Small Luxury Hotels has just launched a new loyalty scheme called INVITED and in this article, we review the benefits of booking through slh.com. Small Luxury Hotels has over 520 luxury hotels in more than 80 countries. These tend to be unique boutique hotels. The premise of SLH INVITED is much like the LHW Leaders … Continue reading Review: Small Luxury Hotels Invited Loyalty Programme
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The Novotel Phuket Karon Beach Resort and Spa offers fabulous facilities and is perfectly placed to explore Phuket, the largest island in Thailand; located in Karon with its laid back, relaxed vibe you get the best of both worlds; a relaxing base but you’re near enough to the action too. Location The hotel is very … Continue reading Review: Novotel Phuket Karon Beach Resort and Spa
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This article outlines the hotels in Chicago which offer club or executive lounges to guests. By reviewing each of these club or executive lounges, in turn, I conclude which hotel has the best club lounge in Chicago. Why Choose A Chicago Hotel With A Club Lounge? When deciding which hotel to choose for your stay … Continue reading Best Executive Or Club Lounges In Chicago Hotels
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Helicopter Flight Over the Grand Canyon
The helicopter’s rotor fired up, whirring above our heads. Our pilot took the controls and we suddenly began to hover off the ground, rising into the sky above Las Vegas.
It was early in the morning, about 7am, just after sunrise at Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas.
Anna and I were flying out to the Grand Canyon with Maverick Helicopters after they’d picked us up from the Venetian Hotel.
I love helicopters. When I was a kid, I wanted to become a pilot (ok, I still do).
Scenic helicopter flights like this are one of the things I sometimes splurge on when I travel. Not only is it a super cool experience just flying in them, but the aerial photography opportunities are excellent too!
I was especially looking forward to flying over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter. After traveling the world for years, this was actually going to be my very first trip to the Grand Canyon!
The Las Vegas Strip
We’re Not Excited at All…
Impressive View of the Hoover Dam
The journey started as we flew above the Las Vegas strip in Maverick’s 8 person ECO Star EC-130 helicopter. It was fun looking down on the casinos and landmarks of Vegas from the aircraft’s large windows.
Iconic hotels like the the Venetian, the MGM Grand, and even the golden (and gaudy) Trump Tower.
Flying away from Vegas, we entered the desolate and beautiful Nevada desert. A vast dry mountain landscape stretching on for miles. We passed over Fortification Hill, an extinct volcano that was formed about 13 million years ago as the crust around Lake Mead stretched thin.
Next it was on to the impressive Hoover Dam, where we circled a few times to admire this marvel of engineering and labor built during the Great Depression that employed 21,000 workers.
A massive 60-story wall of concrete and steel, the Hoover Dam provides electricity to cities nearby using the power of the Colorado River. When it was built, it was the largest concrete structure in the world.
The Vast Nevada Desert
Lake Mead in the Distance
The Valley Of Fire
The Hoover Dam holds back the bright blue waters of Lake Mead, the largest fresh-water reservoir in the United States. It’s difficult to get a sense of just how large this lake is until you fly over it.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area provides many opportunities for boating, hiking, cycling, and camping within its boundaries.
Another landmark we passed on our helicopter journey to the Grand Canyon is the Valley Of Fire, a stunning & colorful valley in the Mojave Desert full of strange Aztec sandstone outcrops.
This magnificent red sandstone landscape was formed by great shifting sand dunes during the age of the dinosaurs more than 150 million years ago.
While flying over it was awesome, driving through the Valley Of Fire is a wonderful day trip or weekend getaway from Las Vegas if you want to get away from the city!
Flying Through the Grand Canyon!
Landing for Snacks & Photos
West Rim of the Grand Canyon
Finally, the West Rim of the Grand Canyon itself came into view. I knew it was going to be epic, and wasn’t disappointed.
The canyon was formed by the Colorado River cutting channels through layers of rock over millions of years, exposing colorful bands of rock that reveal a rich geological history of the Earth.
But we didn’t just fly over the Grand Canyon, oh no. We descended and flew THROUGH it, cruising past steep canyon walls on each side of the helicopter. So much fun!
Then, as if that wasn’t enough excitement, we landed inside the Grand Canyon itself. A special remote area of Hualapai Indian Territory, perched on a cliff 300 feet above the Colorado River.
Here we watched the morning sun crest over the walls of the canyon with champagne and snacks. Hiking around to admire the natural scenery and taking photos before taking off again for Las Vegas.
Maverick Helicopter Flights
This was the Wind Dancer Grand Canyon Tour from Las Vegas. It includes a Grand Canyon landing with champagne and snacks.
While there are many different time-slots, we choose the early morning one to avoid crowds and for the pleasant morning light, which is usually better for photography.
The Grand Canyon helicopter flights are popular, and the landing zone can accommodate multiple helicopters. Because we chose the first flight of the morning, we had the whole place to ourselves!
Maverick offers other types of helicopter flights too, like a shorter Las Vegas Strip Tour (available both during the day or at night) plus a HeliYoga Tour. ★
Hitchhiking Across The United States
My Helicopter Flight Over Manhattan
Road Tripping From Miami To Key West
Have any questions about my helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon? Have you ever been before? Drop me a message in the comments below!
This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.
It is no secret that I am a huge fan of sparkly and luxury swimwear. When I head down to the pool, I have an array of bikinis to choose between from flowery and frilly numbers that I love but my husband does not; he doesn’t share my joy in wearing vivid, multicoloured flappy swimwear … Continue reading Best Swimwear For Your Holidays
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It can change your onboard experience if you choose the best seats in your cabin class. The best Premium Economy or World Traveller Plus seats on the British Airways Airbus A380-800 can be seen in the seat plan pictured above. In the article below I conclude which are the best and worst seats on this … Continue reading Best Premium Economy Seats On British Airways A380
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The Cove House and Little Cove House beach retreat offer stunning luxury vacation rentals on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Each house is perched above a spectacular white sandy cove where you can spend your days gazing across the coconut palms, surfing and snorkelling in the glistening azure waters, or simply relaxing in the … Continue reading Review: Cove Houses On A Picture Perfect Cove In Sri Lanka
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For a wonderfully central location in the heart of the fabulous, historic city of Rome, check into the Hotel Dei Mellini. Elegant, with excellent service and the huge bonus of being able to walk to all the major attractions. Location Hotel Dei Mellini is located in the heart of Rome on the right bank of … Continue reading Review: Hotel Dei Mellini In Rome
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This offer is for a free First Class flight upgrade from Business Class to First Class on American Airlines one-way at no extra cost. This deal is part of the free British Airways First Class Flight upgrade offer that I have already highlighted, but I felt that it was worth highlighting the American Airlines side … Continue reading Free American Airlines First Class Flight Upgrade
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This offer is for a free First Class flight upgrade from Business Class to First Class on British Airways one-way at no extra cost. The deal was highlighted to me by HeadForPoints.com) To secure this upgrade you need to book a flexible or semi-flexible Club World ticket (in R, D, C or J ticket buckets) … Continue reading Free British Airways First Class Flight Upgrade
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