Mt Cook Tour / Ultimate Alpine Experience

Your day begins with a 7:30am pick up from or near your Queenstown accommodation. Travelling in a premium Mercedes van designed for small-group touring, the journey starts comfortably as you head north towards Aoraki Mt Cook, with your guide sharing commentary along the way.

The drive takes you through the Central Otago wine region, past Gibbston and Cromwell, before crossing Lindis Pass and continuing into Mackenzie Country. As the landscape opens out, the scenery shifts from vineyards and high-country hills to alpine lakes, canals, and wide mountain views, making the journey an important part of the day itself.

A brief stop in Omarama gives you time to stretch your legs, grab refreshments, and purchase lunch or snacks before continuing on to Mt Cook. It is a useful stop, especially if you want to make the most of your free time in the national park later in the day.

As the tour continues into Mackenzie Country, the bright blue waters of Lake Pukaki come into view. This stretch of road is one of the visual highlights of the day, with the lake leading you towards Mt Cook Village and Aoraki Mt Cook often appearing ahead in the distance.

On arrival in Mt Cook at around midday, your guide will transfer you to Mt Cook Airport to check in with INFLITE for the Ultimate Alpine Experience. After a safety briefing, you will take to the skies on a unique 45-minute scenic flight that combines both a ski plane and a helicopter. The experience takes you over the Tasman Valley and its glacial lakes, with a landing on the Tasman Glacier where you can step out and take in the alpine surroundings before continuing the journey in the second aircraft. It is a rare way to experience the national park and one of the defining parts of the day.

After the flight, you will return to Mt Cook Airport and have additional free time to enjoy Mt Cook Village. You may choose to take a short walk, relax in the village, or visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre, which is included for all guests on tour. This extra time helps round out the day and gives you the chance to experience more of the national park beyond the flight itself.

At approximately 3:30pm, rejoin your guide and begin the return journey to Queenstown. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the drive south as the day winds down. Over the course of around 12 hours, this experience combines scenic travel, time in Mt Cook Village, and one of the most distinctive flight experiences in the country. Please note that the Ultimate Alpine Experience is subject to availability at the time of booking and is weather dependent.

The full-day trip takes approximately 12 hours from Queenstown. This allows us to make plenty of stops en route to ensure you enjoy the journey, with 3.5 hours in Mount Cook Village. During this time you will join a 45-minute scenic helicopter and ski plane combo flight, with additional free time in Mt Cook to enjoy the village.

This package includes the Ultimate Alpine Experience 55-minute scenic helicopter and ski plane flight.

The departure time of the flight can vary depending on availability, however, we intend to book this shortly after arriving into the national park, with the remaining time free to enjoy Mt Cook Village.

Your Altitude Tours guide will transport you to the Mt Cook Airport where you will check in for your scenic flight with Mt Cook Ski Planes & helicopters, brought to you by INFLITE.

The INFLITE team will provide a safety briefing before taking you on a 45-minute scenic helicopter and ski plane flight.

Please allow extra time for check-in and safety briefing.

Individual weights are required for the helicopter company at the time of booking.

• An extra warm layer of clothing
• Camera
• Sunblock & sunglasses
• Waterproof jacket
• Suitable walking shoes

This experience will take up approximately 1 hour of your total free time in Mt Cook Village.

You are welcome to use this extra free time to get lunch in the village, or alternatively, we recommend purchasing food in Omarama (a stop we make on the way from Queenstown) or bringing food from Queenstown at the start of the day.

We don’t want to give too much away! The drive from Queenstown to Mt Cook is stunning and there are plenty of scenic stops enroute, your guide knows the best spots and will choose these on the day.

We pick up from select Queenstown hotels and the main bus stop routes in Queenstown town centre and along Frankton Road. When booking, type in your accommodation and it will suggest the closest bus stop. If it doesn’t come up just check in with us and we’ll let you know where is closest for you!

As this is a weather-dependent tour, if there is a risk of adverse weather conditions that will impact the operation of the tour, you will be contacted the day prior to your trip to explore alternative options.

There may be a risk of the weather coming in on the day, and your guide will keep you updated, if needed.

Due to this being one of our most popular tours and wanting to be fair to all who join us we do not offer reserved seating. If you have a request we will do our best to accommodate but we cannot guarantee.