Franz Josef Nature Tour
Description
This eco-tour is ideal for nature enthusiasts of all ages and abilities, providing opportunities for off-track adventures & a profound insight into the intricate workings of the ecosystem. This unforgettable journey unveils the hidden wonders of the Franz Josef Glacier Valley. Meander through ancient native podocarp rainforest, stroll along a pristine glacial-fed river and marvel at the mirror-like reflections of the snow-capped mountains on an ancient kettle lake. Join us for an experience that blends serene natural beauty with educational exploration. Your knowledgeable guide will enhance your experience with fascinating stories and insights about the local history, flora, fauna, glaciology and geology. Wander at your pace through streams and native podocarp rainforest, discovering hidden treasures like wild mushrooms &many orchid species. *We cannot get to the terminal face/walk on the glacier due to safety reasons. *Contact us to request a list of the public tracks included.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your guide will pick you up from your accommodation or meeting point in Franz Josef, and drive you to the glacier carpark. From there, you will walk with your small group tour and guide to about 2000m from the Franz Josef Glacier terminal face, at the end of the forest walk.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(115)
Cliff was a great guide, who's passion for the the environment and his outdoor "work place" was refreshing to here. Highly recommended!
Thanks so much for your great review of our lead guide Cliff, I will pass this onto him :) So glad you enjoyed your tour and we hope you enjoyed the rest of your travels in our beautiful country just as much :) Take care Tash
Very interesting and informative tour! Our guide Cliff was knowledgeable about the bird and plant life, the geology of the region, and the history of the glacier.
Thanks so much for your great review of our lead guide Cliff :) I will be sure to pass this onto him! We are happy you enjoyed your tour and thanks for taking the time to write a review, apologies about the delay in responding. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your travels in our beautiful part of the world! Take care Tash
Our 3 hour guided walk with Louis was amazing. Not only was he a lovely young gentleman, his knowledge of the area was outstanding. We learnt alot about the area we walked . It was very special to go off the main track in places , with hot chocolate being served in front of the Glacier , a nice touch . We would highly recommend. Wishing Louis all the best at Uni completing his Masters .
Kia ora, We are glad to hear you had such an enjoyable trip with Louie and that you got to enjoy a nice warm beverage in front of the glacier, what a great cafe view! We are wishing Louie all the best for uni too though we hate to see him go! Cheers, the GVET team!
Took a tour today with Sophia as our guide. Great tour. Sophia is a great host and knowledgeable about the area. I will be recommending the tours to all our guests. 😊😊🤩🤩
Kia ora Calvin, It was great to meet you and we're glad to hear you enjoyed your trip! Cheers, the GVET team.
Sophia was a very knowledgeable guide who provided an interesting and entertaining walk through the rain forest. She took on board our preferences and provided refreshments.
Thank you for your kind review! We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed your walk through the rainforest with Sophia! She’s fantastic at tailoring the experience to the group and making it both informative and entertaining. It’s great that you appreciated the refreshments along the way too — a perfect way to take in the surroundings. Thanks again for sharing your experience- the GVET team!
I hope I have the right company. This is a story about the owner, Natasha. The company that arranged this trip informed us that we were going to be picked up at the hotel. We waited and waited, only to be told that things had changed and we were supposed to have met at the company's location. We were informed that we had missed our trip. Being our last day in Franz Joseph, the glacier is the main tourist attraction, and it seemed that we weren't going to see it. We went down to the office. Natasha was our angel. She had done nothing wrong, yet she personally drove us up to the glacier and waited in the parking lot for us to return. The reality is that she was under no obligation to do so. Her kindness was appreciated. We offered to take her out to dinner. We would have enjoyed her company. Quite simply, today's world needs more Natashas or Tasha as she calls herself.
What a lovely story, and thank you for sharing it! We’re so glad Tash could step in and save the day for you. It’s wonderful to hear that you got to still see the glacier despite the mix up. It’s a testament to her kindness and dedication to her guests! We completely agree—today’s world could use more people like Tash! Thank you again for your kind words, and we hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Franz Josef! Cheers, the GVET team!
Great tour with Sophia to see all the ferns and other plants, to learn about conservation and technology to get rid of pests and predators to protect native NZ birds, Kiwis, etc. Also saw the Franz Josef Glacier up close and learned about the effects of climate change.
Kia ora! It sounds like you had an awesome trip with Sophia! We love to hear it! The forest and everything that goes into protecting it is truly astounding. It sounds like you got a good view of the glacier too and some interesting information! Thanks for the review! Cheers, the GVET team!
Good guide with fun anecdotes and answers questions you ask. The 1st part of the trip we can do on our own. Shouldn't be part of the trip. The 2nd part the back routes which are cool and great to see. These make the trip and for this you go with a guide. Without a guide you are not allowed on the back-routes. Do not expect a brisk trip as announced. Our company was mobile not the fastest and the slowest determines. The front screening needs to be done better. I feel like we've gone quite a bit wrong now. Walking is tight 1.5 hours at a time of 4 hours. What we did see is great.
Kia ora! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! We’re so glad you enjoyed the back routes — they really are incredible and having a guide there is essential for safety and finding them! It’s great to hear you found what you saw fantastic. Just to clarify, this experience is designed to be more relaxed and accessible rather than challenging. The focus is on enjoying the stunning scenery at a comfortable pace. This allows you to fully absorb the beautiful scenery and so that guests of all abilities can enjoy our walks. We understand it may not have been what you expected, and we apologize if that was frustrating. Thankyou for your feedback and we hope to see you again! Cheers, the GVET team!
I enjoyed it but was expecting to walk further than 2km in 2.5 hours. Also would have been useful if it stated which track we would be walking on when booking as I had already done the majority of the track we walked on the day before by myself. I understand there were mixed abilities in the group but maybe this is something that could be asked when booking. Overall, my opinion would be to save your money and do the walk by yourself!
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the experience overall, though we understand it wasn’t quite what you were expecting. Our walks are designed as educational experiences rather than adventure hikes. The focus is on learning about the landscape, ecology, and local history, with time built in for discussion, observation, and questions. Because of that, we intentionally keep the pace relaxed and the distance relatively short. Our trips are also tailored to accommodate a wide range of abilities so that everyone can comfortably participate. As the emphasis is on shared learning rather than covering ground, we don’t split groups by fitness level. We appreciate your suggestion about including more detail on the specific track when booking although there are only a limited number of approved routes available in the area. That being said, we do have access to some private tracks that aren’t available to the general public. But again, the emphasis of our trips is learning things you would have completely missed if you went on these walks by yourself. Thanks again for your honest feedback. Cheers, The GVET team.
Unforgettable and great guide and in safe hands! Lucky to fo it with my son for his birthday :)
Kia ora! Happy birthday to your son! We are honored to be a part of the celebration and we're stoked to hear you guys had a great time! Maybe we'll see you for the next birthday! Cheers, The GVET team!
