It's not a trip to Las Vegas unless you go to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon by bus. I recently booked an extended version of this tour and I was thoroughly satisfied. Here's a review of my trip:The bus operator arranged to pick me up at 7 a.m. I was fine with that. The blackjack tables were eating me alive. The shuttle was right on time. I joined the other passengers for a coffee and a Danish and off we went.Today's luxury bus is a marvel of automotive engineering. These motor coaches are sleek, $500,000 machines. Mine was outfitted with super-comfy seats, individual climate-control stations, a squeaky clean restroom, and seven TVs that played a documentary about the West Rim.Each of us got a pair of headphones. I used mine to listen to a pre-recorded trip narration. It was fascinating. I felt it greatly enhanced my experience. Other "extras" that I felt mattered was the fold out seat-arm, food tray, and cup holder. These items may sound trivial but I found them very useful.Grand Canyon West is 120 miles away from Vegas. Takes about 2.5 hours to get there. The first part of the drive takes in Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. My tour included a photo stop at the Dam on the Arizona side. It's amazing how far the water level has gone down. The view of the new Bypass Bridge is excellent from here, too.The last ten miles of the trip was on a rough dirt road. The coach I was on handled it like a champ. I thought to myself, "I would not want to drive this stretch myself." I have to give credit to our driver for expertly navigating this section.My bus tour included a helicopter ride and boat trip. Other options include a helicopter flight, Grand Canyon Skywalk tickets, and a basic ground tour of the rim.I transferred over to the helicopter made the 4,000-foot descent to the bottom. It was phenomenal. I'd describe it as one huge canyon carve. At the base, I enjoyed a Champagne picnic. Then I embarked on my Grand Canyon rafting trip, which turned out to be a totally enjoyable smooth-water float ride down Colorado River.I rejoined my fellow bus travelers at the top of the rim. I overheard a couple from the U.K. rave about Eagle Point and Guano Point. My seatmate exclaimed how awesome the glass bridge was, showing me a picture of her "catching air" at the end of it.Purchase your canyon bus tours from Las Vegas online. There's a lot of operators out there who want your business. Thus the price wars. That said, try to make sure package includes a stop at Hoover Dam. Booking in advance should also help get you the best price.These Grand Canyon bus to the West Rim last a half day. If you make plans in Vegas for the evening, I suggest you push them to 8 p.m. Be conservative on this. I was very satisfied with my bus tour. I saw everything as promised and more, and give my experience a five-star rating.
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