Easter 2014 is just around the corner. It’s time to book your Grand Canyon bus tour now while seats are still available, you can choose to leave from Phoenix or Vegas. Last year, Easter was a busy time for tour operators and if this year is the same, the tours will see out fast.
This year, Easter falls on Sunday April 20. Many people (myself included) see this as a three-day weekend. Since a lot of people take to the roads on long weekends, you can bet Vegas and cities in AZ such as Phoenix and Scottsdale with be hopping.
If you go to Vegas, you have the added bonus of getting to choose between a Grand Canyon bus tour to the West Rim or the South Rim. Visitors from Arizona are limited to the South Rim, but it is absolutely breathtaking. You can’t take a tour that goes from one rim to the other. Seeing both rims would be awesome and you can do that by taking separate tours on different days.
The Easter holiday does not affect the usual bus tour schedule. Tours leave at the regular time. In most instances, coach bus tours include free shuttle to and from your hotel. Be sure to get up early because the tours take off as early as 7:00 am.
Excursions are known to last all day (8 hours or more), so early evening plans are not recommended. Las Vegas tourists have a choice: “Which rim should I visit?” Usually the West Rim is for the adventurous types and the South Rim is for those seeking panoramic scenic views.
West Rim
It takes about 2 hours to get to the West Rim from Vegas since it is about 120 miles away. The ride is interesting though because you get to see the Hoover Dam, and Lake Mead before you turn off the main road and head towards the West Rim. When you arrive at the West Rim, you are ready for adventure. One thing you definitely want to see is the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
The Skywalk is amazing because it allows you to venture out 70 feet beyond the edge of the rim and peer down through the glass panels to the canyon floor 4000 feet below you. The views from the Glass Bridge are nothing short of spectacular.
The West Rim is the only part of the canyon where choppers are permitted to fly down to the bottom of the canyon. The ride down is a particularly breathtaking fifteen-minute trip. When you get to the bottom of the canyon, you can explore the banks of the Colorado River or the canyon walls as you please. You can also take a ride down the river on a pontoon boat.
South Rim
The ride to the South Rim from Las Vegas lasts about 5 hours since it is nearly 270 miles away. Is the ride worth it? Positively, yes. Some of the most famous photos were taken here. At the Park, you will enjoy a 2-hour guided bus tour with stops at a few of the Park’s amazing lookouts including Mather Point, Yaki Point and Yavapai Point. You’ll even get to spend time in Grand Canyon Village.
From Phoenix, the ride is almost 5 hours. A visit to Sedona (famous red rock buttes) is included. The South Rim offers rim-to-rim helicopter ride, which is highly suggested. You will board a helicopter at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport and head for the North Rim while passing over amazing scenery below including the dramatic Dragoon Corridor.
These bus tours are full of fun and excitement. So book your bus tour soon and we’ll see you up here at the Grand Canyon for a day of incredible adventure.
