Day 8: [On your own] Helicopter ride
After the hiking, ABD drove us back into town and we had the rest of the day, including lunch and dinner, as "on your own" time.
My son decided he wanted to go on a helicopter for the first time. I hadn't reserved or planned anything in advance, nor had I done any research beforehand. So we gathered some brochures. The first place we checked was Heliservices, and it turned out they had the flight we wanted available within the hour, so we bought it.
Look at the map below. There are two glaciers and a variety of flight options. I would not suggest flying only to Franz Josef glacier. Pick a flight that goes to both since it doesn't cost much more and Fox glacier was more visually impressive. There are also options that let you walk on a glacier, from a brief 5 minute "stand on a glacier and throw a snowball" to a much longer hike with special equipment. We chose the two glacier option with the "5 minutes on the glacier".
It was a short walk to the helipads. The helicopters all fly counter-clockwise routes. Initially you see the mountain range, then fly over Fox glacier and then land on a flat area on Fox glacier. The helicopter we flew was a Hughes (I think) that has room for six passengers. The pilot tells you where to sit, since he/she must balance the helicopter for weight. But since the helicopter makes a stop, the pilot switches the seating around to ensure that each person gets a window view for at least one leg.
The rotors keep turning even after the helicopter lands. (I think my camera still had the insanely fast shutter speed I had set for the train, which is why the rotor looks still.) Before you board, they emphasize that when you disembark, you move toward the front of the helicopter and stay away from the tail rotor
It was surprisingly warm, about the same temperature in the town (in the 60's). We didn't bring our jackets and were wearing short sleeves. But my son discovered the hard way that the ice is really cold when he attempted to make a snow angel.
The return flight takes you over Franz Josef glacier and back to the helipad.
Overall this was a great experience, even if it wasn't cheap. I would highly recommend adding some activity like this during your "on your own" time in the afternoon. We got very lucky with the weather because in the afternoon it got cloudy.
After the hiking, ABD drove us back into town and we had the rest of the day, including lunch and dinner, as "on your own" time.
My son decided he wanted to go on a helicopter for the first time. I hadn't reserved or planned anything in advance, nor had I done any research beforehand. So we gathered some brochures. The first place we checked was Heliservices, and it turned out they had the flight we wanted available within the hour, so we bought it.
Look at the map below. There are two glaciers and a variety of flight options. I would not suggest flying only to Franz Josef glacier. Pick a flight that goes to both since it doesn't cost much more and Fox glacier was more visually impressive. There are also options that let you walk on a glacier, from a brief 5 minute "stand on a glacier and throw a snowball" to a much longer hike with special equipment. We chose the two glacier option with the "5 minutes on the glacier".
The route we took is in blue
It was a short walk to the helipads. The helicopters all fly counter-clockwise routes. Initially you see the mountain range, then fly over Fox glacier and then land on a flat area on Fox glacier. The helicopter we flew was a Hughes (I think) that has room for six passengers. The pilot tells you where to sit, since he/she must balance the helicopter for weight. But since the helicopter makes a stop, the pilot switches the seating around to ensure that each person gets a window view for at least one leg.
Fox glacier
Victoria Falls at Fox glacier
The rotors keep turning even after the helicopter lands. (I think my camera still had the insanely fast shutter speed I had set for the train, which is why the rotor looks still.) Before you board, they emphasize that when you disembark, you move toward the front of the helicopter and stay away from the tail rotor
It was surprisingly warm, about the same temperature in the town (in the 60's). We didn't bring our jackets and were wearing short sleeves. But my son discovered the hard way that the ice is really cold when he attempted to make a snow angel.
The return flight takes you over Franz Josef glacier and back to the helipad.
Franz Josef glacier
Overall this was a great experience, even if it wasn't cheap. I would highly recommend adding some activity like this during your "on your own" time in the afternoon. We got very lucky with the weather because in the afternoon it got cloudy.
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