The honest comparison
Is a Wanaka glacier flight worth it?
Six of the fourteen listings out of Wanaka put you down on a glacier or on snow; the rest fly past the ice without landing on it. Prices run from $214 for a flight that does not land on the ice to $1,467 for a flight that lands on two glaciers, and the highest-reviewed listing on this site is also one of the cheapest. This page lines up what each flight actually puts you on, against what it costs.
Quick answer
The short answer. If landing on the ice is the point, book heli-glacier at $307: a ten-minute glacier landing, thirty-five minutes total, and the most reviewed flight on this site at 97 reviews and a 5.0 rating. If a landing on snow at the lowest price is what you want, $214 does that in twenty-five minutes. If you would rather not fly at all, the Rob Roy Glacier hike on foot is $248.
Landing or flyover, at a glance
- Lands on glacier or snow
- 6 of 14 listingsheli-glacier, heli-explorer, heli-snow-landing…
- Flies past without landing on ice
- 6 of 14 listingsincludes flyovers and alpine landings off the ice
- No helicopter at all
- 2 of 14 listingsthe Rob Roy Glacier hikes, on foot
- Cheapest glacier or snow landing
- $214twenty-five minutes, rated 5.0
- Cheapest flight overall
- $214alpine landing, not on the ice
- Most reviewed listing
- 97 reviewsheli-glacier, rated 5.0
- Second most reviewed
- 86 reviewsthe Milford Sound cruise, rated 4.9
- Two landings on one flight
- $56475 minutes, both on the glacier
- Two glaciers, one flight
- $1,467the highest price on this site
- No reviews yet
- 2 listingsheli-hike-private and the Mt Cook flight
- Cancellation
- Freeon every listing on this site
- Ground alternative
- $248Rob Roy Glacier, eight hours, no flying
What a landing actually buys
The distinction that decides the answer
A landing on the glacier and a landing on a peak are two different things sold at similar prices.
Fourteen listings leave from Wanaka, and the single fact that separates them is whether the flight puts you down on the ice or simply shows it to you from the air. Six do the former: heli-glacier lands on the glacier for ten minutes; the Snow Landing flight and its cheaper sibling put you on snow; the Explorer lands twice; the Aspiring Snow Special lands once; and the Mt Cook flight lands on two glaciers. Everything else on this site flies over the alps without setting down on the ice.
Two of the flyovers still land somewhere — Wānaka Max sets down twice, at Coromandel Peak or Mt Alpha, and the Wānaka Experience includes an alpine landing at 1,200 metres above Lake Wanaka. Neither is the glacier itself, which is the distinction worth knowing before you compare prices: a flight that lands is not automatically a flight that lands on ice.
Once that split is drawn, the price comparison gets simpler. $214 and $214 cost the same, twenty-five minutes each, and only one of them puts you on snow. That is the cleanest case on this site for what a glacier or snow landing is actually worth over the alternative: nothing, on price, and everything, on what you stand on.
The six that land on ice
Every listing that puts you on the glacier or snow
In order of price, cheapest first.
- Snow Landing Flight — $214, twenty-five minutes
The cheapest way onto snow from Wanaka. Two reviews at 5.0 so far, and priced level with the Wānaka Experience, which lands away from the glaciers rather than on them.
- Heli-glacier — $307, thirty-five minutes
A ten-minute landing on the glacier itself, and the most reviewed flight here: 97 reviews, rated 5.0. Requires a minimum of two paying adults to confirm.
- Aspiring Snow Special — $491, one hour
A longer flight into the Southern Alps with a glacier or snow landing included, rated 4.4 on three reviews — the lowest rating among the landing flights, though still on a small sample.
- Explorer — $564, seventy-five minutes
Two landings on one flight around Mt Aspiring National Park, rated 5.0 on two reviews.
- Milford Sound flight with a landing — $377, two hours
A round trip to Milford Sound that includes a landing, rated 4.5 on twelve reviews — more reviews than any of the shorter landing flights.
- Mt Cook flight, two landings — $1,467, three hours
Lands on two glaciers and passes Aoraki / Mt Cook itself, the highest price on this site. No reviews yet, so there is no rating to go on.
The flights that stay in the air
What you get instead of a landing on ice
Four listings fly past the glaciers without setting down on them.
- Wānaka Experience — $214, twenty-five minutes
The cheapest flight on the site. Includes an alpine landing at 1,200 metres over Lake Wanaka — a real landing, just not on the ice — rated 5.0 on four reviews.
- Wānaka Max — $316, forty-five minutes
Two landings on alpine peaks, Coromandel Peak or Mt Alpha, plus views of the Matukituki River and Mount Aspiring. Rated 5.0 on fifteen reviews, the third most reviewed listing here.
- Mt Aspiring flight — $406, one hour
The longest pure flyover on the site, reaching Mt Aspiring itself with no landing at any point. Requires a minimum of two paying adults to confirm, the same condition as heli-glacier.
- Milford Sound Glacier Flight & Scenic Nature Cruise — $445, four and a half hours
A flight to Milford Sound with no landing, followed by a cruise on the water and a different route back. Rated 4.9 on 86 reviews — the second most reviewed listing on this site.
Is the price justified
Reviews are the only evidence that exists
The most reviewed flight on this site is also one of the cheapest six that land on ice.
Whether a flight is worth its price is a judgement call, but this site has one piece of evidence that is not a guess: what the people who already booked it thought afterwards. Heli-glacier carries 97 reviews at a 5.0 rating — more than every other flight here, and the highest possible score. At $307 for a ten-minute glacier landing, it is the strongest case on this site for a flight earning its price.
The Milford Sound cruise is the next most reviewed at 86, rated 4.9, though it is a flyover and cruise combination rather than a glacier landing. Two listings carry no reviews at all: the private alpine heli-hike and the Mt Cook flight with two landings. Neither has a rating to point to, which is worth knowing before comparing them against flights with dozens of reviews behind them.
Price alone does not track with reviews here. The cheapest landing flight, at $214, has only two reviews so far simply because it is newer to the listings than heli-glacier, not because it is a lesser trip. Given the choice between a proven flight and an unproven one at a similar price, the review count is the more useful signal than the price tag.
The Wānaka Experience and Wānaka Max sit in between: neither lands on ice, and both still carry solid review counts for their price — four and fifteen reviews respectively, both rated 5.0. That is worth weighing against a glacier landing at a higher price: a proven, well-rated flyover is not automatically the weaker booking just because it does not land on the ice.
If a flight is not the answer
The alternative with no helicopter at all
Two listings here involve no flying whatsoever.
- Rob Roy Glacier guided hike — $248, eight hours
A full day on foot to the Rob Roy Glacier, with lunch included, rated 5.0 on five reviews. The cheaper of the two ways to see this glacier without booking a flight.
- Private Rob Roy Glacier hike — $333, six hours
The same walk with your own group only, rated 5.0 on a single review so far. Costs more than the guided version and runs two hours shorter.
- Why this matters for the "worth it" question
If the minimum two paying adults on heli-glacier, or the twenty-four-hour notice on the Rob Roy hike, do not suit your trip, the honest comparison is not between two flights — it is between flying and walking.
Working out when to lock in whichever one you pick?
Best time for a Wanaka helicopter flight→Every trip, current fare
Every listing, priced against what it includes
All fourteen, cheapest first isn’t how the table below is sorted — it follows the order the site shows them, with what each one includes alongside the price.
| Flight | Length | Price | What is included | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wanaka: Scenic Helicopter Flight with Glacier ExperienceThirty-five minutes with a glacier landing | 35 min | $307 | Thirty-five minutes with a glacier landing | $526.29 | 5.0 · 97 |
| Wānaka: Scenic Helicopter Flight Wānaka MaxForty-five minutes over the Southern Alps | 45 min | $316 | Forty-five minutes over the Southern Alps | $421.33 | 5.0 · 15 |
| Wanaka: Siberia Experience Scenic Flight, Hike, and JetboatFlight in, alpine walk, jet boat out | 4 h | $360 | Flight in, alpine walk, jet boat out | $90.00 | 5.0 · 7 |
| Wanaka: Rob Roy Glacier Guided Hike with LunchA full day on foot to the Rob Roy Glacier | 8 h | $248 | A full day on foot to the Rob Roy Glacier | $31.00 | 5.0 · 5 |
| Wānaka: Helicopter Scenic Flight Wānaka ExperienceTwenty-five minutes over Lake Wanaka | 25 min | $214 | Twenty-five minutes over Lake Wanaka | $513.60 | 5.0 · 4 |
| Wanaka: Mt Aspiring and Glaciers Scenic FlightMt Aspiring and the glaciers that feed it | 60 min | $406 | Mt Aspiring and the glaciers that feed it | $406.00 | 5.0 · 5 |
| Wānaka: Aspiring Snow Special with Glacier/Snow LandingAn hour with a landing on snow | 60 min | $491 | An hour with a landing on snow | $491.00 | 4.4 · 3 |
| Wānaka: Private Rob Roy Glacier Guided Hike LunchThe Rob Roy walk with your group alone | 6 h | $333 | The Rob Roy walk with your group alone | $55.50 | 5.0 · 1 |
| Wānaka: Mt Aspiring Explorer Scenic Flight with 2 LandingsTwo landings on one alpine flight | 75 min | $564 | Two landings on one alpine flight | $451.20 | 5.0 · 2 |
| Wānaka: Scenic Flight Experience with Snow LandingA short flight that still lands on snow | 25 min | $214 | A short flight that still lands on snow | $513.60 | 5.0 · 2 |
| Wanaka: Milford Sound Glacier Flight & Scenic Nature CruiseGlacier flight and a Milford Sound cruise | 4.5 h | $445 | Glacier flight and a Milford Sound cruise | $98.89 | 4.9 · 86 |
| From Wanaka: Milford Sound Flight with Landing & GlaciersMilford Sound flight with a landing | 2 h | $377 | Milford Sound flight with a landing | $188.50 | 4.5 · 12 |
| Wanaka: Private Alpine Heli-HikeA private day: fly in, walk, fly out | 6 h | $1,382 | A private day: fly in, walk, fly out | $230.33 | New |
| Discover Mt Cook: Scenic Flight with Glacier/Snow LandingMt Cook with a glacier or snow landing | 3 h | $1,467 | Mt Cook with a glacier or snow landing | $489.00 | New |
Common questions
Is a Wanaka glacier flight worth it, answered
Is a Wanaka glacier flight worth it?
Heli-glacier, at $307, is the strongest case on this site: a ten-minute glacier landing and the most reviewed flight here, 97 reviews at 5.0. Whether any flight is worth it depends on whether landing on the ice matters to you more than the price.
Which flights actually land on the glacier or snow?
Six do: heli-glacier, the Snow Landing flight, the Aspiring Snow Special, the Explorer, the Milford Sound flight with a landing, and the Mt Cook flight. The rest fly over the alps without setting down on the ice.
What is the cheapest way to land on snow or ice?
The Snow Landing Flight, at $214 for twenty-five minutes, rated 5.0 on two reviews so far.
Do Wānaka Max and the Wānaka Experience land on the glacier?
No. Wānaka Max lands twice on alpine peaks, and the Wānaka Experience includes an alpine landing at 1,200 metres over Lake Wanaka — neither sets down on the ice itself.
Is the Rob Roy Glacier hike a good alternative to flying?
It is the only way to reach a glacier here without a helicopter: an eight-hour guided walk at $248, rated 5.0 on five reviews, with a private version at $333.
Are there listings with no reviews yet?
Yes, two: the private alpine heli-hike and the Mt Cook flight with two landings. Neither has a rating on this site yet, so there is nothing to compare them against.
Go deeper
More on glacier flights and glacier hikes from Wanaka
All flights
Every helicopter flight bookable from Wanaka, side by side.
Glacier landingsGlacier landings
Which listings actually put you down on ice, and which only fly past.
Rob Roy on footRob Roy on foot
The guided walk to the Rob Roy Glacier, and what the track is like.
PricesPrices
What a flight costs from Wanaka, listing by listing.
To Milford SoundTo Milford Sound
The two listings that fly from Wanaka over to Milford Sound.
Best timeBest time
Season by season, and why flights get cancelled.
