If you\’re headed to Las Vegas this Labor Day holiday, you\’ll definitely want to consider taking a Grand Canyon sightseeing flight. Pick from helicopter and airplane tours but don\’t wait too long as these fantastic adventures are expected to sell out quickly

Las Vegas

Vegas is the perfect place to launch a Canyon air tour so let\’s start with helicopter rides. There are two kinds: Air and landing. The former flies over the National Park while the later goes to the top or bottom or both. All fly over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and the Colorado River.

Air tours are the cheapest option but frankly I prefer landing tours because you get to see and do more. Specifically, I like the tour that goes to the bottom for a Champagne picnic. For those who are truly adventurous, this package can be extended with a Colorado River boat ride and Skywalk tickets.

Also known as the Glass Bridge, the Skywalk is an all-glass walkway that lets you stroll some 70 feet over the edge until you are standing 4,000 feet over the bottom. The views from this observation deck are intense, especially the ones of Eagle Point.

Airplane Tours

Vegas is also a major hub for airplane tours. Like helicopter tours, you have air and landing tours. The big difference is that airplanes hold 19 people (helicopters hold 6), fly at a higher altitude, don\’t land at the bottom and are about 20% percent cheaper.

The most popular plane tour is the one that goes from Vegas to the South Rim in 60 minutes. This is quite significant because it takes about 5.5 hours to drive there. This specific tour can be optioned to include an in-Park bus tour, a 4×4 Jeep ride and a helicopter flight from the South Rim to the North Rim and back.

South Rim

There are only helicopter air-only tours at this location. That\’s because the National Park Service has banned aircraft from flying below the rim and landing. Thus your options are the 30-minute and 50-minute flight. The shorter one goes South Rim to the North Rim and back. The longer one does this, too, plus everything up to the Park\’s east border.

There\’s also a really cool helicopter-Jeep tour. It basically combines the 30-minute helicopter ride with a 2.5-hour ground tour that takes you to all the key lookouts and landmarks. I also find Jeeps incredibly efficient at navigating the Park during summer when traffic is at its peak.

The South Rim airplane tour does basically what the 50-minute helicopter does except at a higher altitude and a cheaper price. Further, and this is important if you are an international traveler, planes are equipped to provide you with trip narration in up to 11 different languages!

Conclusion

I hope this article about Grand Canyon helicopter sightseeing flights helped you plan or decide the trip of your dreams. From Vegas, I like the helicopter that lands at the bottom with a Champagne picnic. At South Rim, I\’m partial to the 50-minute flight. If you have difficulty getting a heli ride, book the airplane version of the tour at a lower price. Either way, you\’re in for an adventure you\’ll never forget.

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

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