Valentine's Day is just around the corner. If you're looking for something fun and exciting to do over the holiday, you should consider taking a tour of the Grand Canyon. There are several types of tours that depart to the Canyon from Vegas, and you can tour by airplane, bus, or helicopter. No matter what type of tour you choose, you want to book it as soon as possible, because these tours are popular and fill up fast.
Departure Cities
You can book a tour that departs from Tusayan in Arizona and from Vegas. The starting city determines how long it will take you to get to the Canyon to start your tour. For example, the flight from Vegas to the South Rim will take an hour or so. The Vegas bus tours take much longer, so if you're going to tour the South Rim, you'll be in for a 5.5 hour bus ride to get to the rim and a 2.5 hour ride to get to the West Rim. If you start your bus tour from Phoenix instead, it will take around four hours for you to get to the South Rim.
Touring The West Rim
The helicopter tours are a lot faster than the bus tours. Your chopper can get from Vegas to the West Rim in around 30-45 minutes. In addition to getting an aerial view of the Canyon, the Vegas helicopters fly over Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam when they leave the city, so you get magnificent views of them as well. Helicopter tours are available in different types, for example, you can take an air-only tour that does a flyover of the Canyon, or you can take a landing tour that lets you out on top of the rim or on the bottom. One of the more popular landing tours is the one that takes you to the Canyon floor where a Champagne picnic awaits. It can be a romantic experience and it's an ideal tour to consider for Valentine's Day.
Although airplanes can also land at the West Rim, they are not able to land on the Canyon floor. You can still get to the bottom of the Canyon by transferring to a helicopter once you arrive at the West Rim, and if you want to stay on top of the rim, you'll find plenty to do there too, such as walking on the Skywalk. The Skywalk will give you quite a thrill as well as provide you with the best view at the Canyon. If you and your sweetheart are adventurous, then walking out on the massive glass bridge will create Valentine's Day memories you'll never forget.
Touring The South Rim By Helicopter
There are a couple of helicopter flights that tour the South Rim. The first one is a half-hour tour that goes to the North Rim, and back again. The other tour is longer, it gives you 50 minutes of flight time and goes to the North Rim as well as the eastern edge of the park. Book the longer tour if you can because it flies over about 3/4 of the entire national park, and you'll get to see a lot of interesting views.
There are airplane tours of the South Rim too, even if you want to start your tour in Vegas. The Vegas tour combines the hour long flight to the South Rim with a 50 minute flyover of the rim that flies along the same route as the 50-minute helicopter tour. The difference between the two air tours is that the airplanes have to fly higher, so the views aren't quite as good as the views from the helicopters that fly lower. However, one perk of taking an airplane tour is that 19 people can fly on a tour at a time. So if you're traveling with a big group and everyone wants to go on the tour together, then taking an airplane tour is the way to go.
Motor Coach Tours
Bus tours are ideal if you want to save money because they cost the least. Bus tours take an entire day, so you'll have a day packed with sightseeing and adventure. You can book a deluxe or basic tour and the taxes and fees are included in the price. You'll even get a light breakfast and lunch with your tour. You can upgrade your bus tour to include additional adventures whether you go to the South Rim or the West Rim. If you go to the West Rim, you may want to add on a helicopter ride down to the Canyon floor, or tickets to the Skywalk, and if you go to the South Rim, you may want to combine your bus tour with a 50-minute helicopter tour of the rim.
Wrapping Up
All of the tours available come in basic or deluxe versions. Since you'll want your Valentine's Day experience to be special, consider upgrading to the deluxe option. Deluxe air tours come with limousine shuttle services, so you can really impress your date. Plus, the helicopters used on deluxe tours provide you with more room, a quieter ride, and enhanced viewing through massive windows, so deluxe is definitely recommended.
These tours are popular and they sell out quickly, so book yours as soon as possible. Try to get your tour two weeks in advance if you can. Buying it is easy when you book online where you'll find the lowest price, plus you'll get instant confirmation when you use your credit card. With so many options, you will find a tour that suits your budget, which will make this year's Valentine's Day extra special.
Departure Cities
You can book a tour that departs from Tusayan in Arizona and from Vegas. The starting city determines how long it will take you to get to the Canyon to start your tour. For example, the flight from Vegas to the South Rim will take an hour or so. The Vegas bus tours take much longer, so if you're going to tour the South Rim, you'll be in for a 5.5 hour bus ride to get to the rim and a 2.5 hour ride to get to the West Rim. If you start your bus tour from Phoenix instead, it will take around four hours for you to get to the South Rim.
Touring The West Rim
The helicopter tours are a lot faster than the bus tours. Your chopper can get from Vegas to the West Rim in around 30-45 minutes. In addition to getting an aerial view of the Canyon, the Vegas helicopters fly over Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam when they leave the city, so you get magnificent views of them as well. Helicopter tours are available in different types, for example, you can take an air-only tour that does a flyover of the Canyon, or you can take a landing tour that lets you out on top of the rim or on the bottom. One of the more popular landing tours is the one that takes you to the Canyon floor where a Champagne picnic awaits. It can be a romantic experience and it's an ideal tour to consider for Valentine's Day.
Although airplanes can also land at the West Rim, they are not able to land on the Canyon floor. You can still get to the bottom of the Canyon by transferring to a helicopter once you arrive at the West Rim, and if you want to stay on top of the rim, you'll find plenty to do there too, such as walking on the Skywalk. The Skywalk will give you quite a thrill as well as provide you with the best view at the Canyon. If you and your sweetheart are adventurous, then walking out on the massive glass bridge will create Valentine's Day memories you'll never forget.
Touring The South Rim By Helicopter
There are a couple of helicopter flights that tour the South Rim. The first one is a half-hour tour that goes to the North Rim, and back again. The other tour is longer, it gives you 50 minutes of flight time and goes to the North Rim as well as the eastern edge of the park. Book the longer tour if you can because it flies over about 3/4 of the entire national park, and you'll get to see a lot of interesting views.
There are airplane tours of the South Rim too, even if you want to start your tour in Vegas. The Vegas tour combines the hour long flight to the South Rim with a 50 minute flyover of the rim that flies along the same route as the 50-minute helicopter tour. The difference between the two air tours is that the airplanes have to fly higher, so the views aren't quite as good as the views from the helicopters that fly lower. However, one perk of taking an airplane tour is that 19 people can fly on a tour at a time. So if you're traveling with a big group and everyone wants to go on the tour together, then taking an airplane tour is the way to go.
Motor Coach Tours
Bus tours are ideal if you want to save money because they cost the least. Bus tours take an entire day, so you'll have a day packed with sightseeing and adventure. You can book a deluxe or basic tour and the taxes and fees are included in the price. You'll even get a light breakfast and lunch with your tour. You can upgrade your bus tour to include additional adventures whether you go to the South Rim or the West Rim. If you go to the West Rim, you may want to add on a helicopter ride down to the Canyon floor, or tickets to the Skywalk, and if you go to the South Rim, you may want to combine your bus tour with a 50-minute helicopter tour of the rim.
Wrapping Up
All of the tours available come in basic or deluxe versions. Since you'll want your Valentine's Day experience to be special, consider upgrading to the deluxe option. Deluxe air tours come with limousine shuttle services, so you can really impress your date. Plus, the helicopters used on deluxe tours provide you with more room, a quieter ride, and enhanced viewing through massive windows, so deluxe is definitely recommended.
These tours are popular and they sell out quickly, so book yours as soon as possible. Try to get your tour two weeks in advance if you can. Buying it is easy when you book online where you'll find the lowest price, plus you'll get instant confirmation when you use your credit card. With so many options, you will find a tour that suits your budget, which will make this year's Valentine's Day extra special.
About the Author:
Grand Canyon National Park authority Jacky O'Shea suggests these fabulous air tours. And for an entire list of tours, she suggests bookmarking this web page: http://grandcanyondaytrips.com/tours/
No comments:
Post a Comment