Memorial Day will soon be here and that means you'll have a holiday weekend to take a fun getaway. This is a fantastic season for touring the Grand Canyon, and one of the most fun ways to do that is on a helicopter tour you take from Vegas. You can take one of these helicopter tours any day, even on Memorial Day holiday, so get ready to plan your tour with the help of the following tips.
Getting The Best Price On Your Tour
You can use your credit card and book your helicopter tour online for the most convenience. Paying for your tour online confirms your seats and even better, you get to use the Internet rate for the lowest possible price on your tour. Then on tour day, all you have to do is show your photo ID and check in at the helipad a half an hour before the flight and you're all set.
Vegas Tours
When you take a helicopter tour from Vegas to the West Rim, you'll get to fly over the massive Boulder Dam and Lake Mead on the way to the Canyon. The West Rim tours are available as air-only tours or landing tours, and the landing tours are highly recommended.
When you book a landing tour, you can choose to land on the Canyon floor or on top of the rim. Landing on top of the rim puts you close to many scenic walking trails and the famous Skywalk viewing platform. Be sure to add Skywalk tickets to your tour so you can stand on the glass platform and peer down to the Canyon floor 4000 feet below you.
Bottom landing tours are just as exciting, and many people prefer them. You can purchase a ticket that sets you down next to the Colorado River, where you can enjoy a champagne picnic, and even add a Colorado boat trip onto your adventure.
The ultimate tour of the West Rim is a package that includes landings on top of the rim as well as the Canyon floor so you can see it all.
Touring The South Rim
Helicopters don't fly directly to the South Rim, but you can take a one hour plane journey from Las Vegas to the town of Tusayan in Arizona, which is right outside of the National Park gates. From there, you can choose from two helicopter tours. The shorter tour is one that goes to the North Rim, and back to the South. The longer tour costs only a little extra, and is highly recommended. It covers the same route but also adds in some extra flying time to the eastern areas of the park. The longer tour is 50 minutes in total and covers around 75% of the entire National Park. If you love sightseeing, then the longer tour is for you.
Basic vs Deluxe Tours
The basic tours come with transportation in a shuttle van and a flight on the Bell Ranger helicopter. The choppers lift off from a helipad in Boulder City, which is a suburb of Vegas. The deluxe tours offer a VIP experience because they transport you in a limo to and from your hotel, and the helicopters lift off from the Vegas Strip. However, the best thing about taking a deluxe tour is the helicopter that's used for the flight. You'll get to experience flying on an EcoStar 130 chopper, which has a massive panoramic viewing window, large cabin, and comfy stadium-style seats that offer unobstructed views no matter where you sit. It is worth paying the extra cost for a deluxe upgrade because of the perks and excellent viewing on your tour.
Because this is one of the hottest times of the year, especially at the West Rim, you'll need to come prepared with light clothing, sun block, some snacks, and plenty of bottled water. Also, since these tours are quite popular, you want to book your tour ahead of time. I recommend doing this at least two weeks before the date you intend to fly.
Summarizing
Keep the advice above in mind as you plan your Memorial Day tour so you have the best time at a price that fits your budget. Most importantly, go online to save money, and buy your tour in advance before it sells out. If you cut it too close and book your tour late, you might have to pay a premium price for your seats.
Remember to prepare with everything that you need for a day trip, and you'll be ready for a scenic adventure like nothing else in the United States.
Getting The Best Price On Your Tour
You can use your credit card and book your helicopter tour online for the most convenience. Paying for your tour online confirms your seats and even better, you get to use the Internet rate for the lowest possible price on your tour. Then on tour day, all you have to do is show your photo ID and check in at the helipad a half an hour before the flight and you're all set.
Vegas Tours
When you take a helicopter tour from Vegas to the West Rim, you'll get to fly over the massive Boulder Dam and Lake Mead on the way to the Canyon. The West Rim tours are available as air-only tours or landing tours, and the landing tours are highly recommended.
When you book a landing tour, you can choose to land on the Canyon floor or on top of the rim. Landing on top of the rim puts you close to many scenic walking trails and the famous Skywalk viewing platform. Be sure to add Skywalk tickets to your tour so you can stand on the glass platform and peer down to the Canyon floor 4000 feet below you.
Bottom landing tours are just as exciting, and many people prefer them. You can purchase a ticket that sets you down next to the Colorado River, where you can enjoy a champagne picnic, and even add a Colorado boat trip onto your adventure.
The ultimate tour of the West Rim is a package that includes landings on top of the rim as well as the Canyon floor so you can see it all.
Touring The South Rim
Helicopters don't fly directly to the South Rim, but you can take a one hour plane journey from Las Vegas to the town of Tusayan in Arizona, which is right outside of the National Park gates. From there, you can choose from two helicopter tours. The shorter tour is one that goes to the North Rim, and back to the South. The longer tour costs only a little extra, and is highly recommended. It covers the same route but also adds in some extra flying time to the eastern areas of the park. The longer tour is 50 minutes in total and covers around 75% of the entire National Park. If you love sightseeing, then the longer tour is for you.
Basic vs Deluxe Tours
The basic tours come with transportation in a shuttle van and a flight on the Bell Ranger helicopter. The choppers lift off from a helipad in Boulder City, which is a suburb of Vegas. The deluxe tours offer a VIP experience because they transport you in a limo to and from your hotel, and the helicopters lift off from the Vegas Strip. However, the best thing about taking a deluxe tour is the helicopter that's used for the flight. You'll get to experience flying on an EcoStar 130 chopper, which has a massive panoramic viewing window, large cabin, and comfy stadium-style seats that offer unobstructed views no matter where you sit. It is worth paying the extra cost for a deluxe upgrade because of the perks and excellent viewing on your tour.
Because this is one of the hottest times of the year, especially at the West Rim, you'll need to come prepared with light clothing, sun block, some snacks, and plenty of bottled water. Also, since these tours are quite popular, you want to book your tour ahead of time. I recommend doing this at least two weeks before the date you intend to fly.
Summarizing
Keep the advice above in mind as you plan your Memorial Day tour so you have the best time at a price that fits your budget. Most importantly, go online to save money, and buy your tour in advance before it sells out. If you cut it too close and book your tour late, you might have to pay a premium price for your seats.
Remember to prepare with everything that you need for a day trip, and you'll be ready for a scenic adventure like nothing else in the United States.
About the Author:
Grand Canyon professional Ione Mahler suggests these superior chopper tours along with these reduced prices for flights that leave from Vegas and the South Rim: http://grandcanyonhelicopter.org/grand-canyon-helicopter-tour-coupons.html
No comments:
Post a Comment