You\’ll never forget a summer at the Grand Canyon. Especially if you take a sunset helicopter tour over it. These flights, however, are very limited so make sure to get yours in advance.

Sunset flights are available from Las Vegas and the South Rim. They are usually the last flight of the day and are available in air-only and landing, the later of which is only offered from Vegas.

Las Vegas

Flights depart every day of the week and go over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, the Colorado River and the National Park. Air-only flights will head back to town while landing tours will descend 4,000 feet to the bottom for a Champagne toast.

Please note there are two versions of sunset flights: Basic and deluxe. The key difference is the type of helicopter used. Basic tours will use the standard AStar of Bell Ranger while deluxe tours use the EcoStar 130.

What makes the EcoStar superior is that it\’s 25% larger than your standard helicopter. It also boasts a 180-degree windshield and is configured with stadium-style bucket seats. The climate-control, which is important during the summer heat, is very advanced and ensures you\’ll be comfortable.

Indeed, deluxe tours cost more than basic tours but in my opinion I think they are worth it. Especially when you consider they come with stretch limousine service to and from your hotel as well as an extended tour over the famous Las Vegas Strip that goes from the Stratosphere Tower to the Luxor Pyramid.

South Rim

There\’s a great selection of air-only and air-ground tours at the South Rim. The air tours are comprised of 30-minute and 50-minute flights and both are available for sunset departures. The shorter one goes from South Rim to North Rim and back. The longer does that, too, plus everything up to the East Rim.

To re-iterate, South Rim helicopters do not fly below the rim and land because the National Park Service bans it. Further, if you plan to do a South Rim heli from Las Vegas, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get here because it takes about 5.5 hours.

The air-ground tour I like is the sunset heli/Jeep. This starts with a 2-hour Jeep tour inside the National Park that stops at the Canyon\’s most famous landmarks and lookouts. The flight is 30-minutes long and covers everything between the South and North Rims.

Final Tips

Sunset flights are extremely popular and that\’s why I recommend you book them at least several weeks in advance. In actuality, the best time to book is right after you get your hotel rooms. The crux of the matter is this: once you want to do a sunset flight, buy it.

And when you do, purchase it over the Internet. That\’s where the best prices and deals are. The reason why prices tend to be cheaper is because companies like mine reward you for self-service (much like a gas station). It basically lets us keep our costs down, which we pass on to you.

The author is a Grand Canyon expert and recommends going here for the best South Rim helicopter tours and here for ones that depart from Las Vegas: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

The author is a Grand Canyon expert and recommends going here for the best South Rim helicopter tours and here for ones that depart from Las Vegas: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

Author Bio: The author is a Grand Canyon expert and recommends going here for the best South Rim helicopter tours and here for ones that depart from Las Vegas: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

Category: Travel
Keywords: grand canyon, las vegas, grand canyon helicopters, las vegas helicopters, grand canyon flights,