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Papillon - Grand Canyon Tours

Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States

Papillon is a company that offers tours of the grand canyon. They offer both helicopter and bus tours. We were in Las Vegas, and wanted to see the grand canyon. Taking a bus to the grand canyon is approximately a 3-hour event (each way), and you only get to see the canyon from the top. By taking a helicopter, you get to land at the bottom of the canyon and walk around for a bit. The process is also much faster - it is approximately a 30-minute bus ride, and then another 30-minute helicopter ride.

The temperature can be quite hot in the canyon. During the summer months, it is more comfortable to go early in the morning or late in the day.

Cost

$598.75 for two people (this does not include a "temporary" $20 fuel surcharge that may or may not be charged), plus a $20 tip for the pilot. (If he gets you there and back alive and in one piece, tipping is a good idea).

Schedule

Descending Into the Grand Canyon

If you book the visit in advance, when you arrive in Las Vegas and check into your hotel room, you call Papillion to confirm that you're actually in Las Vegas, and to make sure they know what hotel you're staying at. They let you know when and where they will send a bus to pick you up.

When it's time for you to catch the Papillon bus, be at the appropriate waiting spot ten minutes beforehand to be picked up. If you are not there, they will make some effort to find you (they will call your hotel room, and wait around for approximately 10 minutes), but if you aren't there, they will leave without you.

After the bus has collected everyone that is going on a tour at that time, you will be driven to a Papillion center where they take your weight (there is a scale that is hooked up to a computer - you don't see your weight, they just use it to calculate where people will be sitting on the flight). You then have time to watch a short safety video, and go to the bathroom. (Go to the bathroom beforehand - there is nothing at the bottom of the grand canyon).

You are assigned a group to join (6 people per helicopter, plus the pilot - four people in the back, and two people in the front plus the pilot), and a pilot. You are taken outside to the helicopter, where they take a picture of you (to sell you later). They didn't object to taking a picture for us with our digital camera so we didn't have to pay for their photo.

Hoover Dam from the Helicopter

During the flight, you are provided with headphones where you can communicate with the pilot, and also listen to music that is being played. The pilot first takes you to Hoover Dam, and approaches the dam from both sides (so both sides of the helicopter get a good view). As we approached the canyon, the pilot switched the music to "Chariots of Fire". A little bit cheesy, sure, but it was an appropriate choice.

The canyon itself is beautiful. I've heard that it's one of the few things that when you actually get around to seeing it, it doesn't disappoint. I'd have to agree with that statement - the canyon was very impressive. The helicopter descended at a safe speed, and landed at the bottom. We had approximately 20 minutes to walk around, and enjoy a champagne breakfast (consisting of a croissant, an apple, and a glass of champagne). You couldn't go very far in the alloted time and with the surrounding terrain, but the area we landed in had lots to see without going far. We took some pictures, and then got back on the helicopter, and flew back to the Papillon center. The bus took us back to our hotel. The whole process took approximately 3-4 hours.

Some people may be concerned about motion sickness on the helicopter. Our pilot was excellent and the ride was very smooth. Still, to be cautious, I took some ginger with me to nibble on during the flight and I think that is a good idea for those who are motion sensitive.