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Heli Hike Fox Glacier

Badge of ExcellenceFox Glacier, New Zealand

From $412.55

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

4 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

The Fox Glacier is widely considered among New Zealand’s most impressive natural attractions—but it’s impossible to appreciate its beauty from ground level. On this tour, take to the skies by helicopter for panoramic views over the glacier, and trek deep into the icy wilderness with your guide—where the forces of nature work their magic. With safety kit and crampons included, see the best of the Fox Glacier up-close.

Explore the Fox Glacier by helicopter and on-foot with your guide
Panoramic views over the glacier from the air
Delve deep into the ice terrain and marvel at the icy scenery
All necessary safety equipment is included on your tour

What's Included

Two helicopter transfers
Professional Guide
Leather boots and socks
Crampons and walking poles
Wet Weather Jacket and Over trousers (if required)

Bring 3 - 4 layers of warm upper body clothing
Sunglasses and sun protection
Jeans are not recommended - Cotton pants or trackpants are more suitable
A day pack is useful and a drink and snacks are a good idea
For winter trips bring a warm hat and gloves

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

44 Main Road, Fox Glacier 7886, New Zealand
Meet in the Fox Glacier Guiding building in the center of the Fox Glacier village. Please Check-in 20 minutes early to complete our online Risk Disclosure Statement.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum Age is 9 years

Child Age is 9-16 years inclusive
Minimum numbers apply
Subject to favourable weather conditions, a weather call is made 10 minutes prior to check in so flexibility in your itinerary is desirable
Individual passenger weight limit is 116 kg or less due to weight and balance calculations of the aircraft
A Risk Disclosure Statement must be signed before Departure
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 11 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Mike_E

Walking with crapons over the glacier, climbing thru holes and caves and taking in the beautiful scenery on and around the glacier. Let's hope that it stays around for years to come and not melt away.

Reviews

5.0

470 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 470 reviews

Majestic

Robert_B, Mar 2024

Highly recommend!! The helicopter flight in alone was amazing. Then we had a full 3 hours hiking around and exploring the glacier. So beautiful and amazing!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for your recommendation! We are so pleased to hear you enjoyed your trip. Safe travels.

Fox glacier heli-hike

Rachael_H, Mar 2024

We had an absolute ball on fox glacier. Amazing to see the glacier and be able to walk over it and see it in all its beauty. Thankyou Gabriel.

Incredible

Reg_P, Mar 2024

Very professional. Felt very safe. Staff were awesome. One of the most memorable experiences. Loved every minute of it.

Well worth doing if you can affort it!

Mike_E, Feb 2024

Remarkables

Kerwina_U, Nov 2023

It’s good to experience a glacier walk and know more about the interesting fact of it. Thank our guide for his passionate and vivid explanation.

Would recommend it.

Drew_S, Sep 2023

Great guides that were fun and knowledgeable. Very professional pilot and staff. We felt safe and the scenery was amazing. Once in a lifetime experience.

Fantastic experience

Stephen_H, Aug 2023

Our initial booking got cancelled due to cloudy weather but got rescheduled for the following day, be mindful if only there for a short while of the possibility of this happening. Enjoyable time on the ice with our guide Flavia.

Great guides, great views...

Molly_R, Aug 2023

Great guides, great views and a great group of people allowed us to learn a lot and explore as much as possible. This trip was so much fun, I want to do the all day adventure next time!

Amazing 🤩

keka201, Jul 2023

Everything was super amazing. All the staff were super friendly and helpful. Flávia and Kevin are the best!!! Very attentive to all our questions and very patient. We had the best experience with them on this tour!!!!

Most amazing experience!

jamie_f, May 2023

It was amazing! Loved the helicopter! We lucked out with the weather and spent our full time on the glacier. They were super professional, knowledgeable, and put safety first. Our guide Cam was wonderful. Our kids said it was the best time of their lives so far. Thanks for an incredible adventure!

Tick off our bucket list

Ying_C, Apr 2023

The tour is a bit pricey but absolutely worth it! From the safety guide to the tour, you can tell the company is serious in its business and They are really looking after their customers. Our guide Jenna is knowledgeable and gave us a memorable day. The glacier is just spectacular. This is the highlight of our entire South Island trip.

Awesome

Hayley_T, Apr 2023

My partner and I had lots of fun! Safety briefing was clear, equipment was complete, the helicopter rides were short but amazing (our first times), and the heli hike on the glacier was awesome. We were lucky with the weather (clear skies) and Carter our guide made it even better with his humour and cheerful vibe. 10/10 will recommend!

Best Thing Ever!

Zach_M, Feb 2023

That was by far the best thing we’ve done in New Zealand! You’ll start by being checked in and then your group will be given a safety briefing and fitted out with your equipment before being transferred a short drive to the helicopter. That’s when the fun starts and you take a short but amazing flight to the Glacier. All the staff we encountered (Jenna, Cam, Stretch, Moss) were great and it was clear they love their job. Moss, our guide was hilarious and made the experience even better. The walk on the glacier was mind blowing, better than expected and worth every cent, we’d 100% do this experience again!! Do this, don’t second guess it!

Great Experience

Pavithra_D, Feb 2023

It's a great experience and a must try one. Our guide had a strong knowledge about the glacier and the activity. He was happy to answer our questions and passed on many informations.

Exceptional

Arishma_D, Oct 2022

Once in a life time experience. It was amazing. The people were experts in their field, and so friendly.

100% recommend

Zhou_B, Oct 2022

So So perfect trip. Flo is our guide, how lucky we could to have such a lovely girl who is so professional and funny. Enjoyable trip and 100% recommend.

Awesome experience!

Michael_R, Mar 2020

Such a fun experience! Very professional, friendly, helpful with safety as their number one priority.

Awesome

Benjamin_M, Mar 2020

overall this was an amazing experience and was totally worth the price and Jenna our guide was great.

Best morning out in New Zealand

David_W, Feb 2020

A great morning out. We were blessed with great weather to start with, but it can change quickly in the mountains and the cloud came in a it started to drizzle, but it was not bad enough to cut the trip short, fortunately. The guides had to spend a lot of time cutting ice steps, as they hadn’t been up for 5 days, due to bad weather, so we considered ourselves fortunate to have a clear window. Our guide, Jacob, was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of detail about the geology and the retreat of the glacier. We even heard a rock fall whilst on the glacier and he explained why they are currently so frequent.

WELL WORTH THE LONG DRIVE AND THE COST

Dawn_H, Nov 2019

Wow. What an incredible experience this was, well worth the long drive to Fox Glacier and the steep-seeming cost of the trip. The weather made things touch-and-go, and we didn't know until 10 minutes before the scheduled start time whether we'd get the thumbs up, but we respected the staff's concern for safety and careful assessment of conditions. Clearly, safety is a priority for Alpine Glacier Guides (the tour operators) as evident in how they conduct the entire tour. The helicopter ride was thrilling, and our time on the ice was simply amazing. Gorgeous views all around us. Fascinating ice formations, waterfalls, ice caves, etc. The guide was both personable and knowledgeable, and was in clear control at all times (which was reassuring). The equipment lent by the guides is top-notch - comfortable leather boots, thick socks, waterproof pants, jackets, crampons and walking sticks. A few things to note: they mean it when they say you need to have with you any medication you would need to take in a 24-hour period. Occasionally groups get stuck on the ice and need to camp out, so you need medicine not just for the 4-hours of the trip, but for the day/night in the unlikely scenario of getting stuck (they are fully prepared for this with tents, food, etc.). Also, I found pulling my camera in and out of my pocket tricky (the over-jackets they lend do not have pockets). You might want to either bring your own waterproof jacket with pockets or a neck-strap for your camera. Sunscreen is a must. Bring a water bottle. There's the opportunity to re-fill it from a glacial stream, which was very cool (literally!), and delicious. Last tip: if at all possible, tuck your pant-legs into your socks. Loose pant-legs can easily get caught on the tips of your crampons, making for nasty ankle twists. All in all, this was a great trip. A highlight in what has been a top-notch vacation all the way around.

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Thanks for your comprehensive review, awesome. It's very heart warming to read some information from our safety briefing included in there. Safety is indeed 100% our number one and resolute priority with every single decision made with this in mind. It is also important to us that our visitors have a safe, fun and educational time with us but also to get a sense of who we are as a team through our delivery. Enjoy your memories and thanks for driving such a long way to see us. All the Best. Jo On Behalf of the Fox Glacier Guiding Team