Franz Josef Glacier Guides

Amazing Heli hike tour!! From the moment we arrived, the team was informative, friendly and had our safety and enjoyment in mind. The helicopter ride was spectacular with great views of the Glacier and Valley. Our Helicopter driver made sure everyone was comfortable and kept us informed on what we were seeing. Our hike guide Ryan took us through the Glacier at a pace that was good for everyone. He shared a lot of great information about New Zealand and the Glacier. Once in a lifetime experience that should not be missed if you are in the Mount Cook area. I would do this tour again!

Very much enjoyed the helicopter flight. However, the trip was promoted as a Heli hike, in practice, it is disappointingly a short walk at the pace of the slowest person in the group. Greater differentiation between abilities would enhance the experience for all involved. On the plus side, our trip was unexpectedly affected by the weather closing in, so we had to spend a night camping on the glacier, which was excellent! A great opportunity to see the sunset and sunrise. Credit to the guides who set up camp, and provided all present with warm drinks and hot food, as well as some lovely warm sleeping bags, what a great experience. As an observation, please look at the tents used for the glacier camping, as there are much more suitable mountain tents available, as the tents used are not really suited for adverse alpine conditions, should they arise.... Stronger poles and sown in ground sheets should be standard. Thankfully the weather was calm, and the cloud inversion provided a great view. The unexpected night's camping was much appreciated. Thank you

Outstanding experience - heli hike on Franz Josef glacier! Our terrific guide Jule led us through everything start to finish - from donning gear and safety briefings to leading us out onto the glacier for an amazing hike. The helicopter ride - my very first - gave us a beautiful introduction to the glacier. It had snowed the night before so the area was blanketed in white. The skies were cobalt. Jule explained how the weather can change quickly and how the guides monitor it to ensure safety. She also conveyed safety practices for our hike. We had the best time ever, tromping through the snow and taking in the stunning beauty of it all. We were so impressed with the enthusiasm, safety consciousness, and knowledge of all the staff. This was the experience of a lifetime for me!

My husband and I were fortunate to have a perfect-weather morning for our heli-hike, and from start to finish the experience was absolutely incredible. The guides were knowledgeable, friendly, and prepared for everything. Landing on the glacier was breathtaking — crisp white views and knee-deep snow all around. The hike itself was steady and well-paced, with our guide making sure everyone felt safe and comfortable. Partway through, we were told a cloud was moving in and we’d need to leave the glacier. Even then, the team remained calm, professional, and reassuring while getting us safely helicoptered off the ice. An unforgettable adventure — highly recommend!

This is definitely a must do while in New Zealand. The weather was bad on the date I originally booked so my hike was cancelled but they were great and looked at the weather reports and gave me in their opinion the best day to reschedule. I rescheduled and the weather was beautiful on the day of the hike. Everyone was so nice and my guide, Yule, was super knowledgeable and fun. She made sure we were all safe (there are spots you can fall into because they aren’t solid) and stopped at her plenty of super beautiful spots for pictures. Franz Josef was so beautiful! The helicopter ride was about 5 minutes but really cool and you saw a lot of mountains from above. It was definitely one of the coolest things I’ve done in New Zealand.

Maya was our guide and she is lovely and spontaneous, making our trip absolutely exciting and hyped. The weather was spot on, glaciers were blue and shiny, and the Heliride was cool! Everyone wanted to have a photo with Maya at the end…will recommend anyone to have a trip to glaciers with Maya and Franz Josef Glacier Guides and 100% will have a good time. Was secretly hoping that the weather was bad so we get to be “stuck” up there through the night and see the stunning night views and sunset from there😆😆😆

It was an amazing experience. Our guide, Hannah was very helpful and provided many insights from glacier formation to the unique landscape of Franz Josef. The whole experience was very smooth. We were sufficiently prepared with safety briefing, transported by the heli ride and explored the beautiful glaciers. Everyone has to do this at least once in their lifetime! ⭐

I was hesitant to do the glacier heli hike due to the price, but I’m genuinely so happy that I did it— it’s one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done. And to echo others, if not now, when? This was a once in a lifetime experience, made even better by our phenomenal guide Sarah. She was warm, passionate, and knowledgeable, and she kept all of us feeling safe up there. She answered my group’s million questions with a smile, showed us great photo spots, carved out stairs to make our trek more manageable, and all in all truly made our experience unforgettable. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life— thank you to the whole team and to Sarah for such an incredible day.