Grand Canyon West Helicopter Tour with VIP Skywalk and Boat Ride
Description
Experience the ultimate Grand Canyon adventure from Las Vegas with a round-trip helicopter flight, Skywalk VIP access, and a scenic pontoon boat ride on the Colorado River. Departing from Boulder City, enjoy aerial views of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and desert landscapes before landing at the canyon floor for a peaceful river cruise. Then, soar back to the rim for exclusive entry onto the world-famous Skywalk Bridge—plus enjoy hotel transfers.
Tour Options
Itinerary
See the iconic Hoover Dam from above as you fly to the Grand Canyon on a scenic helicopter tour featuring stunning views and large panoramic windows. Enjoy breathtaking aerial perspectives of the dam, Lake Mead, and the surrounding desert landscape. This unforgettable flight offers incredible photo opportunities and a unique way to experience one of America’s greatest engineering marvels.
Fly over Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the Southwest, and take in breathtaking aerial views of its deep blue waters and surrounding desert terrain. This scenic highlight is a must-see on your Grand Canyon helicopter tour from Las Vegas.
Hoover Dam is an iconic engineering marvel spanning the Colorado River on the Nevada–Arizona border.
Enjoy a peaceful pontoon boat ride on the Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, offering a calm and scenic break between helicopter flights. Glide between towering canyon walls and soak in the natural beauty from a unique vantage point. This unforgettable river cruise is the perfect complement to your Skywalk and helicopter adventure.
See Grand Canyon West from above on a scenic helicopter flight before landing on the rim to explore its stunning viewpoints. Take in breathtaking aerial views of the canyon’s dramatic cliffs, winding river, and colorful rock formations. This unforgettable experience combines sky-high sightseeing with ground-level exploration.
Experience the thrill of walking on the Skywalk glass bridge with VIP access, where you can look nearly a mile down to the canyon floor beneath your feet. A souvenir photo is included to capture this unforgettable moment. After your Skywalk adventure, board your helicopter for a scenic return flight to the heliport.
Guano Point is a stunning canyon overlook at Grand Canyon West offering sweeping, panoramic views of the Colorado River and surrounding rock formations. Visitors can walk along a rugged ridge that extends into the canyon for dramatic 360-degree vistas.
Return to the terminal for your return flight to Boulder City.
Return to our Boulder City terminal and board our transportation shuttles to return back to the pick up location.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
• Hotel transfers are available from 8 major hotels along Las Vegas Strip and Downtown area. Pick up time may vary based on the hotel you choose.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Personal belongings such as backpacks, handbags and cameras are not allowed on the Skywalk; complimentary storage lockers are available to hold your belongings
- Infant children are considered a lap child if they are under the age of two and have proof of age, such as a passport or a copy of their birth certificate
- All passengers 18 years of age and older must present government-issued photo ID
- For comfort and weight/balance of the aircraft, passengers weighing 300 lbs or greater will be required to purchase an additional seat. This is payable directly to the tour operator on the day of the tour
Reviews(97)
The price was kind of steep but the experience was amazing!!! The pilot was very friendly and so was the staff in Boulder City!! The ride to the Grand Canyon was good. The only detractor was that people could not talk to each other through the headphones and you also could not hear the questions asked to the pilot, only his answers! The boat ride was absolutely THE BEST !! People were so friendly and a great attitude even in extreme heat!! Highly recommend!!!
We’re glad our pilot and Boulder City team made the day so enjoyable. It’s great to hear the boat ride stood out as such a memorable part of the experience!
This was our second trip with Papillon Helicopters and both were outstanding! After spending time on the rim of the canyon earlier, the trip to the bottom of the canyon / boat tour was a very different and rewarding way to experience the Grand Canyon. The Skywalk and vantage points were certainly worth making a part of the overall experience, although I wouldn't allocate a lot of time to those. The helicopter tour was an essential part of the trip, and our pilot Wesley made it fun and informative. Definitely a must-do on our recommended ways to see the Grand Canyon. Be aware that temperatures at the bottom of the canyon are around 20 degrees hotter than the rim. Also, plan some time at the South Rim for more a broader perspective of the canyon.
We truly appreciate your kind words, Thomas. It's wonderful to know that both your experiences with us were memorable. Thank you for your tips regarding the temperatures and time at the South Rim; they will surely help other guests.
This was a brilliant trip, seeing the Grand Canyon from a different perspective. We took the trip with our adult daughters who loved it. We felt well looked after & Dylan our pilot was great.
After much deliberation on who to book with, I went with this tour. It was fantastic. We had Elliot as our helicopter pilot and he was friendly and chatty. I enjoyed it being a small group tour. The tour allowed plenty of time to see Eagle Rock and do the Skywalk, and also see Guano Point. The pontoon ride on the Colorado river was great and our boat driver was really interesting to listen to. It's a higher cost than some of the other tours, but we were able to fit in a lot in a smaller time without the long bus ride there and back. It also meant we were back in Vegas early enough to adventure some more. Lunch was included. Recommend taking an extra top layer to put on while on the river - a long sleeve t-shirt was sufficient and easy carry when not required. All that info is also included in the information from Papillon.
Great time! Mitch, our pilot was awesome. Took great care of us and gave us lots of good information.
This experience was awesome, I felt like a star traveling on helicopter from one place to another all day, I got to sit on the front with the pilot. The views are amazing and the people are friendly. I would recommend this for sure.
This was not a VIP experience, it could have been had the expectations and promises been delivered. For $2500 (for 2) I expected better. Some of the items advertised as part of this tour were not included. The helicopter ride was fabulous as would be expected and the Grand Canyon spectacular. And the boat ride although short was a different visual perspective. But the advertised inclusion of a skywalk photo was not forthcoming. It was crossed out on the paper provided at the helicopter terminal even though it appears in tour inclusions on TripAdvisor. Also more impacting was the inclusion in writing and explanation by Papillon Helicopters on arrival that the tour included a shuttle service by them from the Papillon helicopter terminal at Grand Canyon to the various vantage points with strict instructions to ensure a 3pm final return to make it for departure of helicopter. After waiting 25 minutes on arrival at GC for the shuttle (with only 2 hours there and a strict time limit) I went in to ask about the shuttle. There were 3 shuttles parked outside the terminal and numerous staff inside chatting and on mobile phones. I was asked how many of us arrived by the helicopter and mins later we were transported. But then asking about our next shuttle we were told to use the public service along with all other tourists! I didn’t pay for that and this resulted in waiting in long queues at the bus stop and then no time at the various locations. Also our ‘vip’ skywalk skip the line wasn’t honoured either. We had to line up along with all others. So. If you are thinking about this experience you’d be better off finding your own way to the Boulder helicopter terminal, paying for the trip on the helicopter, using the public shuttle. Save yourself some money.
Thank you very much for taking the time to share such a detailed review. We’re sincerely sorry to hear that your experience didn’t live up to the “VIP” expectations that were promised. It’s disappointing to know that certain advertised inclusions — such as the Skywalk photo, shuttle service, and skip-the-line access — did not align with what you were led to expect, especially given the premium price and the importance of your time at the canyon. While we’re very glad to hear you enjoyed the helicopter flight itself and the stunning views from both air and river, we completely understand how frustrating these inconsistencies and delays must have been. That’s not the experience we aim to deliver, and your feedback will be shared with our operations and partnerships teams to ensure this is reviewed and corrected.
Collin was a great pilot and really made our tour of the Grand Canyon a very memorable one. The helicopter tour and the boat ride down the Colorado River and being able to walk out on the Skywalk was the Best Way to take in all of the beauty of the Grand Canyon.
This was a such a wonderful experience everyone at Papplion helicopter tours and the Grand Canyon were amazing. Everyone had so much information, and The Svywalk photographers were awesome. Highly recommend you yourself to a fabulous and unforgettable experience.
No advance information regarding physical condition required to walk down (and back up) 7 flights of stairs from the helicopter to the boat. Mind you this was in 108 deg. heat. Even the physically fit struggled as much as my 73 year old broken body. Other helicopter operators into the canyon switched the seating assignments so that everyone would have a chance to sit upfront, but not this operator, if you are assigned a middle seat in the back you will be there for the entire time with no view! At the Sky walk and at Guano point no tour operator personal present, you will need to ask for directions, assistance and help from there competitors. For the price we paid I would have appreciated the pick up and drop off at our hotel and not at a nearby hotel (25 min walk). This was our 3rd. Helicopter flight into the Grand Canyon and most certainly the most disappointing.
