Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Celebrate New Years On An Air Tour Of The Grand Canyon From Tusayan Or Las Vegas

By Ione Mahler


Are you still trying to come up with something special to do on this New Year's Holiday? If you want an experience that is truly one of a kind, then touring the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas or Arizona could be exactly what you need.

Arizona flights leave from Tusayan, which is just over three hours north of Phoenix. Vegas flights leave from The Strip, or nearby Boulder City. There are still tickets available, but you'll have to book soon if you want to beat the holiday rush, and avoid the disappointment of tickets being sold out on the day you want to travel.

Booking your tour online is the most convenient way to lock in your seats, plus you'll find the best discounts online as well. The New Year's holiday will soon be here, so don't delay booking your tour or you might not find enough open seats available on the tour you want.

Helicopter Tours

Touring the Canyon by helicopter is a fantastic experience. When you book a tour that departs from Vegas, you get to choose between a tour that lands at the Canyon and one that is air only. Helicopters out of Vegas fly over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on the way to the Canyon, and the air tours circle the rim and head back while the landing tours set down at the Canyon.

I recommend landing tours because they offer the most comprehensive Canyon experience. You can choose to land at the bottom, where there's a Champagne picnic or a Colorado riverboat ride awaiting you - just take your pick, and you can even do both! If you land at the top, there's the Skywalk, the world renowned transparent platform that allows you to step right over the edge of the Canyon. If you have time, you can even purchase tickets for both landing tours, allowing you to see everything that there is at the West Rim.

The Tusayan air tours are all air-only because helicopters are not allowed to land inside the Canyon at the South Rim. This part of the Canyon is filled with spectacular natural beauty and you'll get to see it from the air as your helicopter flies over to the North Rim and back to the South Rim. There are two air tour options, and one of them lasts 30 minutes and the other lasts 50 minutes. Book the longer tour if you can because you'll get to see the South Rim, North Rim, and all the land over to the eastern Park border, which amounts to about 75 percent of the whole National Park. You'll get to view many famous landmarks from the air, including the massive Dragoon Corridor.

Grand Canyon Plane Rides

Plane rides will take you on the exact same routes that helicopters do, with the only difference being that they fly at higher altitudes. If you travel from Vegas to the West Rim, plane rides can only land at the top of the Canyon, but you will have an option to purchase helicopter tickets to the bottom. You also have the Skywalk at the top, and plenty of viewing areas and walking trails.

The South Rim is too far from Vegas for helicopters to make it, but you can book an airplane tour from Vegas to the South Rim. The flight there takes about an hour, which is much quicker than the five hours it would take to drive. When your plane lands at the South Rim, you can transfer to a bus for a 2 1/2 hour ride through the Park, or you can transfer to a helicopter and fly over the rim.

If you're airplane touring at the South Rim, take the extended option. Just like with the helicopter tours, it will show you 75% of the national park, from the South Rim, to the North, and the eastern park boundary.

If you have a larger group then an airplane tour could be your best option. With capacity for 19 passengers, rather than the 6 in a helicopter, planes are perfect for groups of friends, families, or business teams.

Conclusion

There are several options to choose from when you plan your New Year's flight over the Canyon. There is a tour for any taste and budget, and you can depart from Arizona or Vegas and go by plane or helicopter. Some of the most popular tours to consider are the 50-minute air tours of the South Rim, and one of the landing tours of the West Rim. These tour options allow you to have a comprehensive experience at the Canyon.

Book now to avoid disappointment, and book with your credit card online. You'll get the best rates, and will be all set for a fantastic New Year's holiday adventure at the Canyon.




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