City tours
Other tours
You can get to know the enchanting desert landscape around Las Vegas on one of the many tours offered by different companies. Action Tours offers tours to the Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Red Rock Canyon, among other things, organizes wild water rides, excursions with off-road vehicles, horse rides and sightseeing flights.
Even Guaranteed Tours organize sightseeing trips to places such as the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead as well as the nearby towns Mesquite and Laughlin.
Phone: (702) 566 74 00 (Action Tours); (702) 369 10 00 (Guaranteed Tours)
website: http://www.actiontours.com
Bus tours
Gray Line Las Vegas offers a three-and-a-half hour tour of Las Vegas called ‘Neon and Lights’ that starts at 9:00 AM and costs $ 39. The commented tour begins in front of the Freemont Street Tour Center and leads along the strip and to other well-known landmarks, including the Special Memory Wedding Chapel, where you can get married comfortably without having to leave the car.
Phone: (702) 384 12 34 (Gray Line Las Vegas)
Tours
Las Vegas Boulevard – the main attraction of this 24-hour city – runs through the heart of downtown in the north of the city, the southern part is called the Strip. To see the sights, just walk down the street and follow the bright flashing lights.
Las Vegas offers a number of walking tours, but none of them include the city’s most famous landmark, the Strip. The entire campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas is also a tree nursery. Guided tours of the nursery administration, 4505 Maryland Parkway, are organized each month upon request.
You can take a self-guided tour of the Barrick Museum of Natural History on the UNLV campus. This free tour can be completed within an hour, the speed is up to you. Specimens of unique plants from dry regions worldwide can be found in the Xeric garden of the university. Spring is the best time to experience the delicate beauty of the desert, but many plant species in the garden also bloom in other seasons.
At Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, 2400 Moser Drive, Henderson, you can see over 200 bird species, but this bird sanctuary is also great for a quiet walk or picnic. There are observation points and benches along the signposted paths from which you can observe the animal life in the desert. The reserve is open daily from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is free of charge. As for the strip, visitors don’t need a city map or tour to see the attractions.
Phone: (702) 895 33 92 (nursery administration); (702) 566 29 39 (Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve)
Trips
Las Vegas full day excursions
Hoover Dam & Lake Mead: The Hoover Dam (Tel: (702) 293 83 21. Internet: www.hooverdam.com) is 35 miles from Las Vegas and one of the most famous dams in the world. It was built during the Great Depression as one of many American public projects and is an unusually beautiful, representative example of engineering from this era. The dam stretches 380 m along the Colorado, holding the water of Lake Meadback and consists of 2,486,250 cubic meters of cement. It primarily serves to generate electricity, which it uses to supply Nevada and the neighboring states of California and Arizona. The construction and power generation options from hydropower are explained on guided tours. Due to the recently increased security measures, visitors U. searched.
The Lake Mead Conservation Area (Tel: (702) 293 8901) is open 24 hours a day, offering opportunities for sightseeing and sunbathing, and numerous activities on the water. An admission ticket costs US $ 5 per vehicle and is valid for up to five days. Access to the Hoover Dam is available between 8 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. Admission is $ 10 and includes a tour, admission to an exhibition hall and viewing platform, and a movie showing the history of the dam. To visit Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, it is recommended to travel by car on Highway 93 (parking fee: US $ 3). Bus trips are offered by Gray Line Las Vegas (Tel: (702) 384 12 34).
Grand Canyon:From Las Vegas you can take a day trip to the Grand Canyon (Internet: www.thecanyon.com). Scenic Airlines (Tel: (800) 634 68 01. (702) 638 33 00. Email: [email protected]; Internet: www.scenic.com) offers a range of tours, including overnight stays and two-day hikes contain. The ‘Grand Canyon Deluxe’ tour includes a commented sightseeing flight over Lake Mead, Colorado and the Grand Canyon. After landing at Grand Canyon Airport, a bus tour takes you through Grand Canyon National Park (Tel: (928) 638 78 88), stopping often to admire the breathtaking scenery. The entire trip lasts eight hours, costs US $ 219 and includes the flight back to Las Vegas, lunch and transfer to and from the hotel. Scenic Airlines also offers a sightseeing flight to the highlights – Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Colorado and the western edge of the Grand Canyon. The trip (including transfers to and from the hotel) takes a total of three hours and costs US $ 109. Other specialized excursions to the western edge of the Grand Canyon take around five hours and either include a detour to an Indian reserveor a helicopter flight to see the canyon up close. Entry to the Grand Canyon costs $ 20 per vehicle or $ 10 per person. The largest visitor center is on the southern edge, east of the Grand Canyon Village, which is 96.5 km north of Interstate 40 (Williams exit) and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Zion National Park: Just beyond the border with the state of Utah, 215 km east of Las Vegas, is the breathtaking Zion National Park (Tel: (435) 772 32 56. Internet: www.zion.national-park.com). The park, which is popular for hiking and wildlife viewing, was named by Mormon pioneers who were awe-struck by the unique temple-like rock formations. There are several hiking trails available, but less sporty people can get to know the park with a shuttle bus. The Zion Park Lodge (Tel: (435) 772 32 13) offers comfortable accommodation and a restaurant on the premises. Internet: www.zionlodge.com). The park is open 24 hours a day. Admission costs 5 US $, but does not apply to overnight guests of the pension. Zion National Park can be reached from Las Vegas via Highway 15 to Utah SR9 and Utah SR17 in just over two hours.
Las Vegas half-day excursions
Red Rock Canyon: The 78,800-hectare Red Rock Canyon Park was declared a nature reserve in 1990 and is located 10 miles west of Las Vegas. The park has a very scenic road, hiking trails, picnic areas and opportunities for mountaineering and cycling. The main attraction of Red Rock Canyon is a geological feature called Keystone Thrust Fault. This fault occurred 65 million years ago when two of the earth slabs collided, pushing a gray limestone slab over a younger red slab, forming one of the most exciting landscapes of the Mojave desert. Today Joshua trees complement the poignant play of colors made of colored sandstone and rugged desert landscape. The visitor center(Tel: (702) 363 19 21) contains various exhibits and offers guided tours through nature. Hiking trails are available in various levels of difficulty – from easy to strenuous. Arriving by car on Charleston Boulevard is recommended, as the best way to explore the park is to take a scenic 21-km drive through the park (open from 7:00 a.m. to sunset; US $ 5 fee per vehicle) . However, you can also travel with the Gray Line Las Vegas coaches (Tel: (702) 384 12 34).
Big Bend State Park: The sandy beaches of Big Bend State Park(Tel: (702) 298 1859) are just 147 km from Las Vegas and can be reached in less than an hour and a half. Most of the locals come here for camping, boat trips and picnicking. The park is one mile east of Laughlin, where festivals are held year round and there are also some casinos; You can reach the park from Laughlin on the Needles Highway (entry: 3 US $).
