Grand Canyon National Park encompasses some 1 million acres of wilderness. That\’s quite a task to see in a couple days, but if you want to see as much of it as you can, try a helicopter tour.

South Rim helicopter tours are offered as 30-minute and 50-minute flights. The 30-minute trip goes from the South Rim to the North Rim and back and includes flying through the majestic Dragoon Corridor (the widest, deepest section of the Canyon).

The 50-minute tour does all that, too, but it also covers everything up to the eastern boundary of the Park, plus an extensive fly over of the mysterious North Rim. By the time you finish this particular flight, you\’ll have seen up to 75 percent of the Park!

Types of Flights

There are two kinds of South Rim flights: Basic and deluxe. Basic tours are cheaper and use the Bell Ranger or AStar helicopter. Both are exceptional and safe. However, deluxe packages use the EcoStar 130, which is vastly superior because it\’s 25 percent larger and is equipped with a 180-degree wraparound window.

I personally prefer the deluxe 50-minute flight. In addition to it covering more ground, I really do prefer the EcoStar, especially when it comes to comfort, noise (they are incredibly quiet) and the stadium-style bucket seats, which are set up in such a way that everyone gets a great view.

If you take a South Rim helicopter ride, you\’ll need to provide your own transportation to and from Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan, AZ, which is where all flights take off and land. From Grand Canyon Village, the airport is 15 minutes by car. From Flagstaff and Williams, it\’s 60 minutes.

Landing Tours

Please note that helicopters are not allowed to fly below the rim and land at South Rim. If you want this kind of landing tour, you\’ll need to drive to Las Vegas, which is the hub for landing tours that, for example, go to the base of the Canyon for a Champagne picnic. There are also no helicopter flights between the South Rim and the West Rim.

I do recommend that you book your tour at least 2 weeks in advance or more. To play it safe, purchase your trip shortly after you reserve your hotel room. These flights are extremely popular and sell out all the time. By planning ahead, you\’ll ensure you get the flight time and date you want at a great price.

And speaking of price, the cheapest are on the Internet. My only caveat here is make sure you complete you booking online in order to qualify for the Internet discount. Failure to complete the order on the Web could preclude you from getting the promotional rate so keep an eye on that. Thus if you combine booking ahead of time and on the Web, you can sleep well at night knowing you got the best price possible.

Conclusion

I hope this article about Grand Canyon South Rim tours proved helpful as you plan your trip. I for one recommend you do the 50-minute flight as it lets you see up to 75 percent of the Park. I also suggest you do the deluxe version because you get to do the flight in the EcoStar 130, which is by far the superior sightseeing helicopter. Finally, book it online and on the Web. That way you\’ll get a rate you\’ll love.

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: grand canyon, las vegas, grand canyon helicopters, las vegas helicopters, grand canyon flights