It\’s that time of the year when people start planning their Grand Canyon summer vacation. If this is you, make sure you include a helicopter or airplane tour. But try to book your flight early as these tours are prone to selling out fast.

You can take a heli or plane ride from two locations: Las Vegas, NV, and South Rim/Tusayan, AZ. From Vegas you can explore the West Rim and the South Rim; from Tusayan, you fly over that general area, which is comprised of more than 1 million acres.

Las Vegas

Vegas helicopters fly only to the West Rim and either fly over it or land at the bottom or top or both. Travelers who want to go to the South Rim must take an airplane tour, which, also can be upgraded to include a bus, jeep and helicopter ride.

All air tours follow the same flight path in that they go over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Flyover tours will turn back at this point and return to Vegas except the direct flight to the South Rim.

Helicopter landing tours will go to the bottom where guests can enjoy a Champagne picnic. If you like, you can extend this trip with a Colorado River boat ride. Trips that land on the top come with Grand Canyon Skywalk tickets.

Please note that helicopter-landing tours are only available from Las Vegas and not the South Rim. This is because the National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration ban such flights.

South Rim

Helicopters here are air-only, meaning they don\’t land but fly over some of the Park\’s most impressive scenic wilderness areas. There are two tours: a 30-minute and 50-minute flight. The shorter one goes from the South Rim to the North Rim and back. The longer one does that plus everything up to the eastern boundary.

There\’s a really cool helicopter/jeep combo tour available at the South Rim. It basically features a 30-minute air tour and a 2-hour Jeep 4×4 tour inside the National Park. In my opinion, this is one of the finest ways to efficiently explore the Canyon.

There\’s also a great South Rim airplane tour. It\’s 45-minutes in length and follows the same flight path as the 50-minute helicopter except at a higher altitude. This plane ride is incredibly cheap and ideal for travelers who can\’t afford helicopter rides.

Deals

The best way to get deals on these sightseeing flights is simple: Book online and book early. The Internet is where you\’ll get the best rates because you\’re booking the tour yourself so you don\’t incur a booking fee. It\’s also where the latest specials and promotions are listed.

The other thing you\’ve got to do is book in advance. I recommend at least a couple of weeks. The best strategy, however, is to book right after you get your hotel rooms. The benefits of booking early include getting access to the best flights, the best times and the best prices.

Conclusion

I hope this article about Grand Canyon sightseeing flights proved helpful. Remember, your departure points are either from the Las Vegas or the South Rim. And to get the lowest price, buy your flight online and in advance. Do that and you\’ll be setting yourself up nicely for the experience of a lifetime.

The author is an expert on Grand Canyon sightseeing flights and recommends that you should check out these airplane tours and these helicopter tours: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/helicopters/

The author is an expert on Grand Canyon sightseeing flights and recommends that you should check out these airplane tours and these helicopter tours: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/helicopters/

Author Bio: The author is an expert on Grand Canyon sightseeing flights and recommends that you should check out these airplane tours and these helicopter tours: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/helicopters/

Category: Travel
Keywords: these airplane tours, grand canyon, grand canyon helicopters, las vegas helicopters,