Grand Celebration Tour

The Grand Celebration is Papillon’s best-known helicopter tour from Las Vegas: about 70 minutes in the air over Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Grand Wash Cliffs, and a landing 3,200 feet down inside the Grand Canyon, at Grand Canyon West.

On the canyon floor you get about 30 minutes, with champagne and a light picnic in the shade of a ramada, looking over the Colorado River. Then the same helicopter flies you back to Papillon’s terminal in Boulder City.

Count about 4 to 4½ hours from hotel pickup to drop-off. The transfer is included from a list of Strip and Downtown hotels: check yours when you book.

Everyone 18 and over needs an original REAL ID-compliant license or a passport; without one, Papillon refuses check-in and refunds no one in the booking.

Check in 45 minutes before flight time, or the booking is cancelled as a no-show. Changes are free until 72 hours before departure. Cancelling by then gets you a credit voucher for the full price, good for a year, not a refund; inside 72 hours, no changes or refunds. Reconfirm by phone a day or two ahead.

Wear sturdy closed-toe shoes: the ground at the landing site is rocky and uneven.

Selfie sticks and extending poles aren’t allowed on board.

Passengers of 300 pounds or more pay for an extra comfort seat at check-in, and children aged 2 to 11 have their own fare; under-2s fly free on a lap.