If so, you’re not alone — the Grand Canyon is one of the most popular National Parks in America! Visitors from all over the world come to Arizona to view the immense canyon and its amazing scenery; many choose guided trips by helicopter, airplane, bus, Jeep, mule, horse, or on foot.

If you take a tour out of the city of Las Vegas, you can choose between going to the West Rim or the South Rim. However, if your tour leaves from Sedona, Scottsdale, Phoenix, or somewhere else in the central part of Arizona, you can only choose a tour to the South Rim.

Here are some of the exciting and fun-filled tours you can choose:

Scenic Helicopter Tour

Although helicopter tours are offered at both rims, the South Rim is beyond the range of choppers flying out of Las Vegas. So, the tours that depart Vegas only fly to the West Rim. If you’re setting out from Vegas but you’d rather see the South Rim by helicopter, you’ll need to take a bus or plane ride (the plane is the better option because it’s so much quicker) before boarding your copter.

When you’re choosing your tour, remember that the West Rim is the only place where choppers are allowed to land on the canyon floor. That makes this tour almost a must-do experience, especially since you’re able to add an optional boat ride down the Colorado River. Other popular options on these landing tours on the West Rim are VIP passes to the impressive glass Skywalk.

Helicopters are not allowed to fly below the level of the South Rim. Helicopter tours are available at the South Rim, but they fly rim-to-rim or fly over most of the National Park area. These flights are great if you don’t have much time to explore the canyon; you will get to see a large part of it from above.

Tours By Motor Coach

If you are leaving from Vegas, you can also choose a guided bus tour of the South Rim of the West Rim. Both of these tours include a stop at the Hoover Dam for a photo opportunity. West Rim motor coach tours are flexible enough to let you add a chopper ride to the floor and a boat ride down the Colorado.

If you want to visit the South Rim from Vegas, taking a motor coach is the least expensive way to go. You can always add on a helicopter tour if you want.

Airplane Tours

You can take airplane tours at both rims. You can choose an aerial tour only, or land, but if you opt for a landing tour, it must be taken on the West Rim. If you do take a West Rim landing tour, I strongly recommend adding a chopper flight to the bottom and the boat ride down the Colorado. Another fun experience you don’t want to miss when you land at the West Rim is a heart-pounding walk over the glass Skywalk. Airplane tours of the South Rim take you on the same route as the 50-minute South Rim chopper tours.

Rafting Down The Colorado River

From April to November, you can enjoy smooth-water rafting at both rims; these fun trips are much different from white water rafting. From Vegas, you can catch a chopper to the base of the Hoover Dam where the boats depart. From there, your boat trip will take you eleven miles down river to Willow Beach, Arizona. South Rim rafting tours take you by plane or luxury motor coach to Glen Canyon Dam at Page, Arizona, where you’ll begin your 15-mile float down to historic Lee’s Ferry.

All of the tour options to the West Rim whether by plane, raft or helicopter, arrange for you to be picked up and dropped off right at your hotel in Vegas. Plane, chopper and bus tours include lunch and the services of a professional tour guide. Except for rafting tours (which include shuttle service), you’ll need to get to Grand Canyon Airport on your own for South Rim air tours.

It’s advisable to book a Grand Canyon tour as far ahead as you can as guided trips to the Grand Canyon are extremely popular, and tickets often sell out during the tourist season. For the best deals, be sure to check out the websites of the various tour operators where you will find coupons and specials. Buy your tickets online too and then you can get the special internet discount.

Whatever you do, don’t buy your tickets after you arrive in the area. The canyon tours you like may be sold out and if you do find one, you will have to pay more than you would by getting advance tickets.