Vegas Canyon Tours Staff Tips

Here are our staff tips to help you decide which tour and operator is best for you!

The busiest time for Grand Canyon Touring is from April through October. The helicopter tour operators can be sold out up to a couple weeks in advance. You the traveler and sightseeing enthusiast need to be aware of this so you can make sure you get the desired tour at your desired time!

Book Well in Advance

Our first tip would be to make your booking well in advance. Make sure you book at least 2 weeks in advance. Not only will this ensure you get the tour you want at the time you want, you will also be able to save extra money. Papillon Helicopters has flexible prices. The further in advance you book, the cheaper the price will be. Papillon also offers extra discounts on certain early morning or off-peak flight times. We find Papillon’s dynamic pricing to be best for the budget conscious traveler. Again, if you wait until you arrive in Las Vegas and book your tour at the last minute, you will be paying higher prices and there may not be availability for the tour you want to take. Another insider tip for you to consider, if money is no object to you and you are looking for 5-star customer service, Maverick Helicopters may be best for you. Maverick does charge higher prices and they do not discount based on departure times or how far advance you book. They target the luxury traveler and they offer the services to match.

With that said, our staff choice for prices would be Papillon. We’ve taken tours with both companies and both do a fantastic job. The flight routes are essentially the same, sort of like a highway. If you’d like to save up to $100 per person, then Papillon is our recommendation.

Book Online

Our second tip is to book online. You won’t find any better deals than online. If you wait to book in Vegas, you may find yourself strolling along the Las Vegas Strip where vendors at a booth will get your attention and tell you that they offer the best deals and discounts for Grand Canyon touring. Do not be fooled. Yes, they do discount, but they need to earn a living too. They must charge extra fees so they can earn a commission. On top of that, if you wait and try to call the supplier directly, they may charge extra fees over the phone — The best deals are online! Read the fine print too, some websites may make you pay a processing fee, or take a deposit and make you pay the remainder at check-in. If that’s the case, you probably don’t want to book with them. We’ve taken all the guess work out for you and only offer top of the line products on our site that have no hidden fees, no added extras at the best prices available.

Be Prepared

Our third tip is to be prepared. Once you’ve made your booking online, you will receive a confirmation with all the details of your flight. What they don’t talk about is what the weather will be like. In Las Vegas, it rarely rains, which is good for you the traveler. However, keep an eye on what the temperature will be the night before your tour. Make sure you have the correct clothes. In the summer, it does get HOT in both Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. We suggest wearing flat bottom shoes, as the Canyon terrain is a little rocky. Also, make sure you know where your pick up location is at your hotel. If you don’t know, please ask a security guard. Security guards must know where each entry/exit is and they can direct you. If you ask a different employee, they may not know and send you in the wrong direction. Be sure to arrive at your pick up location at least 10 minutes early. If you are late, the shuttle may leave as they have more passengers to pick up, and then you are either responsible for paying for a taxi to the terminal or you will have to pay for the tour again to reschedule since you missed your pick up. Do not let this happen to you!

Additonal Information

Our final tip outlines some additional information about our #1 choice of tour operator that we recommend.

Our #1 pick is Papillon Helicopters:

  • Papillon was founded in 1965 and is the World’s largest flight-seeing operator.
  • Offers Helicopter, Airplane, Bus, Rafting, Combination tours daily.
  • Lowest prices available guaranteed.
  • Safety is number 1 priority as they transport over 600,000 passengers on an annual basis.
  • Member of TOPS (Tour Operators Program of Safety) with flight regulation and rules that exceed those required by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)
  • Certified operator for the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior.
  • Cancellation policy:
    • You can change your flight anytime with 24 hours advance notice for no charge.
    • If your flight is changed and/or cancelled due to weather, Papillon will either reschedule you to a later date/time or refund you in full.
    • We’ve reviewed the cancel policies of the top canyon tour companies and none offer terms that match Papillon’s.
  • Papillon flies from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon’s West Rim, South Rim, and North Rim.
  • They also operate to Hoover Dam, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, the Colorado River and Tower Butte.
  • They have tours that depart from Las Vegas, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Sedona, Grand Canyon West, Grand Canyon South and from Page, AZ.
  • Papillon has the largest fleet of Aircraft (nearly 50 helicopters and 35 Twin Otter and Cessna Airplanes).
  • Full service provider with:
    • Free roundtrip hotel transportation
    • All inclusive pricing online (includes all airport taxes/fees, fuel surcharges and park entrance fees)
    • Provide meals for all tours (with exception of air only tours)
    • Offer audio narration in 11 different languages.

Remember..

In conclusion, we remind you to book at least 2 weeks in advance, book online for the best deals, be prepared for the weather, and show up to your pick up location at least 10 minutes early. If you can handle all of these tips, you will have the best Grand Canyon Touring experience possible! We hope these tips have helped with your decision making and hope you truly enjoy the majestic wonder of the Grand Canyon!