For those who have just 1 day to look around the National Park, do it by heli. In my opinion, air tours tend to be the finest deal available. For this excursion, I chose to fly Maverick Helicopters. This is a review of my vacation:

Maverick Helicopters is about quality. It commences at the instant you enter their new, Alpine-like terminal. The building is stunning. There is a fireplace in the lobby. The sofas as well as chairs are overstuffed. I could have set up camp here.

Maverick's private heliport is situated at the south end of Grand Canyon Airport in Tusayan, the town just outside the main entrance of the South Rim. Check in is quick and efficient. The walk to the choppers is around 25 feet!

The fleet consists of only EcoStar 130's. These are the very best sightseeing helis. The cabins are 25% larger than regular helis, and are outfitted with theater-style seating, 180-degree wraparound windows, and Fenestron quiet-ride rotors.

Each traveler receives his or her individual headset. Jack this in to the digital communications system and listen to a pre-recorded journey narration that is available in 10 languages. The identical headset furthermore allows you to speak to your aviator as well as other travelers.

The airline flight is spectacular. The chopper takes off over the Kaibab Plateau and the largest Ponderosa Pine forest on the planet. The rim drops off and now you are in the Dragoon Corridor, the widest, deepest area of the canyon. It's a remarkable view. I particularly liked the spires and buttes.

Turn back was at the North Rim. On the descent, I observed Grand Canyon Village, Hopi Point, and Mather Point. I ultimately traveled to all by walking. By seeing them aerially, I felt my expertise was substantially improved.

Flight duration is approximately half an hour. I took the prolonged tour and obtained 50 minutes of airtime (I never desired to come down). I figure what I viewed would via the chopper would take at least a couple of days on the ground. Merely driving from the South Rim to the North Rim will take five hours!

Maverick is not a budget chopper travel company. They are about quality as well as luxury and using the best helicopters available. They are also specialists at accommodating groups as well as running charter flights. Don't let this prevent you hunting the Internet for excellent bargains. It's not uncommon to see online offers that save nearly 25 percent.

Book your heli tour ahead of time. More than 5 million people head to Grand Canyon National Park on a yearly basis. Many book a heli tour. Try to reserve an early morning trip (best visibility) or a sunset trip. Ensure that your camera batteries are completely charged (I captured 20 photographs and my digital camera powered off!)

Maverick Helicopters trips to the South Rim get two thumbs up from me. The pilot -guide we had was amazing and really added significance to our flight. The EcoStar chopper certainly is the best option. I am a big guy and the additional leg room was perfect. Take off was spot on schedule. In general, I really came to value Maverick's care about detail as well as recommend them with no hesitation.