Could you imagine seeing the Grand Canyon and also the Vegas Strip in one fell swoop? You can, if you go by helicopter, which will let you experience both in less time than it takes to watch a movie.

Tour packages range between basic flyovers to extravagant packages that include champagne, river rafting, horse riding, and ATV adventures. It’s your call. To get your travel juices flowing, I put together a short-list of the most popular:

Top 3 Tours

#1 Here’s your “no-frills” package. This tour leaves from the edges of Las Vegas, cruises over the West Rim, and heads back for The Strip before landing.

#2 Goes to the West Rim where it lands at the Canyon’s special heliport. Explore the Canyon. Experience the Skywalk. Board helicopter, hover over Las Vegas Boulevard.

#3 The king of tours, this trip zips out to Grand Canyon West, sightsee, then lowers itself 4,000 feet to the bottom. Lunch beside the Colorado River. Ascend, and then jet back to Vegas, taking the long way the city’s center.

Bonus Sights

The journey to the West Rim, too, is packed with fantastic sights, including::

Lake Mead – An attractive, deep blue lake. It practically glistens under the desert sun. Largest man-made body of water in the U.S.

Hoover Dam – A structure that’s recorded as being the second largest dam in the U.S. Provides most of the drinking water and generates most of the electrical power consumed by Las Vegas. It’s a spectacular structure, made even more exciting by the new bypass that’s being suspended over Black Canyon.

Guano and Eagle Points – A pair of stunning lookouts that uniquely definte Grand Canyon West. Horizons go on forever. Keep your eyes open for Big Horn Sheep and California Condors.

Grand Canyon Skywalk – Do it if you get a tour that offers it as an option. It’s literally a glass bridge that extends 75 feet over the lip of the Rim. This is as close as you’ll get to having your own wings. The distance from the bridge to the bottom is twice the size of the largest building in the world.

Departures

Flights depart daily from McCarran International Airport, North Las Vegas Airport, and Boulder City Airport. Sunrise, sunset, and evening trips are the most popular. Most tour operators include hotel pick up and drop off. It’s recommended that you confirm your flight 24 hours in advance. While on the phone, I tell people to check weather conditions – the Canyon in particular can be quite fickle.

Pricing

Many people are convinced that a helicopter flight is out of their budget. Think again.Las Vegas is loaded with tour operators who compete hard for your tour dollar. But if you really want to drive your cost per ticket down, book online, where prices are dropped 20% – 45% of retail (or “rack” rate).

Final Words

I want to point out that there are bus tours that include the Strip and the Canyon. The value here is incredible. The big difference, however, is time: Bus trips will require nearly the entire day; helicopters can get the job done in several hours. If time is treasured and you have a modest budget, visiting these attractions by helicopter is a must.

Author Bio: Travel writer Keith Kravitz reveals the Top 3 West Rim helicopter rides at http://www.GrandCanyonHelicopterTourReviews.com

Category: Travel
Keywords: las vegas helicopter tours, grand canyon helicopter tours, west rim helicopter tours, gand canyon