Grand Canyon Tours - Grand Canyon National Park

Within the heart of the Grand Canyon lies peace and tranquility, pumping life into perhaps some of the most stunning scenery in the world. These characteristics allow a rare blend of spirits between earth and people and it is this blend that makes the Grand Canyon such a sacred place to visit.

We recognized this at Grand-Adventures.com and knew that we had to design a tour that respects this blend between people and nature.

Our staple tour at the South Rim includes a four-hour Grand Canyon guided walking tour, a picnic lunch on the rim, a CD slideshow of your trip, a McDonalds breakfast, small groups of 10 or less, a photo stop at Hoover Dam, and a free t-shirt.

We first recognized that we could not be commercial and still allow you to feel the true spirit of the Grand Canyon. Our conclusion was to remove all commercial handcuffs like the IMAX theatre and a buffet.

We also know that intimacy means being close and the right way to start building intimacy between people and nature is to start with the group itself. We cap our group sizes at 10. We feel that trying to blend a large, informal group into such an intimate place as the Grand Canyon is awkward and commercial.

Smaller groups allow us to establish intimacy, travel much faster, and give you more time at the Grand Canyon.

Well start our day by picking you up between 6-6:30am at the main entrance of your hotel or casino. Its short ride to Boulder, Nevada, and well stop here to eat our McDonalds breakfast.


You can order as much as you like because we feel its important to feed you right! Once we finish this meal well round the corner out of Boulder and stop at Hoover Dam.

Hoover Dam is located just outside Boulder, Nevada. It was built between 1931 1935 and is an engineering masterpiece. Well stop here for about 15 minutes, take some pictures, then get back onto our journey to the Grand Canyon.

It takes about five hours to drive to the Grand Canyon but the easy flow of traffic and steady change in scenery makes it quick and comforting. Well arrive at Grand Canyon Village between 11:30 and 12 noon. We use 15 passenger vans (but only allocate 10 people per van), SUVs, and minivans.

Your four-hour Grand Canyon guided walking tour will begin at Bright Angel Lodge and follow the trail WEST of Grand Canyon Village. This is very important because this part of the park is not accessible to any of the commercial tour buses.

This means that the lookout points and trails are less crowded (the lookout points EAST of Grand Canyon Village have over a hundred people on them in the summer months). The walking trail is rated at 2/10 and is a very easy, flat, paved trail.

Well stop for your picnic lunch about 30-45 minutes into the walk unless the group is not ready to eat yet. We will convene at Hopi Point to determine if the group would like to see more of the park or return to Grand Canyon Village.

Lucky for you, we wont return by foot! Well use the free Grand Canyon National Park shuttle service and return quickly to the village. Here, youll have plenty of time to shop, get an ice cream cone, or even have a cold beer in the pub.

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Altitude Sickness on Your Skiing Holiday

Altitude sickness is little documented but very real problem for skiers of all abilities and levels of experience during their skiing vacations.

Often a stay in an idyllic, high altitude La Plagne chalets can cause the same problems as a hike up Kilimanjaro! Here we give you the lowdown on the symptoms and experiences of skiers with altitude sickness.

What with all the rich holiday food, the intense exercise and that bottle of mulled wine you saw off around the fire of your La Plagne chalet the night before, you may put your light head and nausea down to indigestion, tiredness or even a hangover. But often, the real culprit is altitude sickness.

Altitude sickness can be a real problem for skiers, especially in high altitude locations. It is a problem which is often overlooked but which can be extremely dangerous if you find yourself affected whilst out on the slopes. Even from the comfort of your La Plagne chalet it can be an extremely unpleasant experience.
Symptoms of altitude sickness include:

• Light-headedness
• Physical weakness
• Tiredness
• Exhaustion
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Dehydration
• Mental Confusion

Trouble Sleeping

The effects of altitude sickness whilst skiing can range from the unpleasant to the extremely dangerous. You are unlikely to find yourself suffering too severely in your La Plagne chalet because skiing accommodation is often situated lower than the ski slopes themselves. But once up and ready to ski, especially at altitudes greater than 6,500 ft, you could get into real trouble.

There have been plenty of frightening reports of altitude sick skiers becoming disorientated and lost in the cold. The key, according to many health professionals, is hydration. Drinking lots of water, around 8 litres a day, can help you to fend off altitude sickness.

Equally, avoiding large amounts of coffee and alcohol can help stop you becoming dehydrated and therefore altitude sick.

Ascending mountains slowly can also help to reduce the problem. Perhaps spending the first day of your skiing holiday on lower ski runs and then working your way up is advised, as this will allow your body to get used to the lack of oxygen.

Above all, be sensible! If you feel unwell then avoid skiing, snuggle up in your La Plagne chalet and, if the symptoms persist, seek the advice of a local doctor who will be well versed in altitude sickness problems.

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