Grand Canyon helicopter tours are getting to be more and more popular for travelers who come to Las Vegas looking for something unique and bold to do. While we all know that Las Vegas is world-famous for its casinos, nightlife, cheap food and entertainment options, vacationers are looking to add something a little bit more special and daring into their itinerary, and helicopter tours easily fit the bill.

Canyon helicopter tours are particularly enjoyable for groups and/or families who have already descended upon the Vegas Strip (that said, I do recommend you book your flight at least 72 hours in advance). Many a Grand Canyon air tour is tailored specifically for a large reservation, and some tour operators offer special discounts when a whole group or a family charters a trip.

The beauty with a helicopter tour is how quickly you can take one in. Flights depart throughout the day with the quickest tour clocking in around 3.5 hours. This means you can fly to the West Rim (the only place where Vegas helicopters fly), soak in the sights and be back on the ground in time to enjoy those dinner reservations. If you go with a landing tour, expect to spend a minimum of 4 hours or more out in the field.

There is also a nice variety of aerial and landing tours available. While an aerial tour is likely to cost less money, it is the landing tour that is really special because you get to do more than just soar above the Grand Canyon. A landing tour can include a bottom-landing, a Colorado River boat ride, a Grand Canyon Skywalk pass or all the above. If you see package that suits your fancy, book it ASAP. These trips are hot-sellers and frequently sell out.

Of course, landing tours will take a bit longer than a mere aerial tour, but it is well worth it in terms of the experience. If you are considering a canyon helicopter tour, you ought to go full throttle and seriously look into taking the full-featured landing package rather than an aerial tour!

I mentioned earlier that Vegas helicopters only go to the West Rim. If you want to experience the South Rim of the canyon, which is 277 miles east and out of range, I suggest you look into a South Rim airplane package that comes with a chopper ride. Flight by plane takes about 45 minutes. The helicopter segment goes rim-to-rim in 30 minutes. The finale is a guided ground tour by bus that traverses the Park for 2.5 hours, stopping at all the key lookouts.

A Grand Canyon helicopter tour is one of the best things you can do to treat yourself while you are taking a vacation in Las Vegas. If you are tired of "Vegas as usual," invest in such a trip. The flight is fabulous (flies over Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, too), and, lets' face it: nothing quite compares to zipping across the Mojave Desert at 200 mph then descending 3,500 feet to the base. So add it to your itinerary and prepare yourself for an amazing adventure.