From Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, you will find plenty of tour types available. You’ll discover air only flights and choices that combine rafting with them. To get you shopping in the right direction, I’ve put together this short article spotlighting the most popular flights. I’m confident that your canyon experience will be off the charts if you book any one of them.
To begin, Some Logistics
These Las Vegas helicopters will only travel to the Grand Canyon West which is known as the West Rim. This part of the canyon is just 125 miles from Sin City. Flight time is 45 minutes. Should you be looking to visit the South Rim, the only way you can do that is with a bus or airplane with your helicopter ride.
The West Rim is located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, which borders the Grand Canyon National Park. It will be along this rim that you find the area is famous for a number of things, including the Skywalk. In this spot, you will find it is the only location that allows you to fly to the bottom.
West Rim Helicopter Tours
There are two kinds of helicopter trips: Air tours and bottom-landing tours. Here’s details:
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An Air Only Flight. Flight out of Vegas. Travels over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. Turns back over the West Rim, where you’ll see the Colorado River, Guano Point, Eagle Point, Grand Cliffs Wash, the Skywalk and more. This tour takes about 4 hours and will include complimentary hotel shuttle service.
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A Look at Landing Tours. These trips follow the same route as the air tours but land in the Reservation. More specifically:
A. Bottom Landing. You are lowered 4,000 feet to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. You then disembark and enjoy a champagne breakfast, brunch or even toast. Then explore the floor and riverbank. Overall, the trip lasts 5 hours and does come with free shuttle service.
B. A Bottom Landing Including Skywalk and Boat Along with the above mentioned one, it includes a boat ride down the Colorado River along with VIP passes to the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Lasts about 6 hours and comes with free transport to and from all Las Vegas resort-hotels.
C. The Skywalk tour. Lands at Grand Canyon West Airport. Shuttle to the Glass Bridge. Observation deck access along with a 2 hour period to explore the rim. Some of the sights will include Guano and Eagle points as well as the Indian Cultural Center.
These are the most popular tours from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon and they sell out quickly. It is best to reserve your spot at least a week in advance. Doing this last minute can be problematic and is often best only done if you are going to be traveling alone.
Deal Busters
Keep in mind that if you buy your tour in Las Vegas, you will pay too much. To get the best deal, consider the three simple steps:
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Book your trip in advance as early as you can.
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Make sure you get your tour online.
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Make sure you fully complete the transaction.
You will find that #3 is a very important one. If you allow an agent to complete your online booking, you are most likely going to pay more. Today’s travel websites are safe and secure. I find that this is the best way to buy these days and there has never been an issue for me.
Final Words
There is no better place than to go from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon by helicopter. There’s a lot of variety and prices are competitive. Best of all; the West rime is less than an hour away. You are going to find that this is the only National Park that can allow you to fly to the bottom. As you plan your trip to Sin City, make sure you add a canyon helicopter ride. It’ll be the time of your life.
