Mount Cook Helicopter and Flights from Queenstown
Flying from Queenstown to Aoraki / Mount Cook for the day: Glenorchy Air's fly-explore-fly, True South Flights' Tasman Glacier heli hike, the drive instead, and what each day includes.
You can fly from Queenstown to Aoraki / Mount Cook and back in a day. Glenorchy Air’s Mt. Cook Fly Explore Fly is from US$499 a person (checked November 2026): a scenic flight to Mount Cook Airport, about 5 hours on the ground in the village, and a different route home, 8 hours in all. It lands at the airport, not on a glacier. To walk on the Tasman Glacier the same day, True South Flights’ Tasman Glacier Heli-Hike Tour from Queenstown is from US$1,219. By road the village is 262.3 km from Queenstown, a 3.5-hour drive in the Department of Conservation’s figures.
The two flying days
| Day (operator) | Length | At Aoraki / Mount Cook | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Cook Fly Explore Fly (Glenorchy Air Services and Tourist Co. Ltd) | 8 hours | About 5 hours in the village; the plane lands at Mount Cook Airport, not on a glacier | US$499 |
| Tasman Glacier Heli-Hike Tour from Queenstown (True South Flights) | 7 hours | A 10 to 15-minute helicopter ride onto the Tasman Glacier and about 2 hours hiking with a guide | US$1,219 |
Viator from-prices a person, checked November 2026. Ratings: Glenorchy Air 5.0 from 61 reviews, True South Flights 4.9 from 84 reviews, on Viator and Tripadvisor.
Glenorchy Air’s fly-explore-fly
You check in 30 minutes before departure at Glenorchy Air’s desk inside the main building at Queenstown Airport. The flight goes up the spine of the South Island, past Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea on one side and Lake Pukaki on the other, with the summit ridge of Aoraki / Mount Cook and the Tasman Glacier in view, and lands at Mount Cook Airport. You then have about 5 hours on the ground; lunch in the village is at your own cost. The flight home takes a different route, over the Lindis Pass.
It is a scenic flight, not a landing on the snow: the plane lands at Mount Cook Airport, not on a glacier. Mount Cook Airport is also where INFLITE Mt Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters’ flights start, including its 25-minute helicopter flight with an alpine landing from US$194 (checked November 2026). Whether one fits into your 5 hours depends on the day’s slots, so check both calendars before you book either.
Minimum numbers are required for the flight to operate, and child and booster seats are available on request.
True South Flights’ heli hike from Queenstown
True South Flights checks you in 30 minutes before departure at its office in Remarkables Park Town Centre, Frankton, near Queenstown Airport, with free all-day parking; collections from central Queenstown hotels start 50 minutes before the flight. After a 1-hour flight to Mount Cook Airport you gear up with the guides, take a 10 to 15-minute helicopter ride onto the Tasman Glacier, and hike for about 2 hours with a guide, boots and crampons lent. Then a 1-hour flight back, by a different path, 7 hours in all.
Lunch is not included: bring your own food, as time at Aoraki / Mount Cook is short. The maximum weight is 150 kg a traveller, you need at least a moderate level of fitness, safety instructions are in English only, and it is not recommended in pregnancy.
Check the heli hike from Queenstown
Staying at Aoraki / Mount Cook instead? The same walk on the ice leaves from Mount Cook Airport as a 3-hour trip: see the Tasman Glacier heli hike.
Driving instead
By road, Aoraki / Mount Cook Village is 262.3 km from Queenstown, 104.0 km from Lake Tekapo and 64.3 km from Twizel. The Department of Conservation gives the drive from Queenstown as 3.5 hours, reached off State Highway 8 at the end of State Highway 80, and warns that access may be limited in the winter months, June to September, by snowfall (checked November 2026).
Franz Josef is only 42 km from Mount Cook Airport in a straight line, but no road crosses the Main Divide between them, so the West Coast glaciers are a separate journey.
If you would rather go by road with someone else driving, southislandguidedtours.com lists a small-group day that drives there from Queenstown and adds the heli hike.
Which to book
Mt. Cook Fly Explore Fly ex Queenstown by Glenorchy Air
Glenorchy Air: a scenic flight each way from Queenstown Airport and about 5 hours at Aoraki / Mount Cook Village; not a glacier landing.
Check dates →Tasman Glacier Heli-Hike Tour from Queenstown
True South Flights: an hour each way by plane, a helicopter onto the glacier and about 2 hours hiking with a guide; hotel collection included.
Check dates →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
More at Aoraki / Mount Cook
Other Trips near Aoraki / Mount Cook with Open Dates
Flights, glacier trips and day tours in the Mackenzie and the national park with live availability. What each includes and its cancellation terms show before you book.
Queenstown to Aoraki / Mount Cook and Back
Glenorchy Air's fly-explore-fly: a scenic flight to Mount Cook Airport, about 5 hours at Aoraki / Mount Cook Village, and a different route home. Not a glacier landing.
Check dates on Viator