Scene-sational (Grand Canyon National Park)

Member Name: ld75454

Product:	Grand Canyon National Park
Date:	22/09/09 (159 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The amazing views

Disadvantages: None

My boyfriend and I decided that visiting the Grand Canyon was something that we had to do whilst on holiday in Las Vegas. It is not somewhere that we anticipate travelling to again therefore it was a somewhere that we were certain we wanted to see. It was day 4 of our holiday and we were running out of days to travel to the canyon so the main task of the day whilst viewing the hotels along the strip was to find a tour to the Grand Canyon that we wanted to go on that was also within our price range.

After going to the concierge desk at our hotel and being given a number of options that were well above our price range we were feeling a bit downbeat thinking that maybe we wouldn't get the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon after all. This was until we visited a Tix4Less stand with electronic boards which offer discounted tours and shows. On the board we saw a Helicopter Tour and a West Rim Bus Tour. I suffer from travel sickness big time. Before travelling, I visited Boots and bought some travel tablets as well as travel bands which had been recommended to me by a colleague at work. We discussed which trip we wanted to take and settled on the West Rim Bus Tour as we wanted to take lots of pictures of scenery that we had been told was amazing (especially as my boyfriend had brought his new lens for his camera with him) and the helicopter tour that they were offer flew over the canyon but did not land. Also, it was the less expensive option and we used the money we didn't spend on tickets to see Barry Manilow!

We booked the West Rim Bus Tour with Tix4Less and it cost $280 for the pair of us which works out at approximately £170 which is quite reasonable for what incorporated a light breakfast, buffet lunch and the bus tour which incorporated a photo opportunity at Hoover Dam on route to the Grand Canyon.


We were collected by a shuttle bus outside the side entrance of our hotel (MGM Grand) at an unearthly hour of the morning, 5.30am. Our tour guide, Mark Gilmore (who looked very much like one of the chuckle brothers) checked our names off the list and handed us a sticker to put on our clothes. I felt a bit like I was at school although these stickers turn out to be very important to the tour guides when people go walkabout whilst at the Canyon. This shuttle then took us on to the Luxor Hotel where a large air-conditioned coach was waiting.

Free chilled bottles of water were supplied to all passengers on the coach throughout the day to prevent anyone from getting dehydrated. I was quite impressed by this as I was drinking a large amount of water whilst in Las Vegas and the water isn't very cheap out there.

Whilst at Hoover Dam, we were given a small boxed breakfast which contained fruit juice, a large muffin, an apple and some biscuits. And from here we were on route to the main event, the Grand Canyon. From Hoover Dam to the Grand Canyon, the tour guide Mark put on a short DVD that spoke about the history of the canyon which I thought was quite a nice touch. He also showed his knowledge in telling us a lot of interesting facts about this amazing place. The journey was extremely smooth until you reached a dirt track road. It is a shame we didn't go next year or the year after as this is currently being concreted and the bumpiness of the road did make me feel a little sick. I just focused on the cool scenery on route to the canyon as we were driving through an area with masses of Joshua Trees. If you don't know what these are, have a look at a picture on google. They really are funky and make for a pretty good landscape on your drive up.

Before you can drive on to Eagle Point, the first stop is a main area where your tour guide registers your group and any of those in the group go off on their helicopter rides from here. There is also a small shop which allows you to buy any souvenirs of the Grand Canyon like books, key rings, postcards and other gifts for you to take home with you for friends and family or for yourself as a reminder of your visit.

The fist place that we stopped was called Eagle Point. The reason for it being called this is because the rocks appear in the shape of an eagle with spread wings. The landscape here is absolutely stunning. It is unbelievable that this scenery is completely natural. A member of the Hualapai tribe (the tribe that own the Grand Canyon) stood on the rocks where tourists like myself and my boyfriend would look at the views and was available to ask any questions and always offer to take photographs if you wish to have a picture of you in front of the beautiful landscape that is the Grand Canyon. I asked the member of the tribe if he ever got bored of the sight that although is breathtaking, seeing it everyday might get a little boring after a while. He said no because the landscape changes a little every single day. Small and big rocks break off and edit the sight. It was this comment that led me to move backwards from the edge as it is a long way down and there is nothing to prevent your from falling to a painful death. The tour guide told us on the way to Eagle Point to watch our step as there are no rails along the edge as the tribe do not want to spoil the landscape and that makes the landscape all the more beautiful. I think if rails were to be put up around the edge; it really would take something away from the Grand Canyon even if it would be safer. Also, if you do ever decide to go, take my advice and don't wear flip flops like I did. Eagle Point in particular have unsafe rocks as well as numerous cracks which mean that you can loose your footing quite easily but if you tread carefully and wear sensible footwear, you will be fine. And also make sure you take plenty of photographs. It is truly sensational.

The skywalk is also situated at Eagle Point. It is a structure that looks is approximately 70 over the Canyon. This is not something that interested my partner and I as the tour guide had put us off it a little. He believed that it is just a money making scheme (which in fairness it is) and is a bit of an eye sore.

When the hour that was allocated to Eagle Point was up, we made our way back to the coach. The next stop was Guano Point. Mark said that if we thought that Eagle Point had good views, we were now in for a real treat. I could not believe that this could be the case but they really were. Before taking a walk around Guano Point we were to the small restaurant which included a small, selective buffet of rice, chicken and burritos. We sat on the allocated benches outside which were undercover, thankfully from the blistering heat.

When we had finished our lunch we went for a walk around the edge of Guano Point. There was plenty of pathway to walk around to the other side of the canyon. As you walk along the path, you see different perspectives of the breathtaking views of the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon and you have clear views of the Colorado River. As you walk further around, you come to a large hill that you can walk up and take great pictures although I was too much of a chicken to climb up it myself. It is also at Guano Point that you can see mining remains. The scenery at this place looks like it is background from a film. It really does not look real.

On our return journey a film was put on for us to watch but I must admit I feel asleep until my boyfriend work me up to tell me we were taking a slight detour to see some horned sheep at a local park in Boulder City. This was a nice little break in the coach trip but not something that was scheduled into the trip. We were returned back to our hotel by the coach at around 5pm that evening so it was a very long day although I did see that there were longer tours available.

Visiting the Grand Canyon was remarkable. I can honestly say that I have not seen a scene so breathtaking in my life. The pictures that I have taken look like I am standing behind a film set, it really is unbelievable. I strongly recommend a visit to the Grand Canyon if you ever visit Las Vegas. It is something that everyone should see first hand. It may seem like a large amount of money and a whole day taken out of your holiday but I believe it was worth every single penny. And I am 100% pleased that we went for the bus tour as we have the most amazing pictures as a reminder of the views that we witnessed. If you get the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon, do it!

Summary: The most amazing views I have ever seen.