Fox Glacier Heli-Hike or Scenic Flight?
Fox Glacier heli-hike or scenic flight: time on the ice against time in the air, prices from the 25-minute flight to the 4-hour heli-hike, and who can go.
A heli-hike puts you on the ice of Fox Glacier for up to 3 hours, walking with a guide and crampons; a scenic flight shows you the whole glacier from the air in 25 to 40 minutes and lands for a few minutes on the snow above the icefalls. The shortest flight from Fox Glacier village is Glacier Helicopters’ Fox Glacier: Scenic Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing, from US$223 a person (checked November 2026); Fox Glacier Guiding's heli-hike is from US$479.
The calendar above is Glacier Helicopters’ 25-minute Fox Glacier flight, with 129 reviews (checked November 2026).
The short answer
Book the heli-hike if walking on a glacier is the point of the trip and you are fit enough for three hours on uneven ice. Book a scenic flight if you want the scale of the glacier, the snowfields at its head and, on the longer flights, Aoraki/Mount Cook, or if anyone in the group is under 9, heavier than the heli-hike allows, or not up to the walk. Both are helicopter trips and both stop in bad weather: whichever you choose, book it for your first full day in the area.
Every option from Fox Glacier village, side by side
| Trip | Time out, and on the ice or snow | From |
|---|---|---|
| Glacier Helicopters, Fox Glacier scenic flight | 25 minutes; a snow landing of about 8 | US$223 |
| Twin-glacier flight from Fox village (Viator) | 35 minutes; lands high on one of the two | US$292 |
| The Helicopter Line, Fox Glacier and Mount Cook | 35 minutes; a snow landing of about 10 | US$292 |
| Fox Glacier Guiding, heli-hike (also on Viator) | About 4 hours; up to 3 walking on the glacier | US$479; US$501 on Viator |
Prices per person from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026).
Prices are per person, from the listings; children pay less on most of them. The same heli-hike is sold on both platforms at slightly different prices, so compare the two on your date.
Time on the ice, or time in the air
The heli-hike spends about 10 minutes in the air: a 5-minute flight in, a landing in a remote part of the glacier, and a 5-minute flight out. Everything in between is walking. You are fitted with leather boots and crampons at the base, and the guide cuts steps through the ice formations; Fox Glacier Guiding flies to a part of the glacier where it describes ice caves and arches forming, and the features change from one departure to the next. The weather on the day decides how long you stay on the ice, up to 3 hours.
A scenic flight is the other way round: almost all of it is flying. The 25-minute flight leaves the village for the glacier, flies over its icefalls and deep crevasses, lands on the snow for about 8 minutes, and flies back. The 35-minute flights add the Franz Josef Glacier or the west face of Aoraki/Mount Cook. The snow landing is a few minutes of standing in snow beside the helicopter, not a walk on the glacier.
Who can go on which
The heli-hike is for walkers aged 9 and over, with a reasonable level of fitness and agility: the ice is uneven and reasonably challenging underfoot. Each passenger must weigh 116 kg or less, for the helicopter’s weight and balance. Jeans are not allowed; bring three or four warm layers for the upper body. It is not for wheelchair users.
The scenic flights take almost everyone. Glacier Helicopters seats children aged 4 to 14 who weigh over 15 kg in their own seat, while younger and lighter children sit on an adult’s knee, and its Fox Glacier flight is wheelchair accessible. Bags, selfie sticks, drones and tablets stay on the ground. On The Helicopter Line’s flights, a passenger whose weight at check-in is 15 kg or more above the weight declared at booking may have to be moved to another flight.
Fox Glacier: Scenic Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing
25 minutes from Fox Glacier village over the icefalls, with about 8 minutes on the snow. Groups of up to 6.
Check dates →Fox Glacier: Up to 3 Hours Hike with Helicopter Transfer
Up to 3 hours on the ice with a guide and crampons, boots and rain gear supplied. Ages 9 and over, 116 kg or less.
See the heli-hike →Fox Glacier and Mount Cook Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing
35 minutes from Fox Glacier village: the Fox Glacier snowfields, a snow landing, then the west face of New Zealand's highest mountain.
See the Mount Cook flight →Twin Glacier 35-Minute Helicopter Flight from Fox Glacier
35 minutes over both the Fox and the Franz Josef glaciers, with a snow landing on one of them, back to Fox Glacier village.
See the twin-glacier flight →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
What the weather does to each
Every trip on this page is a helicopter trip, so cloud, rain and wind stop all of them. Fox Glacier Guiding makes its weather call 10 minutes before check-in and refunds a heli-hike cancelled for weather in full; Glacier Helicopters offers another date or a full refund when it cannot fly; The Helicopter Line checks the weather at check-in, 30 minutes before departure. Fox Glacier Guiding’s advice is to book the first available day you are in Fox Glacier, which leaves the rest of your stay as a fallback. The weather page covers the season, the cold on the ice and what to do on a grounded day.
If you are staying in Franz Josef rather than Fox, the flights from there cover both glaciers too: Fox or Franz Josef compares the two villages and their glacier trips.
More Operators at the Glaciers
Glacier Tours with Open Dates
Heli-hikes, scenic flights and guided walks with live availability. Times, what is included and cancellation terms are on each listing.
A Snow Landing above the Fox Glacier Icefalls
Glacier Helicopters' 25-minute flight leaves from Fox Glacier village; a flight cancelled for weather can be moved or refunded in full.
Check dates