Spring Break will be here with the April warm weather, and that means it's time to start planning your vacation. If you're going to be in Las Vegas, there are fantastic tours on offer, like helicopter and airplane tours to the Grand Canyon. These tours are very popular and they sell out fast, so if you want to take one, you need to book early.
Helicopter Tours Of The Canyon
There are helicopter tours available at both the West and South Rims. Vegas is fairly close to the West Rim, so tour helicopters can fly there directly. However, if you want to take a helicopter tour of the South Rim, and you're in Vegas, you'll have to fly there by airplane first.
All of the tours that leave from Vegas fly over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. It takes about an hour to reach the South Rim by airplane from Vegas and about 45 minutes to reach the West Rim by helicopter.
You can choose from air-only and landing tours at the West Rim. Air-only will complete a sightseeing tour, before heading back to Vegas. Landing tours are preferred, because they get you right into the action.
One of the more popular tours lands on the Canyon floor after a thrilling descent inside the Canyon, and once it lands, you can enjoy a champagne picnic or a boat tour along the Colorado River. There's also a top landing tour, where you can take one of the many walking tracks to reach scenic lookout points. The Skywalk is also located on top of the West Rim. This special glass platform is transparent, and will give you the ultimate thrill as you stand 4000ft above the bottom of the Canyon.
Helicopter Tours Of The South Rim
If you choose a South Rim helicopter tour, you'll hop on the chopper right after you arrive from your plane ride out of Vegas. You can pick from one of two tours. There is a short tour that gives you 30 minutes of flight time, and a longer one that lasts for 50 minutes. The shorter tour goes to the North Rim, before heading back to the town of Tusayan. The longer tour goes to the North Rim too, but it also includes an added trip to the eastern boundary of the park. You'll get to see nearly 75 percent of the entire National Park when you take the longer tour. The longer tour costs a little more, but it is worth it because you get to see so much more of the park.
The South Rim tours aren't permitted to land inside the Canyon like the West Rim tours can, but you can still take a ground tour by adding on a bus or Jeep tour of the South Rim.
Touring By Airplane
Airplanes fly directly to both rims. If you're looking for the most cost effective tours, these are your best option. Even if you fly to the West Rim, you could still purchase a landing helicopter tour to the bottom of the Canyon. At the South Rim, the airplane tour covers the same route as the longer helicopter tour.
One difference between the two types of air tours is that airplanes need to fly at a higher altitude than helicopters, and anther important difference is that the airplanes can carry more people on each tour. The airplanes carry 19 at a time, so if you're flying with several people, an airplane tour is probably the best choice. However, if excellent viewing is the most important thing to you, then you'll want to book a helicopter tour since the choppers fly lower than planes and they have bigger viewing windows. When you book a deluxe helicopter tour, you will fly on an EcoStar chopper that has a panoramic wraparound windshield and six seats arranged stadium style for unobstructed views. These helicopters also provide a quieter and smoother flight experience.
To Conclude
Touring the Canyon is the ideal way to add some adventure to your exciting Spring Break vacation. When you start in Vegas, you'll find plenty of tours with a wide variety of options that will fit your budget.
Just be sure to buy your tour early, before they are sold out. It's a good idea to book your tour when you book your Vegas hotel so you don't forget. Buy your tour online with your credit card and you'll get the best deal and avoid fees added by travel agencies.
An air tour of the Canyon is something you'll never forget. Whether you tour by airplane or helicopter, you'll see breathtaking sights as you soar over one of America's most loved treasures.
Helicopter Tours Of The Canyon
There are helicopter tours available at both the West and South Rims. Vegas is fairly close to the West Rim, so tour helicopters can fly there directly. However, if you want to take a helicopter tour of the South Rim, and you're in Vegas, you'll have to fly there by airplane first.
All of the tours that leave from Vegas fly over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. It takes about an hour to reach the South Rim by airplane from Vegas and about 45 minutes to reach the West Rim by helicopter.
You can choose from air-only and landing tours at the West Rim. Air-only will complete a sightseeing tour, before heading back to Vegas. Landing tours are preferred, because they get you right into the action.
One of the more popular tours lands on the Canyon floor after a thrilling descent inside the Canyon, and once it lands, you can enjoy a champagne picnic or a boat tour along the Colorado River. There's also a top landing tour, where you can take one of the many walking tracks to reach scenic lookout points. The Skywalk is also located on top of the West Rim. This special glass platform is transparent, and will give you the ultimate thrill as you stand 4000ft above the bottom of the Canyon.
Helicopter Tours Of The South Rim
If you choose a South Rim helicopter tour, you'll hop on the chopper right after you arrive from your plane ride out of Vegas. You can pick from one of two tours. There is a short tour that gives you 30 minutes of flight time, and a longer one that lasts for 50 minutes. The shorter tour goes to the North Rim, before heading back to the town of Tusayan. The longer tour goes to the North Rim too, but it also includes an added trip to the eastern boundary of the park. You'll get to see nearly 75 percent of the entire National Park when you take the longer tour. The longer tour costs a little more, but it is worth it because you get to see so much more of the park.
The South Rim tours aren't permitted to land inside the Canyon like the West Rim tours can, but you can still take a ground tour by adding on a bus or Jeep tour of the South Rim.
Touring By Airplane
Airplanes fly directly to both rims. If you're looking for the most cost effective tours, these are your best option. Even if you fly to the West Rim, you could still purchase a landing helicopter tour to the bottom of the Canyon. At the South Rim, the airplane tour covers the same route as the longer helicopter tour.
One difference between the two types of air tours is that airplanes need to fly at a higher altitude than helicopters, and anther important difference is that the airplanes can carry more people on each tour. The airplanes carry 19 at a time, so if you're flying with several people, an airplane tour is probably the best choice. However, if excellent viewing is the most important thing to you, then you'll want to book a helicopter tour since the choppers fly lower than planes and they have bigger viewing windows. When you book a deluxe helicopter tour, you will fly on an EcoStar chopper that has a panoramic wraparound windshield and six seats arranged stadium style for unobstructed views. These helicopters also provide a quieter and smoother flight experience.
To Conclude
Touring the Canyon is the ideal way to add some adventure to your exciting Spring Break vacation. When you start in Vegas, you'll find plenty of tours with a wide variety of options that will fit your budget.
Just be sure to buy your tour early, before they are sold out. It's a good idea to book your tour when you book your Vegas hotel so you don't forget. Buy your tour online with your credit card and you'll get the best deal and avoid fees added by travel agencies.
An air tour of the Canyon is something you'll never forget. Whether you tour by airplane or helicopter, you'll see breathtaking sights as you soar over one of America's most loved treasures.
About the Author:
Expert writer Erik Magnus is a big fan of these Grand Canyon National Park airplane tours as well as these chopper excursions that lift off from Vegas and the South Rim: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/helicopters/
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