#FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER NEW ZEALAND FOR FREE#
#FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER NEW ZEALAND HOW TO#
#FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER NEW ZEALAND FULL#
#FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER NEW ZEALAND PLUS#

This Grand Tour with HeliServices NZ is at the upper end in terms of budget but you’ll get to see both glaciers plus Tasman Glacier, Aoraki and Mount Tasman, and they’ve got the only permit to land on the snow inside Westland Tai Poutini National Park. There are a bunch of different helicopter tour options available depending on your budget. Take a scenic flightįranz Josef Village is surrounded by spectacular scenic beauty, with Westland Tai Poutini National Park and Aoraki Mount Cook in the background, and there’s no better way to see it than from the sky. Insane!īook the skydive on Get Your Guide or check .nz to see if there are any deals for your travel dates. You can choose from a 9000, 13500 or 16500 skydive, or go all out and book the highest skydive available in New Zealand, the 20,000 Kea Jump with a whopping 85 second freefall. You can skydive in a number of places around New Zealand but is there anything cooler than skydiving over two glaciers? I don’t think so! The main pool ticket costs $29 each adult or you can book a private pool for two people for $99.

#FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER NEW ZEALAND FULL#

Rest and recharge amongst lush rainforest, the ideal end to a busy day full of Franz Josef activities. The Franz Josef Glacier hot pools were closed last year when I visited (due to COVID) but they’ve now come back to life and are open Friday to Monday from 2.30pm to 8.30pm. The glacier has receded a lot in the past 20 years so the viewpoint used to be much closer but it’s still a better view than from the road. If you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars seeing the glacier, you can do an easy 1.5 hour round trip walk to the viewpoint where you’ll be able to see and take photos of the glacier. They also have deals on loads of other things in this list so click the link below and bookmark it for future use!Ĭheck out all the current Franz Josef deals on .nz Hike to the glacier viewpoint We booked ours a few days before our trip and managed to get it for $110 off, meaning it was $375 each. HOWEVER you can sometimes get a last minute deal on .nz, a New Zealand travel website with loads of discounted tourism experiences. Heli-hikes aren’t cheap, the usual price is $485 ($455 for kids up to 16) which includes around two hours on the ice. It’s tough on your legs and you’ll come home with a newfound appreciation for flat ground, but it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in all my travels. Squeeze through icy crevasses, climb into ice caves and listen out for ice falls further up the glacier (where the tours go it’s basically flat so there’s minimal risk of any damaging falls).

Once you step onto the ice you’ll learn about safety precautions, get comfortable walking in your crampons, and start exploring with your guide. The journey onto the glacier is literally incredible in itself, hovering past sky-high waterfalls and snowcapped peaks, and that’s only the beginning of your adventure. Then you’ll wander down to the helipad and cross your fingers for the front seat or window seat to get the best photos! Meet the Glacier Guides crew at their base in town and you’ll get decked out in warm, comfy, glacier-friendly gear, complete with boots, crampons and walking poles. There’s no other way to start a “things to do in Franz Josef Glacier” list than with the heli hike, the region’s most famous and most epic activity. Things to do in Franz Josef Glacier Do a heli hike to the glacier When is the best time to visit Franz Josef Glacier? If you’re considering visiting Franz Josef Glacier, which I assume you are if you’re reading this, please book a trip there and support some local businesses. The town is heavily reliant on tourism and for obvious reasons, they’ve seen a massive decline in visitor numbers in the past year. Real talk: Franz Josef Glacier has been one of the hardest-hit tourist destinations in New Zealand.

#FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER NEW ZEALAND HOW TO#

Read on for some of the best things to do in Franz Josef Glacier, how to get there and where to stay when you’re there. Throw in a second glacier nearby (Fox Glacier), views of New Zealand’s highest mountain (Aoraki Mount Cook) and a short drive to the wild West Coast beaches, and you’ve got the makings of a dream destination for tourists to explore.

#FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER NEW ZEALAND FOR FREE#

The glacier itself is one of the most accessible in the world, able to be viewed for free with a short walk off the main highway, or if you’ve got the money you can explore the glacier’s icy landscape by foot with a heli-hike.

Get your heart racing with a thrilling quad bike tour, hike through ice caves on an actual glacier or soak all your stress away with a hot pool session. Franz Josef Glacier is one of the most unique places to visit in the South Island, with a range of epic things to do and see depending on your travel style.

Franz josef glacier new zealand