It's difficult to imagine anything more exciting than being able to get close-up views of a place you've been hearing about for years. You can experience that feeling when you take a bus tour of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is a sight you will remember forever because it is so huge and beautiful. The canyon's immense proportions, combined with its vividly-colored rocky walls and its unique rock formations, are breathtaking.

Bus tours to the West Rim offer you the chance to experience the thrilling Grand Canyon Skywalk. It is constructed from steel and high strength glass and juts out beyond the edge of the canyon. Walking out on this glass bridge is like walking on air. The canyon's magnificence will stretch out directly beneath your feet.

You might feel some wind while you're there, but the Skywalk has been constructed to withstand winds in excess of 100 mph, so there's no need to worry. And you'll have the opportunity to take some magnificent photographs that capture the true majesty of this Natural Wonder of the World. Far below your feet, you'll see the Colorado River - the agent that created the Grand Canyon - wending its way along the canyon floor.

The buses used for motor coach trips are modern and have comfortable seats and large viewing windows. Your driver will be familiar with the area. He or she will narrate your tour and answer any questions you or your fellow passengers might have. You'll stop plenty of times for photo opportunities and the chance to explore the area. Most Grand Canyon bus tours also stop at Hoover Dam so their passengers can take photographs.

Grand Canyon bus trips visit the South Rim or the West Rim, and several options are possible. For example, you can choose to stay overnight or enjoy a complimentary lunch, but there are other possibilities as well. Most of these trips take all day, but the longest tours are the ones that go to the South Rim, and they take over fifteen hours. The round trip drive from Vegas to the South Rim takes around five hours since it is over 250 miles away.

Many different societies have inhabited the Grand Canyon in its long history. Today, the land near the canyon belongs to Native Americans. You'll have the opportunity to buy excellent Native American artwork and talk to the local inhabitants during your stops.

The region was also inhabited by early pioneer settlers. Grand Canyon Village was constructed to accommodate the canyon's visitors around the beginning of the 20th century, back when about 40,000 tourists went there per year. Now, over five million tourists come to the canyon each year.

The Grand Canyon was designated as a U. S. National Park in 1919, and everyone who goes there has been amazed by its natural beauty. On your bus tour, you will enjoy the shifting colors of the canyon that change as the sun crosses the sky. I suggest you take your time while you're watching this glorious natural dance. That is one reason bus excursions are so popular because they move slowly so you can take in the surroundings and wildlife in a way you couldn't from the air.