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The Grand Canyon is a spectacular place to visit any time of the year. However, winter is especially dramatic because the visibility is so much better due to the climate conditions. Air tours are by far your best option to capturing the Park's essence during this season. You can choose to tour by plane or chopper and depart from Vegas or Tusayan in Arizona. On my blog, I get a lot of readers asking me which is better or what's the difference between helicopters and airplanes so let's start there. For one thing, the tours by helicopter cost more. This is because they hold only 6 people and are more exclusive. Heli v.s. Plane Another big difference is the helicopters can fly a lot lower than planes. This is more important at the West Rim (more on rims in a minute) where helis can fly below the edge and land at the bottom. At the South Rim, choppers can't do that so it really doesn't matter if you choose an airplane tour over a chopper tour there. Seat availability is another thing to consider. As noted, helicopters seat six people. Airplanes can carry as many as 19 people. Because of this, the helicopter tours typically book quicker and sell out faster. Relatedly, if you are part of a large group, you might want to consider taking the plane because most or all of your party will fly together. You can request window seats on both kinds of aircraft. Understand that this is an extra charge. Although you won't know for sure if you can claim a window seat until you check in for the tour, you have to reserve one at the time you buy your seats online. That said, few people know about the window-seat upgrade so if you want one I advise asking for it. More About Window Seats When you book your seats online, the window seats cannot be guaranteed because seating in a helicopter is determined by the weight of the passengers. Getting a window on a plane is less difficult but it's still not a sure thing. As of right now, you can expect to pay ten dollars more for a window seat on a plane and fifty dollars more for a window seat on a chopper. The aerial tours go to both rims of the canyon. The South Rim and the West Rim are tour destination points in the Grand Canyon. Vegas is situated near the West Rim. It will take you about 45 minutes to fly there in a helicopter and about 30 minutes to fly there in an airplane. You can't actually take a chopper from Vegas to the South Rim because it is too far away. You have to take the hour long airplane ride instead. South Rim airplane tours take off from Grand Canyon Airport and only fly over the southern region. The tours out of Las Vegas are available as air-only tours and landing tours. The air-only flights are the cheapest. Landing tours, though they cost more, are the better value in my opinion because you get to experience more of the canyon on a first-hand basis. One tour that is really popular comes with passes to walk out on the world famous Grand Canyon Skywalk. As for the South Rim, there's only the aerial and for the money it's excellent. Wrapping Up Grand Canyon air tours are an incredible way to experience the National Park this winter season. Departures are from Las Vegas, NV, and Tusayan, AZ, and include a selection of trips that will appeal to even the most savvy travelers. It is worth a special trip just to go to the canyon, but if you will be in Arizona or Vegas on vacation anyway, don't miss the chance to take an air tour. It'll be the trip of lifetime. TIP FROM THE AUTHOR Prepared to check out the Grand Canyon? Click here for the top canyon tour offers. Then go here and see who the best National Park tour companies are: http://grandcanyoncheap.com
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