Believe it or not, the Grand Canyon National Park encompasses over one million acres. It would certainly take a long time to see it all. But not if you take an airplane tour. Here are five things you should know about taking a plane tour of the canyon.

First thing you need to decide is which rim you want to visit. There are two. You can go to the South or the West Rim. Las Vegas is the starting point for air tours to the West Rim. The South can be done from Vegas and Tusayan, the gateway to the National Park. There aren't any flights that go between the rims.

The Air Tours

Then there's picking between an aerial and a landing tour. The aerial tours simply fly over the canyon and give you a bird's eye view of the landscape. These tours are the least expensive and they are a great way to get a feel for the scenery in the canyon. Landing tours are a lot of fun because you can get out of the plane and see the canyon from ground level.

Few more words about airplane landing tours. The landing tours are only offered when you depart from Vegas. If you take a landing tour to the West Rim, you can experience the exciting Skywalk. You can also take a raft trip along the Colorado River or hop on a chopper and fly to the canyon floor.

You can also take a landing tour to the South Rim. The flight there only takes about an hour and once there, you can spend three hours in the Park seeing notable landmarks like Yavapai Point and Mather Point. Plus it's fast, especially compared to a 5-hour bus ride or self-drive via rental.

Window Seats

You may be wondering about seating during the flight. These sightseeing planes can hold up to 19 adult passengers. The planes are designed with two seats on each side of the plane. Even aisle seats offer great views. Few travelers know this but you book the window seat for an extra $10 (this is an approximate cost but it's close).

Next is booking online. I recommend that's how you get your plane ticket. Booking online is convenient, fast, and safe. Plus, you will get the best deal. You might be able to save as much as 25 percent by booking online. If you have a large family, that amounts to a significant savings. But to access the low internet rate, you have to purchase your tickets online.

Another important tidbit to know is the tours are all-inclusive. Primarily, this means that the price you pay online is the final, fixed price. Nothing more, nothing less. The tours that leave from Vegas even offer free transportation to and from your hotel and lunch. Not only that, but guide service is also part of the package! You can see the airplane tours offer you a fantastic value.

Conclusion

I hope this article gave you key insights into how to pick and buy an airplane tour over the Grand Canyon. As you can imagine, these tours are very popular so they fill up fast, especially during busy travel times like summer and holidays. As long as you book your seats about one week ahead of time, you shouldn't have any trouble getting the exact tour you want.