Before you know it Christmas Holiday 2013 will be here. If you are planning to visit the Grand Canyon by helicopter or airplane, I advise finalizing your plans soon. This is a popular time and both kinds of air tours have a tendency to sell out the closer we get to Santa\’s big day!

The most popular place to catch an air tour is from Las Vegas, NV. There\’s also the South Rim town of Tusayan. Both are great locations so lets dive in and take a look at them.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas is ideal if you want to catch a flight to the West Rim or the South Rim. Helicopters, however, only fly to the West because the South is to far. Airplanes go to both.

Vegas helicopters take off from various airports in the metro area, including Henderson and Boulder City. They fly over Lake Mead and Hoover Dam and either fly over the Canyon or land at the top or bottom.

The trips that fly over are the cheapest option. However, if you really want the total package, consider a landing tour, especially one that lands at the bottom or another that lands at the top that includes the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Regardless which you choose, you can\’t go wrong.

West Rim airplane tours follow the same path as helicopters except they go at a higher altitude. There are air and landing options. The one I prefer includes the option to do the Skywalk. There\’s another that includes a heli to the bottom with a boat ride.

Then there\’s the Vegas airplane tour to the South Rim. Frankly, this is the only way to fly in my book. The flight takes just 60 minutes and comes with 2.5 hours on the ground – plenty of time to see and experience the National Park.

South Rim

South Rim helicopters are either 30 or 50 minutes in length. The airplane is a 50-minute ride and follows the same flight path as the extended helicopter ride. The 30-minute trip goes from the South Rim to the North and back. It\’s the cheapest option and very popular. I get asked if \”helicopters are allowed to land at the bottom at the South Rim” and they don\’t because the Park Service prohibits it.

Weather

It\’s the middle of winter so expect cool temperatures. The South Rim is colder than the West because it\’s at a higher elevation. Regardless, I recommend pulling a 10-day forecast prior to your flight to get a better idea of what the actual temperature/weather will be like. Based on it, dress accordingly and don\’t assume that the inside of a helicopter and an airplane is impermeable to the cold (for the most part it\’s comfortably warm).

Conclusion

I hope this article about Grand Canyon helicopter and airplane tours helped with your trip planning. Please note that the Christmas holiday is a busy time and I do expect trips to start selling out. The way to beat the rush is to book in advance. Also, keep in mind that helicopters will not be flying Christmas Day; if you need a flight, do an airplane tour.

Ready to fly Grand Canyon? Travel editor Keith Kravitz recommends going here for the best airplane tours: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/airplane-tour-deals And here for the top helicopter rides: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/las-vegas-helicopters

Ready to fly Grand Canyon? Travel editor Keith Kravitz recommends going here for the best airplane tours: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/airplane-tour-deals And here for the top helicopter rides: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/las-vegas-helicopters

Author Bio: Ready to fly Grand Canyon? Travel editor Keith Kravitz recommends going here for the best airplane tours: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/airplane-tour-deals And here for the top helicopter rides: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/las-vegas-helicopters

Category: Travel
Keywords: grand canyon, grand canyon flights, helicopter, airplane, tours, las vegas, reviews, tips, deals