Grand Canyon and Death Valley National Parks

I would like to share my experiences in Grand Canyon and Death Valley National Parks on this Travel tips – USA and Canada series. I will also be sharing some of my favourite photos taken in these two National Parks. 

I visited Grand Canyon and Death Valley National Parks in February 2017 while I was in Las Vegas. I went by tours with Canyon Tours, which is actually Casino Travel and Tours. I joined three of them, which are:

1. Grand Canyon South Rim Adventure.
2. Grand Canyon West Rim with Helicopter Floor Landing.
3. Death Valley Bus Tour.

I really enjoyed all three tours! I had the same tour guide, Jack, for both the Grand Canyon South Rim Adventure and Death Valley Bus Tour. Jack is very well-traveled and well-read – he is like an encyclopedia. He is very knowledgeable and entertaining. The drive to the South Rim of Grand Canyon took us more than 4 hours. This is not a popular tour because of the long drive. There were only 4 of us, including Jack, for the Grand Canyon South Rim Adventure, which I absolutely love. The Grand Canyon West Rim tour, on the other hand, was a big group, probably around 40 people. However, it did not affect my experience because once we arrived in the West Rim, we were free to roam by ourselves.

Grand Canyon South Rim

Once we arrived at the South Rim, we were free to explore on our own by the walking trails. I was blown away by the beauty and vastness of Grand Canyon the moment I stepped out of our van. I was dumbfounded – it was wondrous for me and no words could describe how majestic Grand Canyon is.

Grand Canyon West Rim

The Grand Canyon West Rim is owned and operated by the Hualapai Indian Tribe. There is an admission fee, which is included in the tour. Once inside, there are shuttle buses that bring visitors to their various points of interests. You are no allowed to roam outside of these stops. I opted in for the helicopter tour! It is more expensive but definitely worth it! It was incredible to experience Grand Canyon from the top and then land at the bottom of it! It was my first time in a helicopter too – I was a little bit scared when the helicopter took off but the rest of it was just amazing! I absolutely love this! I highly recommend doing the helicopter tour in the West Rim, if you are brave enough 🙂

Death Valley

We visited a few sights in Death Valley National Park, including the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Badwater Basin Salt Flats and Zabriskie Point. My favourite is the Zabriskie Point. The hard drought-plagued sun-baked slopes around Zabriskie Point support almost no vegetation. The rare rain that comes to Death Valley arrives in the form of downpours, which form the rills and gullies that reshape the landscape (you can read more about Zabriskie Point Here). The whole landscape is so colourful and unique!

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Have you been to Grand Canyon and/or Death Valley National Parks? I’d love to hear your experiences! Leave your comments below. If you haven’t, I hope these photos would inspire you to explore these magnificent National Parks.

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Next on the travel tips series is Chicago. Stay tuned!

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Photography Information:
Camera: Nikon D800.
Lens for Nikon: Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8.
Post-processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.

The video was taken using iPhone7plus.