After many a long night trawling through endless different tours and tour companies, I finally opted for the www.lasvegasgrandcanyontour.com, South Rim Bus and Heli tour, I’m so pleased I did, the whole day was fantastic ! ( Just to confuse matters a little, i intially booked up with the above but ended up paying Papillon ! )
The day started early -Yikes!.... 6.15 am outside the Tropicana Hotel, where we boarded the coach taking us to “Tour HQ” , where after a cup of deadly coffee everyone was herded onto “their” coach depending upon destination.
First stop was the Hoover Dam, which is an amazing structure and a great photo stop, then onto Kingman (not Williams as advertised) for a 20 min Brekkie break…..NOW, for the main event !
When we arrived (finally) at the Papillon Heliport, the “chopper squad” left the main tour group and we were ferried at an alarming rate to the departure area by some nutter in a minibus, honestly this woman had all the driving attributes of a NASCAR driver on a bad trip!
I’d never been in a helicopter before, and you could feel the tension in everyone as we were sorted into groups of 5 or 6, I kept telling myself “pull yourself together man, it’s a helicopter ride not a parachute jump” !....lol….Thankfully we were quickly led to our helicopter and before long airbourne, to the sound of Bob Marley “Don’t worry about a thing” (Three little birds)….lol…
The views were awesome, and the flight, a 30 minute dream……..unbelieveable ! Sadly of course , it was over all too quickly, but the memories will last a lifetime .
Back at the heliport we were able to choose our (excellent) free lunch at the food bar, but before we had chance to sit down and eat it, “Mad Max”, the minibus driver was ordering us back on board ! This is when I realised that maybe that spicy chicken, rice %26amp; veg wasn’t the best option. Balancing rice on a plastic fork whilst going over speed ramps at 20 mph was a recipe for disaster, and sure enough disaster ensued, food and drink everywhere ! WHAT was this driver trying to prove ?
After brushing ourselves down we found ourselves at the wonderful Bright Angel Lodge. This viewing point across the Grand Canyon is truly spectacular !!!....and I recommend you catch one or two of talks here by the rangers. The bearded chap chatting about the birds of the Canyon was fascinating and a real hoot !
So, all in all it was yet another amazing day on our U.S. vacation, and a “must do” for visitors to the Las Vegas area.
TT
Fab GC tour with www.lasvegasgrandcanyontour.com...I Think !Glad you had a good trip. I have a few questions; How much did it cost you, how much time did you have at Bright Angel, and what time did you get back?
Thanks
Fab GC tour with www.lasvegasgrandcanyontour.com...I Think !MichaelonLI.....the cost was $225 each and there was also a $15 fuel surcharge. We were at Bright Angel Lodge over an hour, arriving back in Las Vegas about 10.30 pm.
Thanks for the quick answers. It is a long day. But again, glad you enjoyed the trip.
Hello Mr Brummie!......( for those who don%26#39;t know..... that%26#39;s what we call people from Birmingham UK !!!
Maybe next time you visit Vegas, you could try renting a car like us, very cheap too! we have booked in at The Holiday Express Hotel half mile from the Grand Canyon park and stay overnight to see the sunrise and the sunset I have heard from trip advisor forum that it is an awsome site! we only paid ￡46 each for bed and breakfast............just a thought....(we go to Vegas for 16 days so have the time) Ada Hampshire UK
16 days eh ! Us metal bashing Brummies aren%26#39;t made of money you know ...lol...have a great vacay abcde12345 !
Glad you enjoyed your excursion. You picked the right destination and saw what you came to see, the Grand Canyon. It cost you less than a quickie flight to the west rim would have and you still got to fly above the canyon.
For those who would like to spend more time inside the park along the rim, skip the helicopter flight. It will save you money too.
And if you REALLY want to save money, rent a car, drive yourself and spend the night. You%26#39;ll have more time and it will cost you even less.
But always choose the GCNP atthe South Rim!
Also note www.lasvegasgrandcanyontours is a booking agency. They were booking this trip with Papillon. Papillon, Scenic Airlines, and Grand Canyon Airways are all providers. Just about everyone else is a booking agent for one of these three. If you book with the actual provider, you%26#39;ll know exactly who you%26#39;re dealing with and have easier recourse if there are any problems (yours or theirs).
Thanks for the very good intel. :)
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