The 15 Best Mount Cook & Glacier Trips

Queenstown: Small Group Mt Cook Day Tour - Cromwell and the Central Otago fruit stop

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 262 reviews · 12 hours · from $166Our pick

Travel from Queenstown to Aoraki Mount Cook in a small Mercedes van, with scenic stops, local commentary, 3.5 hours to hike, and Hillary Centre access.

“An amazing trip! Some of the prettiest views we’ve seen in New Zealand so far! The amount of time there was perfect . Stuart was an amazing guide and made the long journey there and back so enjoyable with information and facts about each area and recommendations on where to go and walks to do there. Plus his general friendless and enthusiasm really made our trip! Would definitely recommend!”

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Full-Day Guided Sightseeing Tour of Mount Cook from Queenstown

2.Full-Day Guided Sightseeing Tour of Mount Cook from Queenstown

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 218 reviews · from $173Top rated

Review of Altitude Tours’ 12-hour Mount Cook trip from Queenstown, with Lindis Pass, Lake Pukaki, guided commentary, hikes, and practical tips.

“Loved everything about this day.. Our guide and driver , Ana, was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and organised which made the whole day run smoothly. We decided to do the helicopter ride at Mt Cook and wow, what an experience! Friendly ground staff and pilots made the experience of flying around the mountains and landing in the snow for photos an experience never to forget! Would recommend this tour to anyone!”

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From Queenstown: Mount Cook Scenic Day Tour

3.Mount Cook Scenic Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 210 reviews · 12 hours · from $158

Review of Cheeky Kiwi’s 12-hour Mount Cook tour from Queenstown, with Lake Pukaki views, small groups, walks, costs, and practical tips.

“Absolutely fantastic. Shane, our driver/guide was exceptional - patient, courteous, fun, provided us with heaps of facts, history and details. He was extremely particular with health & safety which added a good aspect to our hiking. This is a MUST-DO tour!!”

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Glacier Explorer & Earnslaw Burn Helicopter Flight

4.Glacier Explorer & Earnslaw Burn Helicopter Flight

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 202 reviews · 50 min · from $408

Fly from Queenstown to Mt Aspiring glaciers, Earnslaw Burn and Skippers Canyon, with a possible glacier landing and expert pilot commentary.

“Once in a lifetime experience!! Our pilot Alfie was also involved with the Lord of the Rings shoot and pointed out locations on the way. If you do not have time to visit Fox or Franz Josef glaciers then this is a great option from Queenstown. It was the highlight of my trip. The glacier was surreal and the whole flight path was surreal!!!”

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50-Minute Glacier Explorer & Earnslaw Burn Flight, Queenstown

5.50-Minute Glacier Explorer & Earnslaw Burn Flight, Queenstown

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 139 reviews · from $446

Fly from Queenstown to glacier country, spot Skippers Canyon and Earnslaw Burn, then land on snow in Mt Aspiring National Park.

“From the minute we were picked up to when we were dropped off we had a fantastic experence. The checkin was quick and the safety well explained. The flight, just amazing. We didn't feel rushed or frightened in any way. Alfie was an amazing pilot answering our questions and engaging the whole flight. I would highly recommend going.”

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Queenstown to Christchurch One-Way Tour via Mt Cook & Lake Tekapo

6.Queenstown to Christchurch One-Way Tour via Mt Cook & Lake Tekapo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 134 reviews · from $235

Travel Queenstown to Christchurch by Mount Cook, Lake Tekapo, Lindis Pass, and the Southern Alps on a scenic 14-hour guided transfer.

“The tour guide was very helpful. She covered all the amazing spots. We enjoyed every bit of it. The places were all stunning”

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Queenstown: Southern Glacier 50-Minute Helicopter Flight

7.Southern Glacier 50-Minute Helicopter Flight

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 123 reviews · from $547

Fly from Queenstown to Jura Glacier for Southern Alps views, a snow landing, pilot commentary, and sweeping Rees and Dart Valley scenery.

“Flying over the glacier was great. To be able to be above all the mountains and see the valley’s was awesome”

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Queenstown to Christchurch via Mt Cook One-Way Tour

8.Queenstown to Christchurch via Mt Cook One-Way Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 79 reviews · 13 hours · from $236

Travel Queenstown to Christchurch through Mt Cook, Lindis Pass, Lake Pukaki, and Lake Tekapo on a scenic 13-hour small-group transfer.

“We spent a very great day. Guiders are very knowledgeable and kind. Highly recommended!”

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Milford Sound Glacier Flight & Cruise from Wanaka

9.Milford Sound Glacier Flight & Cruise from Wanaka

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 73 reviews · from $464

Fly from Wanaka over glaciers and the Southern Alps, cruise Milford Sound, and return by a different route in four scenic hours.

“Incredible experience. Not cheap, but the unparalleled views and time saved getting to Milford Sound were well worth the cost. Hamish was our pilot and he was a quite skilled.”

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Tasman Glacier Heli-Hike Tour from Queenstown

10.Tasman Glacier Heli-Hike Tour from Queenstown

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 70 reviews · from $1,178

Review of the Tasman Glacier heli-hike from Queenstown, with scenic flights, ice caves, practical tips, pricing, and booking advice.

“We were extremely lucky with the weather and the activity developed perfectly. Our pilot from Queenstown to Tasman Glacier base and return was James and he is an absolute legend!! He is very knowledgeable and friendly. Then our two guides at the Glacier, Sam and Chris, were amazing. They took care of us making sure we were stepping on the right spots and they also took us to really cool caves (as they knew the glacier very well). Highly recommend this trip!”

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Mt Cook Small Group Tour & Heli Hike Combo from Queenstown

11.Mt Cook Small Group Tour & Heli Hike Combo from Queenstown

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 64 reviews · from $750

Review of Queenstown’s Mt Cook heli hike tour, with Tasman Glacier flights, glacier walking, scenic stops, costs, weather risks, and booking advice.

“I think the trip was very meaningful, met a lot of new friends, the guides were very professional and humorous, everything was good”

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Mount Cook Day Tour from Queenstown

12.Mount Cook Day Tour from Queenstown

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 63 reviews · from $111Best value

Review the 12-hour Queenstown to Christchurch coach tour via Aoraki Mt. Cook, Lake Pukaki, Lake Tekapo, stops, value, and practical tips.

“This tour was very disappointing. I had expected it to be more of a tour-cum-transport option but it was just a regular bus service with a weird route. The bus stopped for 4-5 times at service stations / road side shops for toilet and shopping and only twice at scenic locations for photos one of which was barely 5 minutes long. The hotel and lunch at Mount Cook was nice. The scheduled stop there was 1h45 minutes. We arrived about 30 minutes late, but left on schedule. That left practically no time to do anything else besides lunch. It wasn't even enough to thoroughly see the alpine centre at the…”

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