Nearly 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon each year to see one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. Visitors have the opportunity to catch an amazing view of the canyon by taking a helicopter or airplane tour. There are several different providers that offer tours, and a variety of different choices (and prices) available to find the one that is the best fit for you.
On a recent trip to the Grand Canyon we took an airplane tour from Grand Canyon Airlines. If you’re visiting the grand canyon we recommend that you consider a helicopter or airline tour with the provider or your choice. Tours are also available from nearby locations like Las Vegas and Sedona (from some providers), and helicopter rides to nearby Hevasu Falls.
Be sure to take your camera as you’ll enjoy some amazing views that you won’t get from any of the viewpoints on the rim. The plane we flew in featured oversized windows for great views and photo opportunities. Below you’ll see some of our own photos from the tour.
Some of the popular airplane and helicopter tour providers include:
We chose an airplane tour because it cost significantly less than similar helicopter tours (we paid around $120 per person for a tour that lasted about 40 minutes) and based on some of the reviews we found online the views can be better than in the helicopter (depending on which seat you have on the helicopter).
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What time of day did you fly? We're debating between a heli or plane still, but like you did – leaning towards the plane option to get the better price for the flying time.
Hi Ben,
We flew late morning, I think it was 11:00. If you're interested in photos I thought the plane was great. I was in the back row, which actually had the largest window and the wing was not an obstacle. That was just by chance, but if I were to do it again I would ask about that and request whatever seat has the best view for photos. From what I read, with the helicopters you only had good photo opps if you're in the front row. The helicopter would be fun though. The plane flies much higher which seems like it gives you a better perspective from above.