What could be more special than taking a helicopter into the Grand Canyon. Visiting the Grand Canyon should be on everyones bucket list. Taking a helicopter inside the Grand Canyon makes it one of those extra special experiences, giving you great memories to keep forever.
About the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a canyon in America carved out by the Colorado river in Arizona. The canyon is over 277 miles in length and up to 18 miles wide in places. The canyon also gets to over a mile deep in places. The Grand Canyon is well know for its impressive size and its amazing colourful landscape. After a visit by President Roosevelt in 1903 he decided to protect it for future generations. The Grand Canyon Game Preserve was established on 28th November 1906. This was expanded in 1908 by classifying it as a US monument. The Grand Canyon national park was then established in February 1919.
Helicopter in the Grand Canyon
A helicopter into the Grand Canyon was one of the bucket list items that I wanted to make sure that I did while I was visiting Las Vegas. I may have made the tiny mistake of visiting Vegas during its summer time. I thought that it would be fine, that it wouldn’t be too hot, that it would be manageable. How wrong I was, my first step outside of the airport after I arrived and my first thought was that I has stepped out under the hot air exhaust for the building. But no, it was just that hot in Vegas all the time. You can really notice the heat especially as you move in and out of the casinos with the cool air conditioned areas.
We had booked the helicopter trip through Viator for the experience. I find that booking experiences before I travel to a destination is a great idea. It makes activities so much less of a hassle compared to trying to sort them out when you arrive.
I had expected the tour company to use a mini bus to take me to and from the hotel. But when I arrived at the agreed meeting point a big black stretch limousine turned up to collect me. This happened to be another first for me as I had never been in a limousine before. The limo picked up a few other people at other hotels then went off to drop me at the helicopter airport.
At the part of the airport which the helicopters use you have to sit through a safety video and have your weight taken. With all the helicopter trips I have been on you have always been weighed and told where to sit inside the helicopter based on weight distribution. I do kind of prefer this way of being seated as it stops any arguments about sitting near the windows.
Sadly or not depending on how you look at it, the helicopter I was meant to fly on failed some sort of pre-flight test. They cancelled my trip that morning. They offered me a full refund or the option of taking a later flight. As the later flight was a better one, as it flew back around sunset I opted to come back for the later flight. They had a limo take me back to my hotel and then come back to collect me in a few hours.
Several hours later I was back in the helicopter terminal, this time I managed to get a helicopter that passed its pre-flight tests. Taking off from the airport we headed off towards the Grand Canyon. We flew past the Hoover Dan and Lake Meade. Flying over it makes it look so small. Especially as I toured the dam the day before and marvelling at how big the dam is.
We landed inside the Grand Canyon on a bluff overlooking the Colorado river below. We had time to explore the area around where we landed, taking pictures and watching other helicopters land and take off. The tour that I was on provided a picnic while we were on the ground in the Grand Canyon. The food was nice and enjoyable. We were also each given a ice cold towel to help cool us down, as even thought it was late afternoon/ early evening it was still quite hot there.
After we all had finished our picnic and taken our pictures it was time to fly back to Las Vegas. Our pilot moved around the people so those that flew in the middle seats on the way out got to sit next to a window on the way back. We took off just as the sun was beginning to set. Flying back over Vegas in that time between daylight and nighttime is a surreal experience. You get to see the famous lights of the strip from above. We flew around the strip for a little bit look at the lights of all the hotels. Then turned off to land back at the airport.
Taking a helicopter into the Grand Canyon is an amazing experience that everyone should experience if they can while they are in Las Vegas. Seeing things from the air adds an amazing new perspective to the Grand Canyon. The helicopter companies are professional and well run, making things very easy and enjoyable.
Getting there
There are direct flights to Las Vegas form the UK several time per day.
The tour company will pick you up from your hotel if you are in one of the major ones located on the strip. This is so much more convenient that making your own way to and from the airport. They will provide you with a pickup time and the location in the hotel. Normally they are just inside the hotels parking area.
Language(s)
The language spoken in America is English.
Currency
The currency in America is the US dollar ($)
When to go
If I had to pick a best time to visit Las Vegas I would pick dates between March to May or dates between September to November. While the summer months are doable they can get extremely hot with the strong sun. Winters can be just as harsh but in the opposite direction.
Nearby Must-dos
There are so many things to see and do in Las Vegas. I would say the the following would be worth your time.
- Red Rock Canyon
- Fountains of the Bellagio
- Hoover Dam
- The Las Vegas Sign
Helpful websites
Viator – This company has lots of tours you can do while you stay in Las Vegas.
British Airways – Direct flights to Las Vegas from the UK
Bellagio Hotel – The hotel that I stayed at while in Las Vegas. One of the most amazing hotels in Vegas