There are a number of ways to experience the Grand Canyon. You could hike, float or read about it. Or you could take a helicopter tour and truly experience all that the Canyon has to offer. With a wide variety of flights that leave daily all year long, there\’s absolutely a tour that will meet your needs and expectations.

Departures

Flights depart from Las Vegas, NV, and South Rim, which is near the town of Tusayan, AZ. Both locations offer air and ground tours but it\’s only from Las Vegas that you can take a flight below the rim and land – such flights from South Rim has been banned by the National Park Service.

Vegas flights include flying over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, the Colorado River and the Canyon. Air-only tours will take you over the National Park before turning back to town. Landing tours, by contrast, go to the top, bottom or both. I personally prefer the one that lands at the bottom for a Champagne picnic.

I also like the one that combines a helicopter ride to the base with an 11.3-mile float down the Colorado River via Black Canyon. The super cool part of this trip is that you start from the base of Hoover Dam and end up at beautiful Willow Beach where you can cool off by going for a swim. This tour only leaves once in the morning.

South Rim

The South Rim is famous for its air-only tours. There are two: a 30-minute trip and a 50-minute trip. The shorter one goes from the South Rim to the North Rim and back. The longer one does that as well plus everything up to the Park\’s eastern border. I prefer the 50-minute flight because you get to see up to 75% of the Park.

There\’s also a helicopter and Jeep package that I really like. It combines the 30-minute helicopter ride with a 2.5-hour Jeep tour inside the National Park. Frankly, the Jeep is the best ground tour around. It goes along main and back roads and stops at all the key landmarks and lookouts like Mather Point, Yavapai Point and Grand Canyon Village.

EcoStar 130

I do want to point out that there are basic and deluxe versions of each helicopter tour. The key difference between the two is the kind of helicopter used. In the case of basic flights, the standard Bell Ranger or A Star is used. Deluxe flights, by contrast, use the superior EcoStar 130, which is 25% larger and outfitted with stadium-style bucket seats.

The EcoStar also comes with a 180-degree wraparound windshield so visitors get mega-views of the Canyon. The chopper is also aerodynamically designed to deliver the smoothest ride possible while being the quietest sightseeing chopper in the sky today. Finally, and this is a big deal during summer, the Eco\’s climate control ensures that you tour in a cool, comfortable environment.

Conclusion

I hope this article about Grand Canyon helicopter tours helped you in your search for the perfect tour. Personally, I prefer the deluxe flights because they are the better value and utilize the EcoStar 130. From Vegas, I recommend the landing tour with the Champagne picnic, and from South Rim I\’m a fan of the helicopter-Jeep tour. Regardless what you go with, book your flight early and online because trips regularly sell out.

The author is a Grand Canyon expert and recommends going here for the best South Rim helicopter tours and here for ones that depart from Las Vegas: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

The author is a Grand Canyon expert and recommends going here for the best South Rim helicopter tours and here for ones that depart from Las Vegas: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

Author Bio: The author is a Grand Canyon expert and recommends going here for the best South Rim helicopter tours and here for ones that depart from Las Vegas: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

Category: Travel
Keywords: South Rim helicopter, grand canyon, las vegas, grand canyon helicopters, las vegas helicopters