South Rim: Introducing the INCREDIBLE 50-Minute Helicopter Plus 4x4 National Park Jeep Tour (Our Best Tour YET!)
Looking for the best experience possible during your visit to Grand Canyon National Park. Consider the 50-minute helicopter ride plus 4x4 Jeep tour. This air-ground combo is the absolute best way to see as much of the Park as possible in under five hours. In fact, once done, you'll have seen more than 75% of the Canyon!
This package starts with the helicopter ride, which departs from Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Tusayan, Arizona. This is the only airport in the South Rim area and is 5 minutes from the National Park entrance and 15 minutes from Grand Canyon Village (e.g. El Tovar, Yavapai Lodge, Maswick Lodge etc.). Tour does not include hotel transfers to the airport.
Flight Path
The helicopter segment departs for the East Rim, flying low over the Kaibab Forest until reaching Desert Watchtower before heading due north over the Rim and into the great wide-open that is the Canyon. Be prepared. The moment you are into the gap is a total adrenaline rush. Look forward and you'll see the North Rim. Look down and you'll see the Little Colorado converging with the Colorado River and the massive rapids that result.
The chopper continues straight until it reaches the North Rim and then bears east over some of the most remote territory within the Park. Keep your eyes peeled below for wild buffalo. Charles Jesse Jones a/k/a "Buffalo Jones" drove a small herd of bison from Utah to the North Rim in an effort to crossbreed them with cattle. The project never took off but the buffalo remain and have grown into quite a sizable herd. The other creature to watch for? Bighorn Sheep!
The National Park
Next up is the turn south through the Dragon Corridor, which is the widest, deepest section of the Canyon. Fun facts: The Canyon is a mile deep and up to 18 miles wide and 277 miles long. The Colorado River created this national treasure. Its headwaters begin on the westside of the Colorado Rockies, and its terminus is the Sea of Cortez in the state of Sonora in Mexico. From start to finish, the Colorado is the main source of water for a number of metro areas including Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles.
Once across the Canyon, you'll start the descent to Grand Canyon National Park Airport. It's worth noting that the helicopter used for this tour is the EcoStar 130, the most advanced aircraft built for air tours. Incredibly safe, the EcoStar is 25 percent larger than conventional helicopters and features a 180-degree wraparound front windshield and glass doors. It also comes replete with stadium-style bucket seats and 5-star climate control so you fly in comfort be it summer or winter. This "bird" is also incredibly quiet and includes a digital communications system that allows two-way communication between you, the pilot and your fellow passengers.
MEGA 4x4 Jeep
Once deplaned from the helicopter, hop in your car (free parking at the airport) and drive a few minutes to the National Geographic Center. It's super easy to find but if you have questions, ask the check-in staff at the helicopter terminal. They'll be more than happy to help. Parking is free at the NatGeo center. Like the heli, go inside the Buck Wild (that's the name of our Jeep subsidiary) office and check-in. Your reservation will already be in the system. Sidenote: once you book this tour you'll receive a confirmation letter in your in-box. You can either print and pack it with you or keep it on your phone.
These are NOT ordinary Jeeps. They are customized 4x4 Hummer Jeeps that can hold up to 8 people. They are open-air with a hard top and seats are stacked up stadium-style. Your driver-guide is a Grand Canyon expert. He'll drive you into the National Park and knows both official and backroads. He'll also narrate where you're at and what you're seeing and, based on crowds and conditions, he'll take you to two of the South Rim's best lookouts where you'll have plenty of time to hang out, take pictures and hop the barrier wall and do some boulder-crawling (optional!). Then it's a leisurely 4x4 cruise back to NatGeo center where your vehicles are parked.
Options
FYI: There's a 30-minute and a 30-minute sunset version of this tour. They are great values and I strongly recommend them. However, I prefer the 50-minute package because it nearly doubles your airtime and that to my mind is what really matters. Further, the extended tour let's you see all of the East Rim, which IMHO is home to some of the most incredible sights in all of the Canyon. The 50-min. package is extremely limited so If you find a timeslot you like, I strongly recommend you book it. I also recommend that you book it far in advance and over the Internet in order to get the best discount price. - Keith Kravitz
Click Here South Rim 50-Min. Helicopter Plus 4x4 Jeep Tour Pricing & Availability!
