Can you imagine seeing the Grand Canyon along with the Vegas Strip in one fell swoop? If you take a helicopter tour, you can, and you'll do it in less time that it takes to watch a movie.

Flight packages range from simple flyovers to extravagant excursions that include champagne lunch, river rafting, and horseback riding. It's your call.

Let's get started. Here's an outline of the three most popular tours:

Top 3 Tours

#1 The "no-frills" package. Departs from the outskirts of Sin City, does a "U" turn at the West Rim and beelines back over the Strip before touching down.

#2 Darts to the West Rim where it lands at the Canyon's special heliport. Explore the Canyon. Take in the Skywalk. Board helicopter for return flight over Las Vegas Boulevard.

#3 This is the King of Tours: Land at Grand Canyon West, sightsee, then make for the bottom, located 4,000 feet below. Eat lunch alongside the Colorado River. Take a river raft trip. Ascend. Fly back over Vegas.

Bonus Sights

The flight over to the West Rim, which is actually just outside the National Park's boundaries, includes a number of spectacular sites, including:

Lake Mead - An attractive, deep blue lake. It practically glistens underneath the desert sun. Largest man-made body of water in the U.S.

Hoover Dam - A structure that's recorded as being the second largest dam in the U.S. Provides most of the drinking water and generates most of the electrical power consumed by Las Vegas. It's a spectacular structure, made all the more exciting by the new bypass that's being suspended over Black Canyon.

Guano and Eagle Points - A pair of stunning lookouts that uniquely definite Grand Canyon West. Horizons go on forever. Keep your eyes open for Big Horn Sheep and California Condors.

Skywalk - Book it if offered as an option. It's literally a glass bridge that extends 75 feet over the lip of the Rim. This is as close as you'll get to having your own wings. The distance from the bridge to the bottom is twice the size of the greatest building in the world.

Departures

Flights depart daily from McCarran International Airport, North Las Vegas Airport, and Boulder City Airport. Sunrise, sunset, and evening flights are the most popular with travelers. Most tour operators include hotel pick up and drop off. It's recommended that you confirm your flight 24 hours in advance. While on the phone, I tell people to check weather conditions - the Canyon especially can be quite fickle.

Pricing

Many people think a helicopter flight will break their budget. Reconsider.Las Vegas is loaded with tour operators who compete hard for your tour dollar. But if you really want the best deal in town, book online, where you can save up to 45% off the retail price.

Final Words

I'd like to point out that there are bus tours that include the Strip and the Canyon. The value here is incredible. The big difference, however, is time: Bus trips will take nearly the entire day; helicopters can complete the job in several hours. If time is valuable and you have a reasonable budget, visiting these attractions by helicopter is a must.