Exploring Queenstown from the Air with Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters
Make the most of your visit to the South Island and experience one of the most exciting things to do in Queenstown, New Zealand. Take to the air and witness places of incredible natural beauty during an unforgettable Queenstown helicopter adventure. Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters offer a choice of spectacular destinations to enjoy, making them one of the favourite Queenstown activities since the 1980s.
Tours operate daily, and the fleet of modern six-seater helicopters are able to land in snow or on glaciers to make this a really exhilarating experience. The highly trained pilots have an amazing knowledge of the area and there is no better way to enjoy Queenstown sightseeing than from a bird's eye view. In fact, aerial footage filmed during Queenstown helicopter tours with Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters was used in films which include the Hobbit trilogy and the Lord of the Rings, Wolverine, and King Kong, Narnia and Pete's dragon. So if you fancy yourself as a filmmaker take advantage of a helicopter ride in Queenstown, and shoot with the professionals!
There is no better way to experience the stunning Southern Alps than from the air (Photo credit Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters)
The scenery around Queenstown is truly majestic and each of the flight options offers different landscapes to enjoy. The Remarkables tour lasts 20-minutes and includes an alpine landing. You will enjoy spectacular views over Queenstown and the Wakatipu basin, and this is one of the most popular things to do in Queenstown in the winter. The Skippers Express flight gives great views of Lake Wakatipu as you fly over Coronet Peak for a breathtaking 30-minute flight with an Alpine landing, high up above Skippers Canyon. The 35-minute Alpine Scenic tour combines majestic Alpine scenery with an exhilarating snow landing on one of the rugged peaks, and for 50-minutes of unparalleled scenery, including blue-green ice falls and an awe-inspiring landing on a glacier within the Forbes Mountains, chose the Glacier Explorer flight. For the ultimate Queenstown helicopter experience chose the Lord of the Rings & Glacier Explorer option which is sometimes piloted by the same pilot used during the filming of those epic film scenes. Live the Middle-earth experience in person on this memorable adventure which lasts 70-minutes and includes both an Alpine and a glacier landing.
Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters also offer tours over the Milford Sound. A flight of 1 ½ - 2 hours lets you appreciate the ancient forests and isolated valleys deep within the sound, and includes a landing in Milford where you can enjoy a short nature walk. You will also touch down on the Mt Tutoko Glacier deep in the Fiordland National Park. There is a shorter trip which includes a glacier landing, and one of 180-minutes which flies the length of the sound and out into the Tasman Sea. For the maximum Milford Sound flight experience chose the 4-hour trip which includes an unforgettable cruise on the sound with the chance to see penguins, seals, and dolphins at close quarters.
See a glacier from up close with a Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopter tour (Photo credit Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters)
Snowmobiling is another of the favourite activities in Queenstown. Enjoy exclusive access by helicopter to some of the most spectacular backcountry trails with Queenstown Snowmobiles. A 15-minute flight takes you to the trailhead where you will be kitted out with all the gear necessary for a safe and comfortable snowmobiling experience. This action packed adrenaline-pumping adventure is suitable for all the family, and the experienced local guides lead the small groups at a pace enjoyable for everyone.
It is recommended that you make your flight reservation near the beginning of you stay in the area so that if a flight needs to be rescheduled due to weather conditions you will not have to miss out on this incredible experience. For visitors who want to resume their South Island exploration on terra firma, collect your Queenstown rental car from either Omega’s town centre or Queenstown Airport branches and enjoy our unlimited km rates.