Highlights of Caravan’s Grand Canyon Tour

This post includes Grand Canyon information and tour highlights by Caravan Tours.

Caravan is one of many tour operators however, we offer an all-inclusive vacation so you can experience one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World fully guided. Our tours are also ideal for travelers of all ages (from age 5 and up).

Tourists & Tour Companies

Grand Canyon National Park, just north of Phoenix, Arizona, is also a World Heritage Site and attracts nearly five million tourists each year. Over 80% of them are from the United States.

To accommodate all the annual tourists, the Grand Canyon area is well developed. There are excellent hotels and accommodations plus plenty of tour companies for anyone wishing to enjoy a Grand Canyon tour on the South Rim or the North Rim.

It’s relatively easy to find tours and Grand Canyon information to help you explore this national treasure. Here are a few options you might want to consider:

  • Fully guided, all-inclusive Grand Canyon Tour by Caravan (includes Bryce Canyon & Zion Park)
  • Grand Canyon helicopter tours
  • Grand Canyon river-rafting trips
  • Guided Grand Canyon National Park tour
  • Grand Canyon railway package
  • Grand Canyon jeep tours
  • Self-guided hiking and bike tours

Many of the more adventurous Grand Canyon activities require experience or the assistance of a knowledgeable guide since even the fittest of individuals may find the Grand Canyon challenging.

One must respect the Grand Canyon’s vastness, steepness of the rocky trails, changes in elevation, and the possibility of heat exhaustion caused by the much higher temperatures that prevail at the bottom of the canyon.

Grand Canyon Weather

It’s important to stay on top of the Grand Canyon weather information as it can change quickly and according to elevation. Generally, cooler climates rule the Northern Rim while hotter temperatures prevail in the Southern Rim.

Both rims of the Grand Canyon get heavy rains during the summer and road closures are common.

Grand Canyon Facts

Grand Canyon tours and activities are awe-inspiring journeys through earth’s early history.

This is one of the most complete geological cross-sections visible on our planet with several archaeological sites that date back hundreds of millions of years. You’ll see visibly exposed layers upon layers of sediment and rock that walk us back through time, well before the time of the dinosaurs.

We’ll include more Caravan tour and Grand Canyon information below, but for now, here are some Grand Canyon Facts that may surprise you.

Over hundreds of millions of years, the Colorado River has carved this mesmerizing, powerful, yet breathtakingly beautiful gorge through Northern Arizona.

The sheer size of Arizona’s Grand Canyon is overwhelming.

  • The Colorado River runs for 277 miles at the bottom of the canyon.
  • At its widest the canyon is 18 miles across.
  • At its deepest the canyon is over a mile deep.
  • Grand Canyon National Park is over 1.2 million acres in size.
  • Over 1,500 species of plants and animals live in the canyon.
  • Over time, the river exposed nearly two billion years of the world’s geological history.

Is the Grand Canyon the biggest canyon in the world? No.

The world’s deepest gorge is Kali Gandaki Gorge in Nepal at 3.7 miles (6-km). The world’s biggest and widest canyon is Capertee Valley in Australia, which is 18 miles (300-km) wide. Even Mexico’s Copper Canyon is larger than the Grand Canyon.

However, none of them can match the colorful beauty and overpowering wonder of the Grand Canyon.

Caravan Grand Canyon Travel Itinerary

Caravan Grand Canyon Tours begin in Phoenix, the capital and largest city in Arizona.

Upon landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, our guests stay one night in Phoenix before starting our fully guided tour that includes:

Bryce Canyon National Park Info

Just 150 miles from the Grand Canyon is Bryce Canyon National Park, which is renowned for its famous whimsical and colorful hoodoo rock formations and breathtaking views of the Bryce Canyon Amphitheatre from Bryce Point. You won’t find such a concentrated collection of naturally formed hoodoos anywhere else in the world.

Zion National Park Info

Just 78 miles from Bryce Canyon is Zion National Park in Utah. With the Grand Canyon at the bottom and Bryce Canyon at the top, Zion National Park is the middle of a monumental geological structure called the Grand Staircase.

Following the tour, guests will be bused to the Las Vegas airport for the return flights home.

Caravan Grand Canyon Accommodations

Grand Canyon Lodges (2 nights) – Two nights of the Grand Canyon tour are spent right at the Canyon with accommodations at one of three Grand Canyon Park Lodges located inside Grand Canyon National Park near the South Rim including:

  • Thunderbird Lodge
  • Kachina Lodge
  • Maswik North Lodge

Apart from a short orientation session, tourists are at leisure to choose the Grand Canyon activities that interest them, such as hiking the canyon rim trails, visiting historic buildings, or checking out the Lookout Studio.

Lake Powell Resort (2 nights) – After departing the Grand Canyon, Caravan tourists stay at Lake Powell Resort where they enjoy a Lake Powell boat cruise and take a guided jeep tour of Monument Valley.

Zion Park Lodge (2 nights) – This Bryce, Zion, and Grand Canyon tour also includes one day at Bryce Canyon and one day at Zion Park.

This nicely rounds out the tour experience before heading past the Grand Canyon west rim to Las Vegas, Nevada where the tour officially ends.

Grand Canyon Information on Sights & Activities

Throughout the year, Grand Canyon National Park also offers several events and activities that visitors can participate in including guided walking tours, films, and free ranger programs.

Here are a few attractions and activities that visitors can participate in.

Grand Canyon Train Ride

This 90-minute Grand Canyon train tour on the Coconino Canyon Train travels 24 miles through Grand Canyon National Park along historic train tracks built in the late 1800s.

Grand Canyon Skywalk at Eagle Point

Opened by the Hualapai Tribe on tribal land, the Grand Canyon Skywalk is a glass-bottomed bridge that juts out from the canyon rim some 70 feet in a horseshoe formation. The Skywalk offers visitors unparalleled unobstructed views of the canyon below.

Hermit Road Drive

Drive 7 miles along the rim of the canyon with numerous stops that offer unique viewpoints of the canyon including Maricopa Point, Hopi Point, The Abyss, and Pima Point.

Desert View Drive

This 22-mile-long drive offers better views of the Colorado River below with incredible viewpoints at Moran Point, Lipan Point, Navajo Point, Grandview Point, and Desert View.

Grand Canyon Rim Trail

This is an extremely scenic 13-mile walking trail that extends from the visitor center at South Kaibab Trailhead to Hermit’s Rest.

Grand Canyon Geological Museum

The museum features a wealth of geological Grand Canyon information. It also has a wall of windows with exceptional views and offers a detailed history of the geological features that can be seen from the windows.

Bright Angel Hiking Trail

At 19 miles, this is the park’s most popular hike but it’s not for the faint of heart. It can take 2-days to complete round trip.

Lookout Studio & Kolb Gallery

Located in the village near the start of Bright Angel Trail, Lookout Studio is a souvenir shop with two viewing areas. Kolb Gallery has a small store with different exhibits throughout the year.

Affordable Grand Canyon Tours by Caravan

Caravan’s fully escorted Grand Canyon Package Tour is unrivaled in both price and experience and include Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park!

There is no other 8-day, all-inclusive Grand Canyon vacation tour out there with the same high level of activities, luxury hotel accommodations, and professional tour guides!

For the absolute best value for the money, book your tour with Caravan Tours.

Since 1952, family run Caravan Tours have been offering all-inclusive tours throughout the United States, Canada, and Central America.

Call 1-800-CARAVAN (800-227-2826) for more Grand Canyon information or to book your tour today.

Visit Caravan’s Grand Canyon Tour reviews page to read what other travelers have to say.

/by