Grand canyon tour

stickybean

Hi guys,

Anyone able to recommend a Grand Canyon tour? Would you do it by bus of helicopter? And would you book before you go?

Thanks

rossie1977

doing it by bus will depend from where you are travelling, from vegas its a long 6-7hr drive each way, from phoenix its 4-5hrs drive, i would recommend staying close to the canyon and spending a day or two there if you have time, you can book helicopter tours at grand canyon airport on the day so no need to prebook if you have a car, from las vegas, papillon gets alot of recommendations http://www.papillon.com/?gclid=COjw-dmaxLICFQeL4QoddS0ArQ

Big Nasty

If staying in Vegas do the helicopter tour. There's a few companies that do it so shop around. There's usually a couple of options e.g. flight only or flight, touch down for breakfast / lunch and return.

I can't remember who we went with but we got picked up at our hotel and brought out to the airport. Flew out over Hoover Dam / Lake Meade and then in to the Canyon. Landed the far side of the canyon on an old ranch where you get picked up by horse and cart and follow an old trail in to the ranch itself where they do a few OK Corral type demos and have a rustic breakfast while some cowboy dude serenades you.

If you can do a sunrise tour as sunrise / sunset are the only times you'll get that beautiful contrast of colours in the canyon. During the day it all just looks brown.

stickybean

Any ides of prices?

Norinoco

Hi SB, we did the trip with Sundance helicopters - $349 each leaving at 7am from the airport. we were collected at 5:50am by a limo from our hotel.

http://sundancehelicopters.com/tourpage.aspx?id=316

Found we were back at about 10am, quick nap and down to the pool for the afternoon

There were 6 of us tourists and the pilot in the helicopter - awesome experience, by far one of the best things we did over in the west coast - well worth the splurge!

-- oh and the helicopter ride was 45 minutes out and back. We landed on a landing area near the bottom of the canyon for a quick lunch, a glass of bubbly and some pictures.

Zipppy

Dredging up an old one rather than start a new thread.....

I'm heading to States in July and intend doing GC from Vegas.

Anyone any other options for a tour...I've been researching but thought someone here could offer a suggestion?

Helicopter from vegas out and back is $400 a head..seems mad..however 6 + hours drive each way is a no no :eek:

Anyone know of other options?

LostinBlanch

Zipppy wrote: »

Dredging up an old one rather than start a new thread.....

I'm heading to States in July and intend doing GC from Vegas.

Anyone any other options for a tour...I've been researching but thought someone here could offer a suggestion?

Helicopter from vegas out and back is $400 a head..seems mad..however 6 + hours drive each way is a no no :eek:

Anyone know of other options?

Don't buy anything before you get there. I went with a bus tour picked up from the hotel at 7 in the morning, and it was the best thing I did in Vegas. The west end of the Canyon is only two and a half hours from Vegas. The driver was like the cowboy from the Big Lebowski very dry sense of humour, and we went via the Hoover Dam, into Arizona along the interstate to some place where all the buildings were 40 foot containers. Worth a look, the post office had real wanted posters

Then we went about 20 miles through the desert stopping off for photos by Joshua Trees and onto the Hualapai Reservation. I'd definitely recommend it, more than the helicopter tour imo. Also, if you're taking a helicopter tour in Vegas, try and do it at the end of the day when the sun sets and the strip lights up. Tip the pilot before the flight, and you get more bang for your buck if you know what I mean.

Enjoy!

Edit: I almost forgot, watch peoples jaws drop when they see the Canyon for the first time. That is amazing. Two coachloads of Taiwanese tourists arrived when we were there and you could hear a pin drop.

Zipppy

LostinBlanch wrote: »

Don't buy anything before you get there. I went with a bus tour picked up from the hotel at 7 in the morning, and it was the best thing I did in Vegas. The west end of the Canyon is only two and a half hours from Vegas. The driver was like the cowboy from the Big Lebowski very dry sense of humour, and we went via the Hoover Dam, into Arizona along the interstate to some place where all the buildings were 40 foot containers. Worth a look, the post office had real wanted posters

Then we went about 20 miles through the desert stopping off for photos by Joshua Trees and onto the Hualapai Reservation. I'd definitely recommend it, more than the helicopter tour imo. Also, if you're taking a helicopter tour in Vegas, try and do it at the end of the day when the sun sets and the strip lights up. Tip the pilot before the flight, and you get more bang for your buck if you know what I mean.

Enjoy!

Edit: I almost forgot, watch peoples jaws drop when they see the Canyon for the first time. That is amazing. Two coachloads of Taiwanese tourists arrived when we were there and you could hear a pin drop.

Why not book before you go??

faceman

Zipppy wrote: »

Why not book before you go??

You don't always get the best deals in the US by booking ahead. Plus for GC, some accommodation options are can be booked on the day.

While I understand the appeal of a short helicopter flight, it doesn't have the same wow factor as actually visiting GC.

GC is split into 3 areas. North, South and West Rim. Ultimately as a tourist you'll do one so it's important to do some research. (They are very far apart)

If you are travelling from Vegas then more than likely it's the West Rim you'll visit. That's the one with the Skywalk. The skywalk is very popular with tourists and can't get crowded. It's also expensive and you're not allowed take your own photos on it. The native Americans run it.

The North Rim is less touristy but takes the longest to get too. It's also got a slightly different climate than the South and West rim so it's got forests etc. Definitely has the more special feel to it.

The South Rim is also quite popular but if you have some time you can get off the beaten path and find spots where you won't see a sinner! It's also home to the very popular El Tovar. I recommend doing a sunset bike tour with Bright Angel cycles at the South Rim.

If you do visit GC don't just hang around the rim. Plan a hike/walk (depending on what trail you chose) down the canyon itself. Well worth it.