Mar 6, 2026
If a helicopter flight is planned over the fjordlands, Southern Lakes helicopter is a very good option - Extremely nice team that also made a spontaneous booking possible. The flight was great and the pilot extremely friendly and explained a lot. The take-off and landing point is on a platform directly on the lake in Te Anau!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 25, 2026
Amazing trip - The trip was absolutely amazing. Best ever & done 2 other helicopter trips in NZ before. The pilot was great & very knowledgeable. Lovely guy. The girls in the office where very friendly & very helpful. Highly recommend.
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Jan 20, 2026
Great way to see Mount Luxmore and the Kepler - Fantastic way to see Mount Luxmore, the Kepler and Te Anau from the air. The helicopter ride was amazing and we were rewarded with wonderful views from the helicopter but also from the top of Mt Luxmore. The walk down to Brod Bay was a bit rushed so I would recommend getting as early a flight as possible as last boat is 4:30pm.
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Dec 17, 2025
Necessary on your trip - Nice walk along the fjord. You land on top of the mountain to enjoy the views. The pilot michael gives you peace of mind and safety in flight. I recommend it. The descent is a demanding thing for knees and ankles although the views are worth it. It's about 3h.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 31, 2025
Wonderful Experience, Highly recommended Heli-Hike - Great communication, great pilot, great views and a lot of fun. Highly recommended. I can't say enough great things about how well the company is run and how much we enjoyed the day.
Review provided by Viator
Jan 24, 2025
Wonderful experience - do it if you can - An amazing day experience and do it if you can. Scenic heli flight with stunning scenery and a great pilot who was informative and entertaining then dropped off at the Luxmore Hut to hike down to the beach for the water taxi back. Loved it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 23, 2025
Awesome in every single way - sensational - We did the Heli hike and walk which was sensational. Our pilot was awesome and did an alpine landing - he was a seasoned pro and made sure we had an amazing time. The hike down was spectacular.
Organisation was superb and it was simply an outstanding trip and one of our best NZ experiences. These people are amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 29, 2024
Helicopter only accessible Gems hiding high in the Fiordland - Undeniably, a unique experience from a totally different angle. Lovely team, and a very personable pilot, providing exceptional memories for us.
There are many spots within the fiord, that not accessible by any means other than Helicopter.
We had 1.45hr tour with 2 landings, worths every cents.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 6, 2024
Truly amazing Milford + Doubtful Sound tour - This helicopter tour to Milford and Doubtful Sound was the best part of our first-time NZ trip! It was a beautiful sunny day with magnificent views. Everybody at Southern Lake helicopters was professional and helpful. Along with pilot Paul, we had a safety officer accompanying us to make a safe landing on the Tasman glacier. They made sure we had an enjoyable flight while also sharing a lot of information about the area. We landed at a lake, on the glacier and then in Doubtful Sound before being dropped off at Luxmore hut to hike back down.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 9, 2024
Bad flight service - We had a 9:30 flight scheduled. 10:15 came, we were told a 15 minute delay. 10:45 a helicopter arrived but one without the company colors or logo. The five were led out to the copter but had to wait in the cold while it refueled. 10:55 we started boarding. There were 5 of us dressed in 4 layers of clothing as we were going on a glacier walk. #1 passenger was a middle aged woman, the lightest . #2 was my wife, a 75 year old. #3 was a mid 40 male, son of #1. #4 was a middle aged lady. #5 was me, a 260#, 75 year old. They had weighed us before hand so knew this. #1 had to sit in the front. As the lightest, no problem. I. Was the first of the four in the back. I was stuffed against the door to the point I couldn’t use my right arm but could hold my phone in the left to take video out the window only. #3 & 4 were next. My wife was shoved next trying to make her fit. She was roughly treated and hurt. She asked to change places with the front lady but was told only she could ride there. Remember this. She was told squeeze in or get off. She got off and is supposed to get a refund.
Before we boarded, we were shown a safety video. First went the seatbelt followed by the harness. They completely ignored the harness. I guess the first rule of sardines is forget the safety harness. The flight went up the glacier valley on the right side of it. I have great video of a cliff wall for most of the flight. I could see some but since I was behind the pilot, not much. The headset barely worked, we were told to adjust the volume, didn’t help. The lady in front took over the pilots attention asking questions which meant we couldn’t have descriptions. Our time on the ground was great. When it came time to return, #3 the son switched places. Remember we were told my wife, the second lightest couldn’t sit there. On the return, we went along the right cliff, thus more great video of cliff walls instead of the beautiful glacier stream and lakes.
Finally we returned.
Review provided by Tripadvisor