How to Choose a Grand Canyon Tour

Written by Viator, August 2010

RECOMMENDATION Keywords:
Must-Do Experience, Nature & Wildlife, Tip - General Travel, Tip - Transport, Monument - Natural, National Park

The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, so it's clearly an experience not to be missed. You have a few options, and it's not always easy sorting between them. If you're wondering where to go in the Grand Canyon and how to get there, keep on reading...

By Road

If you drive to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, your likely destination is the West Rim or South Rim (the North Rim is a long drive). Either way you're first stop should be the lookout point over Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. From there travel through an ancient Joshua Tree forest to the West Rim, home of the Hualapai Indian Nation. The West Rim's blockbuster sites include views of the Colorado River at Guano Point, the Eagle Point Indian Village and the famous Grand Canyon Skywalk.

By Air

If you're short on time - or just interested in experiencing the Grand Canyon from a different angle - consider an air or helicopter tour. These typically depart from Las Vegas and make it easy to quickly, and safely, cover all three rims.

Best of all, you get some great views (both sunrise and sunset) from the air. Admire the ever-changing colors of the canyon walls at sunset on a helicopter flight to the West Rim, landing deep in the canyon for an unforgettable champagne picnic. Or explore Grand Canyon National Park along the South Rim with breathtaking views from Mather Point and Bright Angel Lodge Observatory. Or experience a real working ranch on the remote North Rim, with an airplane flight landing at a secluded airport deep in the canyon.

By Water

Raft down the mighty Colorado River in the adventure of a lifetime! Your native Hualapai guide will lead you through the rapids, stopping to discover hidden canyons and waterfalls. If rafting sounds a bit too exciting, you can also take a more leisurely pontoon-boat ride from the West and South rims.

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All How to Choose a Grand Canyon Tour Reviews

Reply by Viator, May 2013
Doing what: Grand Canyon West Rim Deluxe Sunset Helicopter Tour

The sunset Grand Canyon tour was amazing and is a must do! Our pilot Victor was fantastic, it's a trip to remember!

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Reply by Viator, May 2013
Doing what: Grand Canyon South Rim Bus Tour with Optional Upgrades

We thoroughly enjoyed the trip to the South Rim. It was a long day but Geoff, the driver and tour guide was excellent and it didn't feel like such a long way. He was full of information and had a great sense of humour. The tour office was efficient and the process went smoothly to get us all on the appropriate bus. The coffee was good too! The Imax movie was great (hang on to your seats!) and the Grand Canyon spectacular. The double decker bus was also comfortable. The only negative was the passengers who didn't adhere to the time frames and held us up, which meant our stops had to be shorter to make up time. Overall we had a relaxing and pleasant day with good memories and lots of photos. Our first time in the US and everyone was very helpful and friendly.

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Reply by Viator, April 2013
Doing what: Grand Canyon South Rim Bus Tour with Optional Upgrades

I did the tour with the heli trip. The highlights of the tour were the view of Hoover dam from the bus and the view of the grand canyon from the helicopter. I also did the hiking at the grandcanyon trip, but the views were not as exciting as the heli trip. The best part in hiking was the Geo museum at grand canyon. They have the natural history of grand canyon. The tour operators were very professional. The schedules, fun and the mood was perfectly maintained. Kudos to them!!

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