If it\’s the Valentine\’s Day holiday, then it\’s time for Grand Canyon tours. There\’s no lack of options, either, as you can pick from helicopter rides, airplane flights and bus tours. But book soon as these trips sell out quickly during this most romantic time of the year.

Starting Points

These tours are available from Las Vegas and the South Rim, which is located next to the town of Tusayan, AZ. Bus tours are only available from Las Vegas. It takes Vegas helicopters and airplanes between 30-45 minutes to reach the Canyon. Vegas buses take 2.5 to 5.5 hours. Buses from Phoenix, for example, take about 3.5 hours.

Vegas helicopter tours only go to the West Rim and go over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and the Colorado River before entering Canyon airspace. You can fly over the Canyon or you can land on the top or the bottom or both. I personally like the tours that land on the bottom and especially the one with the Champagne picnic.

There are two kinds of helicopter tours: basic and deluxe. Basic tours are perfect for travelers on a budget. However, deluxe tours are the better value because they use a better helicopter, depart from the Vegas Strip, come with limo service to and from your hotel and a tour over the Las Vegas Strip.

South Rim Heli

The South Rim offers a 30-minute and 50-minute tour. I prefer the longer one because it includes the South Rim, East Rim and North Rim. Moreover, this particular tour lets you see up to 75 percent of the National Park. As in Vegas, you can choose from basic and deluxe tours.

Vegas airplane tours do pretty much everything helicopter tours do except land at the bottom. They fly over the Canyon or land on the top. One of the coolest tours is the one that lands at the West Rim airport and comes with a helicopter ride to the bottom.

At South Rim, there\’s a 50-minute airplane tour. Like the 50-minute heli, it lets you go over up to 75 percent of the National Park, except at a higher altitude and in a cabin that accommodates up to 19 passengers (helicopters only hold 6 people).

Bus Tours

Vegas bus tours are you cheapest way to get to the Canyon. However, they take up to 15 hours to complete so make sure you allocate an entire day to these tours. There are basic and deluxe bus tours. When it comes to the West Rim, I recommend adding tickets to the Skywalk as it\’s cheaper. For South Rim, strongly consider including a 30-minute, rim-to-rim helicopter ride.

Conclusion

I hope this article on Grand Canyon tours for the Valentine\’s holiday helped you plan your vacation. I recommend always doing deluxe helicopter rides, especially the one from Vegas that lands at the bottom with a Champagne picnic. For South Rim, do the 50-minute ride. The Vegas airplane tour I like includes a heli ride to the bottom, while at South Rim I prefer the 50-minute tour. Finally, for bus tours, try to get a deluxe package if you can find seats (they sell out quite quickly).

The author recommends these Grand Canyon tours along with these National Park helicopter and airplane tours from Las Vegas and South Rim: http://grandcanyondaytrips.com/grand-canyon-flights-helicopter-airplane-tours/

The author recommends these Grand Canyon tours along with these National Park helicopter and airplane tours from Las Vegas and South Rim: http://grandcanyondaytrips.com/grand-canyon-flights-helicopter-airplane-tours/

Author Bio: The author recommends these Grand Canyon tours along with these National Park helicopter and airplane tours from Las Vegas and South Rim: http://grandcanyondaytrips.com/grand-canyon-flights-helicopter-airplane-tours/

Category: Travel
Keywords: Grand Canyon tours