We took the Flying Fox helihike at $425 per person. As the weather forecast was rain, we were told…read moreupfront that we would get a full refund if the flight is cancelled, 60% if we were flown there but not allowed to hike and 30% if the hike was less than an hour. Thankfully we had weather good enough to fly and hike for an hour or so. We were provided waterproof pants, jacket, crampons and hiking socks and shoes. Our guide Larn was very helpful and tried to make the visit as interesting for us as possible, creating photo opportunities which were delightful! We felt very safe and had a great morning. The only bummer being that we had to cut short our hike as the pilots anticipated bad weather. Highly recommended if you've not been on a glacier.

Visiting Fox Glacier and nearby Franz Josef Glacier will be a highlight for any visitor to New…read moreZealand. We signed up for the Flying Fox. It's not cheap, around £150 each but incredibly good value for a helicopter ride and fully guided tour on the glacier. The set-up is extremely professional. You can book online, at the tourist office or directly at the office in the village. Trips go most days but because of the helicopter flight check in the morning to ensure no adverse weather will delay or cancel the trip. First off you take a bus down to the helicopter pad about 5 minutes away. You're kitted out with proper ice boots and crampons and given a health and safety demo and check. Then it's off into the helicopter for a short 10 minute flight up the glacier. The pilot will point out a few things and then land you on the ice - pretty impressive. You meet up with your guide who then shows you how to put your crampons on and walk on the ice. You get around three hours on the ice, which is plenty of time to see ice caves, take some pretty cool photos and have a play around. Our guide, Willy, was excellent and had extremely good knowledge of the glacier. The helicopter comes back to pick you up and your day is complete! Expect to have some achy muscles the next day. Your pictures will be amazing and you'll have some good stories to tell your friends.

My family and I took our first-ever helicopter ride to Tasman glacier with Mountain Helicopters and…read moreit was unforgettable, mostly because of Michael and Therese. We spoke to Therese on the phone and explained that we had a wheelchair user in our party. She was very helpful, described the "trip" and what to expect, and offered to assist as needed. Because they are a smaller company, we got to take our time getting in and out of the helicopter and our experience was more personal. Even though I was scared during the flight initially, I felt completely confident in their skills so I was able to relax and enjoy the scenery . I am glad that we chose the 40 minute experience because once we were on the glacier, we had enough time to take in the beauty, take pictures, and get to know more about New Zealand. Please choose Mountain Helicopters over any of the "bigger", more commercial companies in the area. The hospitality and more personal customer service makes this company stand out, and trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Must do helicopter tours! Vary friendly and informative staff! There is no better way to see so…read moremuch of all the mountains and great views! I would love to go back! There was a stop on a glacier that was really cool to stop at, with unbelievable views!

Went on a flight with them and some of my coworkers and we had a great time. Tim was our pilot and…read morehe took us over MT Cook, and several of the glaciers and glacier lakes of the area. It was a fantastic experience and one of the highlights of my NZ trip.

DO IT! You are most definitely at the whim of the weather…read morehere. Chris was entertaining on the per flight review, but it was seriously needed info. The flight itself was amazing. I totally recommend doing this. Only issue, we were 30 minutes later than we were told. I'm not a fan of waiting without explanation, and we want one tour and did another. Same price, just not quite want we were expecting.

We were planning our trip to the area about three weeks in advance, and all we could find was one…read moreof the basic cabins with five bunkbeds! Even though there were two of us. It was a very basic room with a toilet and sink. The showers and bathrooms were kept clean and Checked frequently. There is a nice big kitchen. You can use to cook food and lots of camping spaces. It can get pretty windy in this location so I was glad we were not in a tent. They have a very nice café with delicious baked goods and drinks and friendly stuff. This was the last room in the whole area for rent for the Saturday night. We were there in February. I would have liked to have stayed closer to Mount Cook and would if there had been a room available.

I didn't think much of it upon arrival, but it quickly became clear that this was the best choice…read more I came here with a large school group which were spread across four cabins all suited with 5 bunk beds and it was perfect. The rooms were spacious enough to house all our items and for us to move around easily. Although the beds were all quite squeaky, it didn't bother us too much. The sinks are not in the same room as the toilet which was odd but they both worked well and were fully equipped. The beds also had fitted sheets and excellent pillows. The shower block was a bit small but worked well even between a school group, there was also hot water which is nice. The lake is less than a five minute walk and has absolutely stunning views - especially at sunset. The communal kitchens were not that busy and could fit many people, it was also fully equipped with cutlery, rice cookers etc. There was also lots of room for tents and campers. The dining hall was quite spacious and had plenty of seats for campers.

OK but had issues!…read more Beautiful spot by the lake, we had booked for two camper vans by the lake, they were unable to accommodate us next to each other, despite there being empty places together! Nice facilities although had to try two BBQ's as first did not work. Good position for the Hot Springs.

Conveniently located within a 5 minute drive of the main Franz Josef Glacier township. Had…read moreeverything we needed and was cozy and warm. Pretty spacious for 2 people. It wasn't super fancy or anything but was clean and comfortable. Free wifi was provided. Free parking. Small kitchen with a small stove, fridge and freezer and microwave and a basic set of dishes and silverware, cutting board and knife. The front desk attendants were very helpful and even helped us call different tour operators to figure out glacier hiking status and alternate activities when the glacier hikes and helicopters were all a no-go due to weather.

The villa was spacious, clean and comfortable. This villa is self contained with a kitchenette…read more Conveniently located for Franz Josef Glacier hike. The staffs are friendly and helpful.