Located near the shared border of Nevada and Arizona, the landscape of the Grand Canyon is a breathtakingly impressive sight with widths of up to 29km, depths of 1.6km and lengths of 446km. The best way to take in this majestic natural wonder and the sheer immense size of Grand Canyon National Park is from above with a helicopter tour.
Several companies offer helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas with hotel-to-hotel pick-ups and a choice of an aerial-only tour or a landing tour with durations between 3.5 hours for air-only to 13 hours, depending on your budget and time restrictions. The trip from the airport terminal to the Grand Canyon takes around 45 minutes and affords 360-degree views over Las Vegas, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and Fortification Hill.
At the Grand Canyon, depending on which tour you have opted for, you'll get to see panoramic views of the North Rim, which is over 300m higher than the South Rim and has a more alpine climate. The South Rim is the most popular visitor destination in summer with the majority of camping, lodging and amenities. The West Rim is the furthest away along the Colorado River. Landing tours descend to the bottom of the canyon where you can variously enjoy a champagne picnic, ascend to tour key visitor points such as Guano Point, Eagle Point and Hualapai Indian Village, or even traverse the Grand Canyon by Hummer or off-road SUV. Whichever tour you chose, you'll get the opportunity to marvel at the amazing vistas of sandstone canyons, forests, desert landscapes, volcanic remnants, streams and waterfalls, the Colorado River, mesas and plateaus.
Helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon usually spend around 20 minutes at the bottom before returning to Las Vegas. On the trip back you may also see the red rock and sandstone formations of the Valley of Fire and remote desert landscapes, plus an exhilarating flight over the neon lights of downtown Las Vegas before being returned to your hotel. A helicopter tour over the majestic Grand Canyon is an once-in-a-lifetime trip for an envy-inducing story and long-lasting memories.
