It took me 8 hours to travel from Queenstown to Franz Josef by Intercity Bus. I stayed in a dorm room of YHA Hostel for 2 nights. If you want to stay in a backpacker in New Zealand, YHA hostel is always the safe bet. 🙂

YHA Franz Josef

Should I do the Franz Josef Heli Hike?

Just a few years ago we can walk up to the glacier… but not anymore. Still, it is possible to walk on the glacier by joining the popular Franz Josef Heli Hike tour, a half-day tour that includes a short helicopter flight + guided glacier walk.

I kept thinking if I should join the Heli Hike tour, as I believe this might be my only chance because I might not visit Franz Josef again. In the end, I decided not to go for it because:

• It is expensive – costs more than NZ$500!
• I just had the helicopter flight with my family in Queenstown a month ago and I don’t feel like doing it so soon again.
• I admit that I am timid – I like snow & ice, and I also like walking, but I just don’t like having them together. Actually, I had a big fall when hiking in the snow a few years ago and am still scared of it (so useless 😖).

Franz Josef Glacier walk is an alternative way to see the glacier

Instead, I decided to do the Franz Josef Glacier Walk so I can see the glacier while staying off the ice and save some money.

I completed the walk alone. There is a guided tour that costs NZ$79 but it is not necessary. It is safe and easy to walk on your own.

This Franz Josef Glacier walk is a 1.5-hour walk but I took about 2 hours, and I also took an extra 2 hours to walk from my accommodation to the carpark (where the walk begins) and back. So the entire journey is about 4 hours.

I like that the track is well-maintained. There were quite many signs which were good. The downside is that it can get quite noisy as I can hear the sound of the helicopter all the time, but it is not too bad.

What I feel about this walk… 🤔

To be honest, I had a mixed feeling. I was impressed by the view at first, but then I got a little bit disappointed later.

There was no ‘wow’ moment at the end of the walk that I anticipated. Maybe because I was only able to see a very tiny fraction of the glacier (which is what the track designed for). I had also already seen the glacier at the beginning of the walk; at first, I thought I could see more of it when I walked further, but I was just getting a little bit closer to it and the view was the same at the end of the track.

I was only able to see a tiny fraction of the glacier

I had already seen the glacier at the beginning of the walk, so there was no surprise at the end

Nevertheless, the scenery along the track was amazing and surprised me. I especially liked the river and waterfall in the beginning/middle of the walk. It was actually a very great walk if it didn’t take me that long to travel to Franz Josef.

Tips for visiting Franz Josef Glacier

1. If you are not driving, then consider taking the shuttle bus to the carpark.

It saves you a lot of time and only costs $12.50 for a return bus trip from the accommodation to the Carpark (where most of the walk tracks begin). It allows you to have more time to explore other tracks which also start from the carpark. I didn’t know about this so I spent about 2 hours to walk from my hostel to the car park and back.

2. There are also other walks in the same area.

Apart from Franz Josef Glacier walk, there are also other walks that seem quite interesting. I did the Canavans Knob walk which was lovely. If you have extra time, why not explore them?

3. If you can afford it and like to walk on the glacier, then go for the Heli Hike tour.

I imagine it would be very fun. If you already travel so long to Franz Josef, why not walk on the real glacier instead of seeing only a tiny bit of it? It can be much cheaper to book the tour online through Bookme if book early enough.

4. Prepare for the rain.

I was very lucky that I was walking on a sunny day, because Franz Josef usually gets more rain days than other places (see this). It is always good to have a backup plan, or have a bit flexibility in your itinerary.

5. Visit other places as well.

Franz Josef is a bit out of the way from the main cities in New Zealand. Since you already travel so far away, why not enjoy other nearby towns as well? I travelled to Greymouth and Kaikoura after Franz Josef. There seem to be other smaller towns that look quite interesting – I wish I could explore them but didn’t have enough time!