Heli-hikes on the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Guided walks onto the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers used to start from the valley floor. That ended in 2012 at Franz Josef and in 2014 at Fox. A DOC ranger compared the ice to a loaf of bread shrinking in its tin: as the glaciers lost thickness, the valley walls lost their support and rockfall made the approach unsafe. The retreat has not slowed: a 2014 study of the length records called the retreat at the time the fastest in the history of both glaciers, and glaciologist Brian Anderson has since measured a loss of 170 metres at Franz Josef in a single year. Today the only way onto the ice is by helicopter, and a heli-hike combines the flight with a guided walk once you are there.

The two glaciers have one company each. Franz Josef Glacier Guides says it is the only operator permitted to land on the Franz Josef Glacier, and it flies with helicopters from Inflite Franz & Fox Helicopters. At Fox Glacier the heli-hikes are run by Fox Glacier Guiding from its building in the centre of the village. The 13-kilometre Fox Glacier is among the longest in the park, and both ice tongues end less than 300 metres above sea level, in rainforest.

Franz Josef Glacier with Franz Josef Glacier Guides

You check in at the Glacier Base on Cron Street 15 minutes before the start. Staff fit you with boots, crampons, a waterproof jacket and trousers, a helmet, gloves and poles, and after the briefing you walk a short way to the helipad. The flight onto the glacier takes about four minutes each way. On the ice you spend up to two and a half hours with your guide, picking a way through ice formations and crevasses, and some routes pass blue ice caves, depending on how the glacier looks that week. Several reviewers spent noticeably less time actually walking, with time lost waiting for the helicopter, and groups can be as large as twelve. Plan about four hours in total.

The limits are strict. You must be at least 10 years old, weigh at least 35 kg and be at least 137 cm tall, and the upper weight limit is 115 kg. Pregnant women and people with back problems cannot take part, and anyone under 18 needs a paying parent or guardian on the same trip. The operator describes the walks as quite challenging and steep, and says guests who turn out not to be fit enough on the day are not refunded. Food is not included, so bring water and a snack along with warm layers, long trousers, sunglasses and sunscreen.

Fox Glacier with Fox Glacier Guiding

The Fox heli-hike lasts about four hours, with up to three of them on the ice. Check-in is 20 minutes before departure at the Fox Glacier Guiding building. On the way up you see ice caves, icefalls and Victoria Falls, the meltwater stream of the hidden Victoria Glacier. The helicopter lands on a remote part of the Fox Glacier, and from there you follow the steps your guide cuts into the ice.

Leather boots and socks, crampons, poles, a wet-weather jacket and overtrousers are all supplied, and so are the ground transport and both flights. Jeans and drones are not allowed, and you bring your own food and drinks. The minimum age is 9, and a weight limit applies, so give your real weight when you book. Fox Glacier Guiding says its lower operating altitude leaves it less affected by weather than other operators; that is the company’s own claim, and no figures on cancellations are published by either operator.

A shorter landing on the ice

If the full hike is too long, or your children are too young, Franz Josef Glacier Guides also runs a one-hour trip with 15 minutes on the ice. It starts and ends with a walk through native bush to the helipad, the flight time is about 15 minutes return, and an ice guide stays with you on the glacier and talks about glaciology, local history and Māori legends. Groups are no larger than six, the minimum age is 4, and the trip is not suitable during pregnancy. Check in 30 minutes before departure at the Franz Josef Glacier Guides base.

The extended heli-hike with lunch

At the other end of the scale is a small-group day with one guide to at most four guests. A ten-minute flight over the rainforest lands you at about 1,200 metres on the Franz Josef Glacier, the route is set to suit the group’s pace, and lunch and drinks are served on the ice. Plan seven to eight hours from check-in at 63 Cron Street. The minimum age is 14, and a 115 kg weight limit applies.

Weather and cancellations

The heli-hikes run all year, but every one of them depends on the helicopter being able to fly. Franz Josef receives an average of 5,751 mm of rain a year (NIWA, 1981–2010). If the trip does not go ahead because of weather, you are refunded in full. You can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours ahead. At Fox, changes or cancellations you ask for within 24 hours of the start are not refunded. Franz Josef Glacier Guides asks guests to book their first available day in town, which leaves time for a second attempt.

On the ice, sun reflects off the snow and UV is strong in every season, so sunglasses and sunscreen are on the packing list even in July. A scenic flight with a snow landing is the alternative if you want to see the upper snowfields without the walk, and the weather page covers the layers to bring.

On the other side of the Main Divide, visitmountcook.com covers the heli-hike on the Tasman Glacier.