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
A quick way to get to the Canyon is to book a helicopter tour. It only takes 30-45 minutes to fly to the West Rim from Vegas. As an added bonus, the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead are on the way to the Canyon, so you'll get an aerial view of them too when you fly out of Vegas. Depending on the type of tour you book, your helicopter tour will be air-only and just fly over the Canyon, or it will be a landing tour and set down on top of the rim or on the Canyon floor. The landing tour that flies into the Canyon and lands on the floor is very popular, and it even comes with a Champagne picnic. It's a perfect tour to take on Valentine's Day.
Airplanes also fly to the West Rim, but they can only land at the top of the Canyon. Don't worry though, you could still add on a helicopter ride to the bottom, and of course there's 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.
You can also take an airplane tour of the South Rim, even if you want to depart from Vegas. You'll start with an hour flight to the South Rim and then follow that with the 50 minute air tour that follows the same path as the longer helicopter tour. The only difference is that the airplanes fly higher so the views aren't as close as you get from a helicopter. One advantage of flying on an airplane is that they carry 19 people at a time. So if you plan to travel with a group, an airplane tour is probably best so everyone can fly together.
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.
Final Thoughts
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. The deluxe air tours even come with complimentary transportation in a limousine, which is a nice touch. 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 go fast, so be sure to book yours before it fills up. Try to get your tour two weeks in advance if you can. Buy your tour online with your credit card so you get confirmation that your seats are locked in, plus, buying online is the best way to get the lowest price on your tour. Since there are so many tour options to choose from, you'll be able to create an experience that fits your sense of adventure as well as your budget, so you can have a fantastic Valentine's Day celebration.
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
A quick way to get to the Canyon is to book a helicopter tour. It only takes 30-45 minutes to fly to the West Rim from Vegas. As an added bonus, the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead are on the way to the Canyon, so you'll get an aerial view of them too when you fly out of Vegas. Depending on the type of tour you book, your helicopter tour will be air-only and just fly over the Canyon, or it will be a landing tour and set down on top of the rim or on the Canyon floor. The landing tour that flies into the Canyon and lands on the floor is very popular, and it even comes with a Champagne picnic. It's a perfect tour to take on Valentine's Day.
Airplanes also fly to the West Rim, but they can only land at the top of the Canyon. Don't worry though, you could still add on a helicopter ride to the bottom, and of course there's 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.
You can also take an airplane tour of the South Rim, even if you want to depart from Vegas. You'll start with an hour flight to the South Rim and then follow that with the 50 minute air tour that follows the same path as the longer helicopter tour. The only difference is that the airplanes fly higher so the views aren't as close as you get from a helicopter. One advantage of flying on an airplane is that they carry 19 people at a time. So if you plan to travel with a group, an airplane tour is probably best so everyone can fly together.
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.
Final Thoughts
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. The deluxe air tours even come with complimentary transportation in a limousine, which is a nice touch. 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 go fast, so be sure to book yours before it fills up. Try to get your tour two weeks in advance if you can. Buy your tour online with your credit card so you get confirmation that your seats are locked in, plus, buying online is the best way to get the lowest price on your tour. Since there are so many tour options to choose from, you'll be able to create an experience that fits your sense of adventure as well as your budget, so you can have a fantastic Valentine's Day celebration.
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/
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