When you take a vacation to Arizona or Vegas, you really need to include a side trip to the Grand Canyon by taking a helicopter tour. Seeing it from the air gives you a completely different perspective and does mean you can see more of it in a shorter period of time.

If you plan to depart from Vegas, you get to choose from several tour operators and flight options. It is therefore important that you spend some time looking through the different names before deciding which one you would like to make a booking with.

An advantage of a helicopter tour is that it doesn't take long to get to the canyon by chopper. You can get to the West Rim from Vegas in just 45 minutes. By comparison, it takes a bus nearly three hours. So if you take a bus tour it will take you all day to get to the canyon and back, but it only takes a few hours when you go by chopper. That gives you plenty of time to take in other vacation activities later in the day, which is important when your time is limited.

When you compare helicopter tours, be sure to select one that uses sightseeing choppers with over sized viewing windows. They should be slightly different to the normal commercial type as they are adapted to give better views than you would normally expect so you can really take on board what you are flying over.

Make sure that you know which rims are included in the chopper tours. To see as much of the Grand Canyon as you can, you want to take in both the West and South Rims if you can but you'll need to do it on different trips. In general:

1. Go to the West Rim if you'd like thrills and adventure. It's the only place where you can take a copter trip to the bottom;

2. Go to the South Rim if you would like incredible scenic beauty. From Las Vegas, you're going to want to book an airplane/helicopter package as the distance between the two destinations is beyond range for most choppers.

One of the best ways to pinpoint the best Grand Canyon helicopter tours is to read reviews and feedback from customers that you find on the tour operator websites. When you read honest reviews from fellow travelers, you get a real good idea on whether a particular air tour is an ideal choice for you.

When you look at prices, you may be surprised to discover how affordable aerial tours of the Grand Canyon are, still, be sure to compare offers to get the best deal. Don't forget to read the small print so you understand the terms and conditions associated with your ticket before you buy it.

So going on Grand Canyon copter tours really is something you must do if you plan on staying in this part of the United States. Viewing the Grand Canyon from the air is an amazing experience you don't want to miss.