subject: Grand Canyon Tours by Bus From Las Vegas [print this page] Grand Canyon Tours by Bus From Las Vegas Grand Canyon Tours by Bus From Las Vegas
So, you're in Las Vegas on holiday and you're considering a side trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Good choice. Between the South Rim and the West Rim, it's the former is famous for it's incredible great beauty.
How to get there if you're on a budget? By tour bus, naturally.
Prices at the time this article was written ranged from $80 to $160. Book online - the very best deals are on the Internet. For more infornation about pricing, please see link at bottom of article.
Forget your old impressions of buses. These are new and ultra-modern. They are state-of-the-art vehicles, and they come equipped with the following:
1. Bathroom
2. VCR's
3. Deluxe, reclining seats
4. Maximum leg room
5. Comfortable arm rests
6. Personalized A/C stations
7. Giant viewing windows
The majority of bus tours depart Vegas at around 7 a.m. These are all-inclusive trips and come with free shuttle service to and from your hotel, as well as a delicious box lunch (I've sampled them all and they're quite satisfying).
The trip to the South Rim is packed with famous sights. Highlights include Lake Mead, Hoover Dam (check to see if your tour includes a photo stop), the Colorado River, and majestic Black Canyon, home to many of Nevada's beautiful Big Horn Sheep.
The entrance to Grand Canyon National Park features quite a dramatic change in scenery: You'll be up on the Kaibab Plateau, home of the largest stand of Ponderosa Pine in the world.
Your adventure begins at Bright Angel Lodge, the main structure in historic Grand Canyon village. Built in the 1930's, the Lodge is the anchor for a number of excellent restaurants, museums, more accommodations, and the amazingly resilient Bucky O'Neil Cabin, which owns the distinction of being the oldest building on the South Rim.
From the Lodge, it's easy to hop aboard one of the Park's many fine free shuttle buses to visit such exciting lookouts like Mather Point, Yaki Point, Yavapai Observation Station, and more. Typically, you'll have three hours to enjoy the South Rim and The Village.
Here are a couple of canyon facts that I think will enhance your South Rim experience:
1. The Canyon was created by the Colorado River over a 5.4 million-year period.
2. The widest point in the canyon is 18 miles. It is 277 miles long. It's depth reaches more than one mile.
3. The North Rim's elevation is 8,200 feet above sea level, which makes it 1,200 feet higher than the South Rim.
4. It became a National Park in 1919.
5. Five Million visitors annually.
6. It's populated by five Indian tribes.
Going back to Vegas, you'll most likely make a stop at the town of Kingman, AZ. It's most famous for the piece of Route 66 that runs through it. Otherwise, it's a good spot to get off the bus, stretch your legs, grab a snack, or have a smoke. You'll then head back over Hoover Dam, skirt by Boulder City, and then drop down into the Vegas valley.
Total trip time from pick up to drop off is approximately 14 hours.
If you've longed to discover the magnificence of the South Rim, consider booking a trip with one of Las Vegas' many tour bus operators. Tours run daily, seven days a week. The price is more than affordable, but it gets even better if you book your tour via the Internet. No trip to Las Vegas is complete without a trip to the canyon. Bus tours to the National Park are comfortable and cheap. So go ahead and cross off the canyon from your bucket list. It's one of the easiest and most enjoyable trips you can do from Las Vegas.
