As New Year's Eve arrives, you'll find plenty of travelers headed to Las Vegas to throw an end of the year celebration. There is a lot to do in Vegas, and one of the more fun experiences is to take a helicopter tour out of there to visit the Grand Canyon.

When you leave Las Vegas on one of these Grand Canyon helicopters, you'll fly to the West Rim as it is the only option. The South Rim is a popular destination too, but it is out of the flight range for Vegas choppers. If you want to go to the South Rim, you'll have to go by plane instead.

You get to choose from two different types of helicopter tours. One is an air-only tour, and the other one lands at the canyon. No matter which type you choose, you'll get to fly over Lake Mead and the massive Hoover Dam. With a flying only tour, you'll be taken over the canyon before you head back to Vegas. If you decide to take a landing tour, you can pick from one that lands on the canyon floor or one that lands on top of the rim.

Champagne Toast!

The most popular flights are those that take you to the base of the canyon and include a Champagne picnic. There are several of these tours available since they depart daily on alternating hours from 7:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon. Perhaps the most exciting part of these tours is the descent that takes about 15 minutes to complete, landing you right next to the Colorado River.

A common add on for most people is the Colorado River boat ride with their package. Other optional experiences include a trip on the Grand Canyon Skywalk which is a famous glass bridge that takes you a heart pounding 70 feet over the edge of the Canyon.

When you choose your helicopter tour, you get to choose from two options. Basic and deluxe. The basic tours are the least expensive, but they depart from Boulder City, and you'll have to take a 35 minute shuttle ride to get to the airfield there. The deluxe tours lift off right from the Vegas Strip, and you'll be picked up at your hotel in a limousine.

Deluxe Air Tours

A great feature in the deluxe packages is the fact you have a chance to hover over the full Strip. It is an amazing sight to see the Luxor and the Stratosphere from the air. This is perhaps one of the most incredible ways to top off an incredible trip as you prepare to celebrate the New Year.

Keep in mind, the New Year's holiday is a very busy time for Las Vegas tourism. For that reason, you need to book your tour right away. My recommendation is booking your flight a week or two in advance, or even when you book your hotel room. That way, the flights won't all be sold out when you get there.

It's also possible the tour prices will rise during the holidays. You can get around that by booking your seats online. You'll find the lowest prices on the tour operators' websites. But in order to get the low online rate, you have to buy your tickets online.

Wrapping Up

New Year's will be the perfect time to embark on a Las Vegas helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon. If you decide you want to make it extra special, schedule a deluxe tour and embark to the base of the Canyon. Then you'll get a bonus view of Vegas from the air and a fun ride in a limousine. Just remember to order online and qualify for the lowest internet rate possible.