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If you want to see the Grand Canyon and you are short on time or money, take an air-only helicopter tour. Landing tours are fun too but they cost more and they take more time. Even so, all you really need to fully experience the Grand Canyon is a tour by helicopter.

Air-only Grand Canyon helicopters take off from Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan, Arizona (these choppers fly to the South Rim and are a great option for travelers coming from Phoenix and other central AZ cities) and Las Vegas (West Rim only, because the South Rim is too far). If you choose to go on a landing tour instead, then you won't have a choice of rims since the West Rim is the only area where helicopters are allowed to fly below the rim.

There are two tour options for the South Rim, one of them lasts 30 minutes and takes you over to the North Rim and back. The second tour option is longer, at nearly an hour in length and covers the same ground but also takes you over the Zuni Corridor, Imperial Point, the Colorado River confluence, the Painted Desert, and Dragoon corridor, which is the deepest part of the canyon. The longest flight is probably the best choice since you get to see more notable landmarks in the canyon.

West Rim helicopter tours take off every day from several airfields located in the Las Vegas metro area. Expect the experience to last around 3.5 hours. On your way to the canyon, you get to fly over Lake Mead and the massive Hoover Dam. Once you arrive at the canyon, you'll see the Colorado River at the bottom, the breathtaking Grand Canyon Skywalk (the Glass Bridge), Eagle Point and Guano Point, among other sights.

A lot of travelers coming from Vegas love this particular tour because it gives them a taste of the Park but doesn't take a lot of time, they'd rather not take a whole day away from Vegas shows and nightlife. On the other hand, if you don't mind spending the additional time and want to see more of the canyon, sign up for a landing tour. One these tours you descend to the canyon floor in a chopper and enjoy a picnic by the river or float down the Colorado on a raft. You can also buy passes and walk out on the Skywalk if you are brave enough.

No matter which rim you choose and which type of tour you take, I urge you to pick one of the air tours that use EcoStar 130 helicopters. These offer a more enjoyable experience than the AStar helicopters many of the tour operators offer. Besides having a larger, more comfortable cabin, the EcoStar 130 gives you a quieter, more stable flight, top-notch climate control, theater-style seating, and a panoramic windshield that's perfect for sightseeing.

Just about every Grand Canyon helicopter tour is incredibly popular, and most sell out very quickly. Get your tickets as early as possible, try to get them a week ahead of time.

If you want the lowest price, then book your seats online because you will find great discounts there. Go straight to the tour operator's website because prices are lower there than they are at Orbitz or Expedia. It pays to buy direct instead of through a middleman. You have to complete your transaction online though so you can qualify for the steep Internet discount. If you call customer service or mail in your payment, you'll pay more.

Source: http://www.grandcanyoncheap.com/helicopter-deals.html

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