Lord of the Rings and Glacier Helicopter Tour

Name: Lord of the Rings and Glacier Helicopter Tour
Brand: Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters
SKU: 9180P9
Price: 640.84 USD
Rating: 5.0 (29 reviews)

Queenstown, New Zealand

1 hour 10 minutes
Flight time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Ringer or not, you’re sure to enjoy this 'Lord of the Rings' air tour led by the aerial film pilot for the movie series. Fly above beautiful Queenstown, and see the spots filmed for the fictional places of Isengard, Amon Hen, Lothlorien, the Misty Mountains, and the Redhorn Pass. See the mountain range from the opening scene of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,' and feel like you’re in Middle-earth.

Take a Lord of the Rings helicopter tour from Queenstown
Hover over filming locations for 'Lord of the Rings'
Make two landings for even closer views of the locations
Round-trip transfers from select Queenstown hotels included

What's Included

Landing and facility fees
Hotel pickup and drop-off
70 minutes of flight time
GST (Goods and Services Tax)

Souvenir photos (available to purchase)

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

35 Lucas Place, Frankton, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

Opening hours

10/1/2023 - 9/30/2024
Monday - Sunday : 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
10/1/2024 - 9/30/2025
Monday - Sunday : 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Will self-drive Pick up location TBC Kamana Lakehouse Mercure Queenstown Resort Heritage Queenstown Crowne Plaza Queenstown I-Site Millennium Hotel Pounamu Apartments The Rees Hotel Sherwood Bus Stop (Frankton Rd) The Hilton Resort & Spa

What To Expect

For this 'Lord of the Rings' air tour, get picked up from your Queenstown hotel and get shuttled to Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters on Lucas Place.

After you’ve arrived at the airport, listen to a short safety briefing, and then meet your pilot, Alfie Speight. Mr. Speight is the main aerial film pilot for the 'Lord of the Rings; and 'The Hobbit' trilogies. Along the route, he is able to tell you stories about the areas and the filming of the movies.

The flight takes two landings, one on Clarke Glacier in Mt. Aspiring National Park and another in Skippers Canyon. Some of the fictional spots you can see during this tour include Isengard, Amon Hen, Lothlorien, Misty Mountains, and the Redhorn Pass. Soar over the mountain range from the opening scene of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,' as well as other prime filming locations.

Your tour ends back at Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters where you can take the return shuttle back to your hotel.

Mount Aspiring National Park (Pass By)

Additional Info

Total weight per passenger: 265 lbs
Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
Due to comfort and weight / balance of the aircraft, passengers must advise of weight at the time of booking
Infants will be charged at the child rate (0-3 years old sit on adults lap)
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 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

Caten_A

INCREDIBLE! Once in a lifetime kinda moment. My husband is a huge lord of the rings fan but honestly this flight was so much more than just getting to see the film locations. Getting to land on a glacier and on top of mountains was just amazing. Words and pictures will never do justice to just how incredible this experience was. My husband and I will never forget this moment. We highly recommend doing this. It’s worth every penny! Honestly, one of the best experiences of our lives.

Reviews

5.0

29 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-7 of 29 reviews

Rare and beautiful experience with awesome people

AleksVujovic, Jan 2024

These folks are professionals! What a strong start to my trip! We landed in a couple of amazing places which just took my breath away. I feel privileged to have landed atop a glacier, since they're melting, seize the opportunity! I came away with great feelings, a friendly chat with the pilot who is an absolute MVP and 980 photos total. Mind-blowing, courteous and absolutely amazing! Go fly with them!

Amazing

Sage_W, Dec 2023

I came with high expectations and they were easily exceeded. Ernie's effortless skill was evident and he showed us the LOTR locations and their stories from his personal experience. He made sure to approach from every angle to ensure everyone had a good view. The scenery was stunning. Coming over the pass very low, then rising up over it at the last minute created a surreal effect of the glaciated peak to pop up right before our eyes, with cascading waterfalls, yawning crevasses, and sparkling snow fields.... Then we landed on it. I usually have to backpack for days, then climb for hours for such vistas... It seemed almost unreal that we just popped up there in a heli in just a few minutes. Even if you are not an LOTR fan you must do this flight if you are any where near the area.

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Hi Sage, Thank you so much for your review and sharing the wonderful experience you had on your recent LOTR + Glacier flight with Alfie. We love hearing that we exceeded your expectations! We hope you took plenty of photos and videos. Thank you for choosing to fly with GSLH. Kind regards, Tegan

Incredible

Rachel_S, Nov 2023

Incredible experience!! My inner LOTR nerd was freaking out. The pilot was awesome!! Highly recommend!!

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Hi Rachel, Thank you for your review. Great to hear that you loved our LOTR flight! Thank you very much for choosing to fly with us. Kind regards, Tegan

Would do it again

Rily_J, Oct 2023

Amazing experience! Loads of know about lord of the rings and the filming locations! The team were friendly and helpful. Amazing views the whole way!

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Hi Rily, Thank you very much for your review. Great to hear that you had an amazing experience during our LOTR + Glacier Explorer flight. We hope you were able to spot many filming locations from the movies! Thank you for choosing to fly with GSLH. Kind regards, Tegan

THE BEST TIME EVER

Caten_A, Dec 2022

Simply amazing

BichThuy_D, Nov 2022

The flight was postponed to another day due to bad weather, thankfully on the new date the weather was great, and I had one of the best flights ever. The views are breathtaking and left me quite speechless, especially when we approached the glaciers. We landed twice for pictures, including once on the snowy mountains where my feet sank mid-calf into the snow :D I kept grinning like an idiot throughout the entire flight. Many thanks to our pilot Michael for, I quote, "making dreams come true"!! This experience was a blast and I'd gladly do it again (though I'd have to ask my bank first :D)

Exciting Tour

Robert K, Oct 2019

It was all and more than we hoped for. The day was beautiful and the pilot was fantastic. We would take it again if we were back in Queenstown.

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Kia ora Robert K Many thanks for your comments following your flight with us. We look forward to seeing you again in the future. Kind regards, Trish