Our pick
Walk on the ice
Heli hike with a guide
- On the iceUp to 2 hours
- GroupUp to 11
- Length3 hours
Deciding made easy
Is the Tasman Glacier heli hike worth it? A plain verdict
The quick version
The Tasman Glacier heli hike is worth it if you can walk for up to 2 hours and keep a spare morning for the weather: it is how you walk on New Zealand's longest glacier with a guide.
Verdict essentials
Two taps to a verdict
Is the heli hike your best way onto the Tasman?
Say what you want from the glacier and where you start, and the matching trip appears with its from-price.
Best choice for you
The morning heli hike
from $528
3 hours from Mount Cook Airport, with up to 2 hours on the ice and groups of up to 11.
Best choice for you
The heli hike day from Queenstown
from $710
A 12-hour day with pickup in Queenstown and 3 hours at the Tasman Glacier for the heli hike.
Best choice for you
The short helicopter flight
from $223
25 minutes in the air with an alpine landing, for groups of up to 6.
Best choice for you
The ski plane and helicopter flight
from $323
45 minutes, flying one way by ski plane and back by helicopter, with a glacier landing.
Is the Tasman Glacier heli hike worth it for you? It is a big spend, and it is how you walk on the ice with a guide. Here is what you get, what can go wrong, and who should choose otherwise.
Editorial team, tasmanglaciertour.com · Updated November 8, 2026 · Allow 7 min
Summary view
- Worth it ifYou want to walk on the ice: up to 2 hours of it, guided.
- Guest scoreAn average of 4.8 over 315 reviews; guides score 5, value 4.6.
- The riskWeather: the final call comes 10 minutes before departure.1
- The costFrom $528; free to cancel until a day ahead.
- Skip it ifMobility is limited: the listing does not recommend it then.
A quick verdict, and who should go
Is the Tasman Glacier heli hike worth it? For able walkers who want to stand on a glacier rather than look at one, yes. The trip gives you up to 2 hours on the ice of New Zealand's longest glacier, which the Department of Conservation measures at 23 km.2 No road, track or boat reaches that ice for a visitor, so the helicopter is the price of admission.
It is not worth it for everyone. The fare starts from $528 per person, and the listing cautions against it for anyone with limited mobility. If you want the view more than the walk, a scenic flight with a snow landing costs less and asks nothing of your knees. If you want the glacier's lake and icebergs, the boat on Tasman Lake is the closer encounter.
Think of the decision as three questions. Do you want to walk on ice, or see it? Can you spare a flexible morning in case weather grounds the helicopters? And does the cost sit comfortably in your trip budget? A yes to all of them makes the heli hike an easy call, and the sections below explain what each answer depends on.
Heli hikes compared
The Tasman next to the West Coast heli hikes
| Heli hike | From | Time walking | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tasman, our pick | $528 | Up to 2 hours | 315 |
| Tasman, second operator | $555 | 2 hours | 257 |
| Fox Glacier | $467 | Up to 3 hours | 359 |
| Franz Josef Glacier | $528 | 2.5 hours | 391 |
From-prices and hiking times as each GetYourGuide listing states them; the date and option decide the final price.
What the time on the Tasman actually holds
The flight in is part of the experience. Each leg takes 15 minutes, and the helicopter climbs the Tasman Valley before landing on a remote stretch of the glacier. Alpine Guides, which runs a rival version, says its landing sits at around 1,200 metres above sea level, and that its return flight passes close to the 1,000-metre-high Hochstetter Icefall.6,7
On the ice you walk in crampons behind a guide who cuts steps where the surface steepens. Alpine Guides describes blue ice features, runnels, moulins and winding streams of meltwater on its trips, with crampons biting into ice it calls 100 years old.8 The Helicopter Line notes that ice caves are not always present or safe to enter, so treat any cave as a bonus rather than a promise.9
Every morning on the ice is different. Alpine Guides reminds guests that the Tasman's ice is a slow-moving fluid that changes across the seasons and even from day to day.10 The guiding company behind our listing makes the same point: because the glacier keeps changing, its guides keep finding new features to show.11 That variety is built into the price, and it is why guests come back with different photographs.
Guest scores
How guests rate each part of the trip
- Overall4.8
- Guide5
- Transportation4.9
- Value for money4.6
Scores from the GetYourGuide listing: 315 reviews in all, with value scored lowest.
What Tasman Glacier heli hike reviews keep returning to
The listing averages 4.8 across 315 reviews, a long record for a trip that only runs in small groups. In its breakdown the guide earns a 5, the flying a 4.9 and value a 4.6. Read that as guests loving the people and the flying, and accepting the price rather than celebrating it. Value is the score to weigh against your own budget: the guiding and the flight earn their marks, and the question is only whether they are worth that much to you.
In the newest Tasman Glacier heli hike reviews, guests name their guides again and again and praise the ground staff who fit the gear and explain the day. One wrote that the team made sure everyone got a window seat by swapping places for the return flight. Another described walking through a blue ice cave and called the morning the highlight of a month in the country.
The weather appears in the reviews too, and honestly. Several guests describe a cancellation for wind or cloud, followed by a rebooking for the next day that turned out perfect. One reviewer felt that a few people in the group lingered too long at the photo spot, leaving less time for others. Read that as a reminder that it is a shared group of up to 11 people.
Three ways to meet the ice
Walk it, land on it or fly over it
Both aircraft
Land on the snow
Helicopter and ski plane
- Length45 minutes
- LandingTasman Glacier
- FitnessNone needed
Quick flight
Fly and land briefly
Helicopter, alpine landing
- Length25 minutes
- GroupUp to 6
- SnowNot guaranteed
The weather gamble, and how to win it
The heli hike lives or dies by the mountain weather. The guiding company makes its final weather call just 10 minutes before departure, because cloud levels can change within minutes.1 The Department of Conservation warns that the park can deliver snow, frost, gales and sunburn in any season of the year.18 No month is a safe bet.
A weather cancellation means your money back, or a later slot if one is open.5 That protects your money but not your plans. The fix is time: the operators advise booking for your first day in the area, so that a grounded morning can roll to the next one.3 Ask for the 8:45 AM slot if you can, leaving the 10:45 AM slot as a same-day fallback.
Free cancellation is the other safety net. Through GetYourGuide you can reserve without paying and cancel for a full refund until 24 hours before the start. If the forecast looks hopeless the evening before, that window lets you switch to the boat or the free view track without losing a cent. Check the forecast with MetService and the Department of Conservation visitor centre before you commit.
Price the options
Heli hike or flight: the bill
Pick your group size and compare a heli hike with a scenic flight.
Compare 4 side by side
Heli hike or flight: the bill
Pick your group size and compare a heli hike with a scenic flight.
- Our heli hikeUp to 2 hours on ice · starts at, per person $528
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View - Second heli hike2 hours on ice · starts at, per person $555
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View - Ski plane and heli45-minute flight · starts at, per person $323
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View - Helicopter flight25-minute flight · starts at, per person $223
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View
From-prices on GetYourGuide, shown at the ECB reference rate. Your exact price is confirmed during booking.
How a weather call works
From booking to lift-off
When you book
Pick your first day
Operators advise your first day in the area, to leave room for a retry.3
Day before
Free cancellation window
Until 24 hours out, cancelling costs nothing.
Check-in
At the airport desk
Arrive for check-in 20 minutes ahead of the meeting time.4
Final call
Cloud and wind check
The go or no-go call comes 10 minutes before departure.1
If grounded
Refund or new time
A refund, or another departure if there is space.5
The Tasman against the West Coast heli hikes
The other heli hikes in New Zealand run on the West Coast, at Fox and Franz Josef glaciers. On GetYourGuide, a Fox Glacier hike of up to 3 hours with a helicopter transfer starts from $467, and a 2.5-hour Franz Josef glacier hike starts from $528. The prices sit close to ours, so the choice is about the glacier and your route.
From the Tasman side, the case rests on scale and flying time. Alpine Guides claims its Tasman helicopter flights are more than twice as long as those at Franz or Fox.19 Its own guiding partner describes the Tasman as holding nearly a third of all glacier ice in New Zealand.20 If you are driving between Queenstown and Christchurch, the Tasman also sits on the inland route rather than across the Main Divide.
The West Coast trips have their own strengths, and you may only want one heli hike on a trip. Choose by itinerary: a Mackenzie Basin road trip points to the Tasman, a West Coast drive points to Fox or Franz Josef. Either way, read the cancellation terms of the listing you pick, because all of these trips depend on the same unsettled alpine weather.
Video
A Mount Cook day with a Tasman Glacier heli hike
NZ Pocket Guide on YouTube · Until you tap play, no video is loaded.
Please remember the ice of the Tasman Glacier is a fluid, (albeit, a slow-moving one) that changes constantly, across the seasons, and even day to day.
Before you decide
Signs it is worth it, and signs it is not
Worth it if3
Think again if3
- Your mobility is limited
- A child in your group is under 914
- It is your last morning before a long drive
Is the Tasman Glacier worth visiting without a helicopter?
Yes, and the cheapest view is free. The Department of Conservation's Tasman Glacier View Track is a 1.5 km return walk of about 30 minutes, with more than 300 steps to a lookout over Tasman Lake.21,22,23 It needs no booking, but expect crowds from November to April.12,24 From there the glacier itself is a distant grey line at the far end of the lake.
Is the Tasman Glacier worth visiting by boat? The Glacier Explorers trip, which the Mackenzie regional tourism body calls New Zealand's only glacial boat tour, weaves among icebergs and views the ice face from a safe distance.25,26 It runs from September to June only.15 For many visitors, touching a floating iceberg is a stronger memory than a glacier walk.
A scenic flight is the third route. The ski plane company says a landing usually means 10 to 15 minutes on the glacier, and its ski planes shut their engines on landing so you hear the silence.17,27 Our comparison page sets all of these side by side, with times, prices and how close each one brings you to the ice.
Who should skip the heli hike
Skip it if walking is hard for you. The listing advises against it where mobility is limited, and Alpine Guides names knee, hip and back injuries too.28 The guiding company's own yardstick is stairs climbed without the rail and a steady walk, with breaks, of up to 2 hours.16 If that sounds like a stretch, a flight will serve you better.
Skip it, too, if you cannot spare any slack in your schedule. A heli hike booked for the last morning before a long drive or a flight home has no second chance if the cloud sits low. Families with young children should note the minimum age of 9 years on our listing, and plan a scenic flight instead if a child is younger.14,13
Everyone else should go. Guests come back talking about the guides, the flight past the peaks and the silence on the ice, and few mention the price once they are home. Book early in your stay, dress in layers and eat well before you leave, since the airport sells almost no food.29 Then let the mountain decide the day, and keep the free view track and the lake in reserve in case the helicopters stay on the ground.
FAQ
Questions answered quickly.
Is the Tasman Glacier heli hike worth the money?
For able walkers, yes.
It is the way to walk on the ice with a guide; guests score it 4.8 from 315 reviews.
How long are you on the ice?
Up to 2 hours.
Weather allowing, the guiding company gives you as much as 2 hours on the ice.30
How often is it cancelled?
Will I see an ice cave?
Maybe, never guaranteed.
The Helicopter Line says ice caves are not always present or accessible.9
Is it better than Fox or Franz Josef?
It depends on your route.
Alpine Guides says its Tasman helicopter flights last over double those at Franz Josef or Fox.19
Can older travelers do it?
If they walk comfortably.
If stairs without a rail and a 2-hour walk with stops are fine for you, so is the hike.16
Sources
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · The Adventurer: Tasman Glacier Heli Hike ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Lake and River Track ↩
- Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters (mtcookskiplanes.com) · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · The Adventurer: Tasman Glacier Heli Hike ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · FAQs ↩
- Alpine Guides (alpineguides.co.nz) · Tasman Glacier Heli-hike ↩
- Alpine Guides (alpineguides.co.nz) · Tasman Glacier Heli-hike ↩
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Alpine Guides ↩
- The Helicopter Line (helicopter.co.nz) · Tasman Glacier Heli Hike ↩
- Alpine Guides (alpineguides.co.nz) · Tasman Glacier Ice Climbing Adventure ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · The Adventurer: Tasman Glacier Heli Hike ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters (mtcookskiplanes.com) · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · The Adventurer: Tasman Glacier Heli Hike ↩
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Glacier Explorers ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · The Adventurer: Tasman Glacier Heli Hike ↩
- Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters (mtcookskiplanes.com) · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Alpine Guides (alpineguides.co.nz) · Tasman Glacier Heli-hike ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · Tasman Glacier ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Glacier Explorers ↩
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Glacier Explorers ↩
- Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters (mtcookskiplanes.com) · The Ultimate Alpine Experience ↩
- Alpine Guides (alpineguides.co.nz) · Tasman Glacier Heli-hike ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · FAQs ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · The Adventurer: Tasman Glacier Heli Hike ↩
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