Only from the air can you truly appreciate the immense scale and spectacular grandeur of the Southern Alps region, and our Mount Cook scenic flight covers many of the landmarks that make this part of the South Island a must-see attraction. As all our aircraft have only window seats, you will have an unobstructed view of this fantastic and remote part of New Zealand.

Departing from Queenstown airport, you will climb out past Mt Cardrona and over the Wanaka township into the heart of the Southern Alps and around New Zealand’s tallest mountain, Aoraki / Mt Cook. Tracking along the Southern Alps offers views of the immense mountains that form this formidable barrier: Mt Glenmary, Mt Hooker and Mt Dechen, to name a few. You can also see some of the 3,000 glaciers that call this area home; and out to the east, as you draw closer to Mt Cook, you will see the flat plains of The Mackenzie Country.

The region contains many water channels that feed water from glacial lakes Pukaki, Tekapo and Ohau into the Waitaki River, flowing to the East Coast. The river has three hydroelectric dams – Benmore, Aviemore and Waitaki – that generate much of the South Island’s renewable energy. Your pilot will also point out vast snow fields, beautiful turquoise glacial lakes, intricate river systems, glacial formed valleys and the formidable Aoraki / Mount Cook, towering above it all.

Once you arrive overhead Mt Cook, we will take you on a grand orbit of the area where you will see some of the major glaciers that make up the area: Tasman Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. As you turn back toward Queenstown, you will have views of the west coast of the South Island and the Tasman Sea.

Our friendly, experienced pilots provide an interesting and informative commentary and are happy to answer any and all questions you may have during the trip.