Headed to Las Vegas or Arizona over the Valentine\’s Day holiday? Then you\’ve got to consider a Grand Canyon helicopter or airplane tour. But act fast as these flights are popular with romantically inclined travelers.

These air tours are available from Las Vegas, NV, and Tusayan, AZ, which is also know as the gateway to Grand Canyon National Park. Flights depart daily on the hour and you can take either a trip that flies over the Canyon or lands at the bottom.

FYI: Helicopter landing tours are only available from Las Vegas. Such flights are banned at South Rim by the National Park Service (NPS).

I recommend that you book your air tour in advance and online. This is because air tours are super popular and especially for Valentine\’s Day. As such, try to book your flight right after you lock down your hotel room. Avoid booking it 24 hours prior to flight time as the price will be higher.

Helicopters

From Vegas, all heli rides go past Lake Mead and over Hoover Dam and the Colorado River. If you take a flyover ride, you\’ll go over the Canyon and then back to Vegas. Landing tours go to the top and bottom. Personally, I prefer the landing tours and, specifically for Valentine\’s, I like the one that goes to the bottom for a Champagne picnic.

If you\’re feeling adventurous, consider upgrading the Champagne picnic to include a boat ride down the Colorado or a stroll on the Grand Canyon Skywalk, which is a glass platform that lets you walk 70 feet over the edge until your are standing 4k feet over the bottom of the Canyon.

From South Rim, you\’re limited to two great fly over tours: a 30-minute and a 50-minute flight. The shorter one goes from South Rim to North Rim and back. The longer one does that, too, as well as everything up to the Park\’s eastern border. Frankly, I prefer the longer flight because you get to see up to 75 percent of the Nat\’l Park.

Airplanes

Las Vegas airplane tours follow the same package structure as helicopter tours except they cost less and fly at a higher altitude. Moreover, they don\’t land at the bottom. The other key difference between them and helicopter tours is that planes hold up to 19 passengers and helicopters hold up to 6.

The flyover is the cheapest option but again I like the landing tour that touches down at the West Rim and comes with a helicopter ride to the bottom. The other flight I like is the one that goes direct to the South Rim in 60 minutes. It comes with a 2.5-hour bus tour inside the Park and can be upgraded further to include a 30-minute helicopter ride.

The South Rim airplane tour is a 50-minute flight that follows the same path as the longer heli ride. It\’s a great deal for travelers on a budget and. Do remember that you only get a 90-degree view on a plane while on a heli you get a front-facing 180-degree view, which translates into you see much more of the Canyon.

Conclusion

I hope this article on Grand Canyon helicopter and airplane tours during the Valentine\’s Day holiday helped you plan your adventure. From Vegas, I recommend the Champagne picnic helicopter tour. For plane, go with the lander that includes a heli to the bottom. From South Rim, go with the 50-min heli ride, and, if it\’s out of budget, take the 30-min heli or 50-minute plane.

The author is an expert on Grand Canyon sightseeing flights and recommends these airplane tours and these helicopter tours, visit: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/helicopters/

The author is an expert on Grand Canyon sightseeing flights and recommends these airplane tours and these helicopter tours, visit: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/helicopters/

Author Bio: The author is an expert on Grand Canyon sightseeing flights and recommends these airplane tours and these helicopter tours, visit: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/helicopters/

Category: Travel
Keywords: grand canyon, las vegas, vegas, south rim, tusayan, arizona, travel