Las Vegas is the king of helicopter tours to the Grand Canyon. If you\’re in town during the Labor Day holiday 2015, make sure you take either a basic or a deluxe tour. But book early because seats are expected to sell out fast.

Getting There

Las Vegas is perfectly situated for a Canyon helicopter tour, with the West Rim just 125 miles away. The flight over takes just 45 minutes. By contrast, it takes 2.5 hours on the ground. The South Rim is more than 250 miles to the east. That\’s too far for helicopters to fly, so most travelers opt for an airplane ride to that rim followed by a helicopter ride.

There are two kinds of Vegas helicopter tours. They are air only and landing. Both types fly over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and the Colorado River en route to the National Park. The aerial tours fly back to Vegas while landing tours go to the top or bottom.

Personally, I\’m a huge fan of the landing tours, especially the one that lands at the bottom for a Champagne picnic. It\’s especially unique in that it can only be done from Las Vegas as landing flights are banned at the South Rim.

Best Landing Tour

This particular landing tour can also be extended to include a Colorado River boat ride and VIP tickets to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, the Glass Bridge that lets you walk some 70 feet over the edge until you are standing 4,000 feet over the bottom.

Please note that all tours come in basic and deluxe. Basic tours include free hotel pick up and drop off by mini-van and usually utilize one of the older Bell Ranger helicopters. Basic landing tours also come with a meal and all of them depart from the nearby suburb of Boulder City.

By contrast, deluxe tours feature free limousine service to and from your hotel, depart from McCarran Airport in Vegas and include an extended tour over the Vegas Strip from the Stratosphere tower to the Luxor pyramid via the superior EcoStar 130 helicopter.

Superior Helicopter

Now what makes the EcoStar 130 so special is that it\’s up to 25 percent larger than the Bell Ranger. This size difference also means that it comes with a 180-degree wraparound windshield and stadium-style seats. Moreover, this aircraft is equipped with great climate control, which is important during summer.

Vegas helicopters are always in high demand. That\’s why I recommend travelers book them in advance. To be on the safe side, I recommend buying your flight right after you book your hotel room. Definitely try not to buy your flight upon arrival or 48 hours prior to doing it as you will pay a lot more. It might also be sold out, which is especially true during Labor Day.

Conclusion

I hope this article proved useful as you plan your Las Vegas Grand Canyon helicopter tour this Labor Day holiday. There are air and landing tours from which to choose, and, frankly I prefer the later as they are the best option. And please remember to book your flight in advance. It\’s expected to be a super busy weekend in Vegas and you\’ll want to make sure you get your seats before somebody else does.

The author is an expert on Grand Canyon helicopter tours and recommends readers go here for the best prices on the best Las Vegas flights: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

The author is an expert on Grand Canyon helicopter tours and recommends readers go here for the best prices on the best Las Vegas flights: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

Author Bio: The author is an expert on Grand Canyon helicopter tours and recommends readers go here for the best prices on the best Las Vegas flights: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

Category: Travel
Keywords: grand canyon, las vegas, grand canyon helicopters, las vegas helicopters, grand canyon flights,