May 17th, 2008

Best grand canyon tour



 http://www-grandcanyontours.info/images/grand_canyon/grand_canyon_250x251.jpgBest grand canyon tour

Over 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon every year. Most of these travellers have seen the Grand Canyon on foot, however, few have taken their Grand Canyon tour to the sky. This article will discuss how many companies tour the Grand Canyon and the kind of Grand Canyon vacation Tour adventures they offer, how to check the safety record of Grand Canyon Las Vegas tour companies, how to save up to $100 on your Grand Canyon tour, and how to ensure you have the time of your life on your Grand Canyon tour.

One of the most breathtaking sights a person could ever behold in their lifetime is taking in the panaroma of the Grand Canyon by air. Even travellers who have seen the world many times over, and repeatedly visited the Grand Canyon in their lifetime are left speechless when faced with the true beauty and power of nature, and the Colorado River, on a picturesque Grand Canyon tour.

One of the best ways to survey the grandeur of the Grand Canyon on a Grand Canyon flight tour is by taking the tour that lands on a plateau of the Canyon about 3000 feet down. With feet firmly on the ground you can partake in a delicious champagne picnic included in many Grand Canyon tours or, if you’re feeling more energetic, you can walk down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then make the climb back up.

There are many Grand Canyon tour operators that offer a variety of Grand Canyon tour options. There are a huge variety of Grand Canyon tour adventures like helicopter tours, small aircraft tours, horse riding tours, rock climbing tours, river raft tours and even Hummer tours. Grand Canyon tour operators include: Adventure Photo Tours, Desert Fox Hummer Tours, Desert Odyssey Tours, Grand Canyon Tour Company, Gray Line Las Vegas Sightseeing Tours, Key Tours Las Vegas, Las Vegas Grand Canyon Tours, Maverick, Papillon, Pink Jeep Tours, Showtime Tours, Starline Tours Sundance Helicopter Tours and Vegas Tours.

When booking a Grand Canyon Tour I suggest you ask around, and ask the locals to find out what their good and bad experiences have been. It’s important that Grand Canyon Tour flights be punctual, the pilots be forthcoming with their knowledge of the area and that the whole experience is as pleasurable and personable as possible. A great place to find significant discounts on your Grand Canyon Tour is by going to http://www.looktours.com

If you’re wondering how safe it is to fly in a helicopter the world helicopter accident rate is 8 accidents every 100,000 flight hours. This makes them riskier than flying in a commercial aircraft but, general speaking, you can expect to have a safe trip flying on a Grand Canyon Tour.

To keep helicopter accidents to a minimum some of these Grand Canyon Tour operators belong to the Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS) in order to improve both operational and safety standards. Both Papillon and Sundance are Grand Canyon Tour operator members of TOPS.

It is worth noting that members of TOPS have a cumulative safety record better than professional helicopter tour operators that don’t.

The bottom line is, many travellers believe you haven’t lived unless you’ve seen the Grand Canyon by air. I suggest you take a Grand Canyon Tour as soon as possible and take in the panoramic wonder of one of the most beautiful sites in the world as soon as you are able.

Wait! Don’t even think of going on a Grand Canyon tour without visiting this website. It has an incredible 170 free things to do in Las Vegas, plus will show you have to save at least $544.00 planning your Las Vegas vacation. Find out how to have the time of your life in Vegas without breaking the bank…click here now http://www.cheap-discount-vegas-vacations.com to start planning your Las Vegas vacation now!

 


Best grand canyon tour

The Grand Canyon Skywalk, a massive glass walkway that perches almost a mile over the Colorado River, recently opened in Arizona. The unique horseshoe-shaped Glass Bridge reaches 70 feet from the Grand Canyon’s edge and provides the vertical view down from the canyon rim. Located 120 miles east of Las Vegas, Nevada, the Grand Canyon Skywalk Glass Bridge was built by the Hualapai Tribe to provide a one-of-a-kind Grand Canyon experience and to make money from the tourists who will flock to this attraction. The grand opening was March 20, 2007, a week earlier than planned. Several special guests including Buzz Aldrin and elders of the Hualapai Tribe took the first steps on the new structure.

Is the Skywalk Safe?

Over three times higher than the Empire State Building, the Glass Bridge was constructed with over one million pounds of steel and is built to withstand the weight of 71 fully-loaded Boeing 747 planes (over 71 million pounds). The Skywalk was engineered to withstand winds of over 100 miles per hour from eight directions.

Engineers also took earthquakes into consideration when designing the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The structure was built to last through an earthquake of up to 8.0 on the Richter scale within the surrounding 50 miles of the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon Controversy

http://www.planningvegas.com/images/uploads/914_tempgrandcanyonsouthrimbustour.jpgThe opening of the Grand Canyon Skywalk has reignited the controversy surrounding the commercialism of the Grand Canyon, one of nature’s greatest wonders.

The primary arguments against the new attraction are:

  • Some people believe it to be an eye-sore
  • Conservationists believe that the Skywalk is turning one of the world’s greatest natural wonders into a commercial tourist attraction
  • Others feel that the Skywalk devalues the cultural and historical values of the Grand Canyon and the Hualapai Tribe
  • Critics question how the Tribe will support these resorts and attractions with the currently limited infrastructure (there’s currently no sustainable water, sewer, trash, telephone, or electrical service in the area)

Supporters of the Grand Canyon Skywalk say that the new attraction is simply a novel way for tourists to experience the Grand Canyon like never before and an effective way for the Huapalai Tribe to earn more on the land. They believe that the new Grand Canyon West development will be good for the local economy.

Grand Canyon West

The Glass Bridge is only one piece of a 6,000 square-foot development called Grand Canyon West that includes a visitors’ center, gift shop, and a restaurant. It’ll cost you $25 to see the Grand Canyon from this unusual perspective.

The Huapalai Tribe is a steward of the lands of the Grand Canyon. They have plans to build hotels, additional shopping, and a golf course near the Glass Bridge in the future. Part of their master plan includes adding cable cars to transport tourists from canyon rim to the Colorado River (inside the Grand Canyon). Pontoon boat tours, raft rides, and low-flying airplane and helicopter tours are also in their plans.

Sheri Keyser is the Founder and CEO of GoSightsee.com, a travel website that provides you with insider travel tips on sightseeing destinations, vacation planning resources, and travel deals.

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Sheri Keyser - EzineArticles Expert Author