the longest. Most of the eight sit between $259 and $392, for flights of thirty to forty minutes.
Go deeper
Fly up, walk on the ice, fly back down.
Snow landingsWhich flights actually put you down on the snow.
PricesWhat a Fox Glacier flight costs, listing by listing.
Scenic flightsTwenty-five minutes to ninety: what each length shows.
On footThe guided walk at the terminal face, without a flight.
Lake MathesonThe mirror lake and the view of Aoraki.
Fox Glacier: Up to 3 Hours Hike with Helicopter Transfer
★ 4.9 · 366 reviews · Free cancellation 24 h