Tasman Glacier Heli Hike
The Tasman Glacier heli hike from Mount Cook Airport: Mt Cook Glacier Guiding's and The Helicopter Line's trips side by side, what the walk is like, the glacier itself, and how it compares with Franz Josef.
The Tasman Glacier heli hike is a 15-minute helicopter flight from Mount Cook Airport onto New Zealand’s longest glacier, up to 2 hours walking on it with a guide, and the flight back: about 3 hours in all. Two operators run it at the same GetYourGuide from-price. Mt Cook Glacier Guiding’s 3-Hour Tasman Glacier Helicopter Ride and Hike is from US$552 a person (checked November 2026), limited to 11, with boots, socks and a waterproof jacket lent. The Helicopter Line Mount Cook’s is from US$552, limited to 10, with pick-up in Mount Cook Village. Either way, expect a slow walk with time to look around, not a hard hike.
The calendar above is Mt Cook Glacier Guiding’s. You can reserve now, pay later and cancel free until 24 hours before.
The two heli hikes side by side
| Mt Cook Glacier Guiding | The Helicopter Line Mount Cook | |
|---|---|---|
| From | US$552 | US$552 |
| Group | Limited to 11 | Limited to 10 |
| Before the flight | A 45-minute safety briefing | A 20-minute briefing; allow at least 45 minutes after check-in for the briefing and fitting |
| Flights | 15 minutes each way | 15 minutes each way |
| On the ice | Up to 2 hours, weather permitting | A 2-hour hike |
| Lent or included | Leather boots, woollen socks, crampons, a walking pole, a waterproof jacket | Glacier boots, crampons, a waterproof jacket if needed; pick-up and drop-off in Mount Cook Village |
| Age | Not for children under 9 | At least 10 years old |
| Other limits | Not for people with mobility impairments | Moderate fitness; at most 150 kg including equipment; not recommended in pregnancy |
| If the weather stops it | A full refund for the affected booking | An alternative date or a full refund; minimum passenger numbers apply |
| Reviews | 344, averaging 4.9 | 270, averaging 4.8 |
GetYourGuide listings, checked November 2026. Both were US$552.08 a person on the dates we read.
Pick Mt Cook Glacier Guiding’s if you want the longer briefing and socks and a pole thrown in, or have a child of 9. Pick The Helicopter Line’s if you are staying in Mount Cook Village without a car, since it collects you.
What the walk is really like
Slower than “hike” suggests. Mt Cook Glacier Guiding’s guides cut steps as you go, and the 2 hours are spent moving, stopping and looking. Of the 344 reviews of its trip, 10 give three stars or fewer, and two of those make the same point: one in May 2026 describes a circuit of about 3 km walked slowly, with most of the time spent taking photographs, and one in April 2025 calls it “more of a glacier explore than a glacier hike”. The other 334 are four and five stars.
Ice caves come and go with the ice and are not always present, so treat one as luck, not part of the deal.
The Helicopter Line’s hike is guided by Alpine Guides (Aoraki), and its landing is at around 1,200 metres above sea level (Alpine Guides, checked November 2026).
The glacier itself
The Tasman Glacier is New Zealand’s largest and longest: 23 km long, up to 3 km wide and 101 square kilometres, with ice about 600 metres deep near the Hochstetter Icefall (Department of Conservation, checked November 2026). Like glaciers worldwide it is retreating as the climate changes; the lake at its foot did not exist until 1974.
You can see it without flying. The Department of Conservation’s Tasman Glacier View Track, from the Tasman Valley car park, is 1.5 km return, about 30 minutes, up more than 300 steps to a view over the lake towards the glacier; parking is free and no booking is needed.
Tasman or Franz Josef?
The other glacier heli hike in the Southern Alps is on the far side of the Main Divide, at Franz Josef on the West Coast. There, the helicopter flight is about 4 minutes each way and you spend up to 2.5 hours on the ice; the Tasman flights are 15 minutes each way, so you see more from the air. franz-josef-heli-hike.com covers the Franz Josef side in detail. In practice your route decides: Aoraki / Mount Cook is reached off State Highway 8, at the end of State Highway 80 (Department of Conservation), while Franz Josef is on State Highway 6 on the West Coast.
Which to book
Mount Cook: 3-Hour Tasman Glacier Helicopter Ride and Hike
Mt Cook Glacier Guiding: a 45-minute briefing, 15 minutes each way by helicopter and up to 2 hours on the ice. Limited to 11; not for children under 9.
Check dates →Mount Cook: 3-Hour Heli Hike to the Tasman Glacier
The Helicopter Line Mount Cook: a 2-hour guided hike and a return flight past the Hochstetter Icefall, with pick-up in Mount Cook Village. Limited to 10; from age 10.
See the hike →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide 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.
Up to Two Hours on the Tasman Glacier
Mt Cook Glacier Guiding's heli hike: 15 minutes by helicopter each way from Mount Cook Airport, up to 2 hours on the ice with a guide, boots, socks, crampons and a jacket included.
Check dates