Grand Canyon National Park South Rim Small Group Bus Tour
Las Vegas, USA
Grand Canyon National Park South Rim Small Group Bus Tour
Badge of Excellence
Las Vegas, USA
- 15 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
See the Grand Canyon South Rim on a small-group day tour from Las Vegas. Enjoy scenic views along historic Route 66 in a spacious van with viewing windows, with stops for breakfast and dinner. At the Grand Canyon, admire sweeping views from Mather Point, Hopi House, and Bright Angel Lodge.
- See the top highlights of the Grand Canyon South Rim in just one day
- Includes deli lunch and bottled water, with hot breakfast option
- Enjoy a more personal experience with a small group
- Hotel pickup and drop-off included for convenience and ease of travel; Note: A $100 non-US resident fee applies at the park for certain visitors starting 2026
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
Itinerary
Additional Info
Frequently Asked Questions (17)
Q:How early should I book the Grand Canyon South Rim Small Group Tour?
A:It is recommended that you make your reservations as soon as your travel dates are set, especially during popular and seasonal dates. There are capacity limits on most tours and the closer to the date, the more likely it will be sold out.
Aug 2021
The answers provided are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.4
based on 332 reviews
Eric_M, Jun 2024
Kevin was an excellent tour operator. He was knowledge, funny, showed us everything we wanted to see but we didn't feel rush on the tour. Definitely would do a tour with him again.
Jenny_C, Jun 2024
Tour operator cancelled the tour at 3 pm the day before. Now struggling to get refund. Would not use again.
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your tour. Unfortunately, we had to make the difficult decision of canceling your tour due to the minimum passenger count not being met. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. TripAdvisor will be issuing you a full refund.
Thank you for your kind understanding.
Les_K, Apr 2024
Jamie B, the driver and tour guide was very personable and you could tell she was really into the role. Wasn't just a job for her
Luke_D, Apr 2024
Uncomfortable bus ride had a lot of stops and took six hours to reach. Breakfast was disgusting. Paid 20 dollars extra for a guided tour which wasn’t worth a cent
Response from Host, May 2024
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your tour. We are happy that you had the opportunity to experience the Grand Canyon.
Unfortunately, we no longer operate our own buses due to the pandemic. We now charter our buses through a local third-party vendor. We do take your concerns seriously and have spoken with the charter bus company regarding the uncomfortable seats. They have advised us that this is the standard seating on all their motor coaches.
We apologize that the food did not meet your expectations. We make an effort to patronize our community by supporting local businesses. We will pass on your comments to their management team.
We do offer a guided walking tour inside the canyon as an optional activity in which you are with the guide throughout the duration of your time in the park. This is a great opportunity to learn more information about the canyon and our guides will take amazing photos of you that will create a lifetime. We know that there are some guests that would like to venture out on their own and the park provides free shuttles where you can enter each location at your own leisure and be in charge of how you spend your time in the canyon.
Please accept our sincerest apology for any trouble or inconvenience we may have caused you.
We appreciate your business and thank you for your kind understanding.
Pierre_C, Dec 2023
The entire tour was terrible. We had originally booked a smaller tour but they called the night before to say it had been cancelled but that we had the option to switch to a larger tour with an earlier pick up at a different hotel. We had no option so we agreed. Pick up was 40 minutes late and instructions were vague, we had to text them several times to find out they were delayed. Pick up was crowded and confusing.
Even though they did reimburse the price difference (vs.the cancelled tour) they did not give us a choice to opt out of the horrible meals they were offering. Speaking of said meals, the tour had a stop so we could pick them up ourselves making the already long journey even longer.
On the way back we were forced to stop at the lodge where we had picked up breakfast for an “optional” dinner. Conveniently the lodge seemed closely related to the tour company. Most of the tour just wanted to get home. Yet we stopped adding another 40 minutes to the 5 hr journey.
With regards to the tour guide- nice lady but awful commentator and even worse guide.
Bus was crammed, crowded and uncomfortable.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your tour. We are happy that you had the opportunity to experience the Grand Canyon. We’re sorry the tour didn’t meet your expectations. Unfortunately, we had to make the difficult decision of canceling the VIP tour due to the minimum passenger count not being met. We understand that for most, going to the Grand Canyon is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Instead of completely canceling your tour, we offered the opportunity to switch to a motor coach tour. We did not want our passengers to miss out on a great chance to explore the Grand Canyon. We are happy that the tour was able to continue and that you were able to experience the spectacular views of the Grand Canyon.
We sincerely apologize that you felt you did not receive enough information about where to meet the bus. We are constantly working with our staff to improve our service.
We try to patronize local businesses and have recently using this restaurant. We apologize that the food did not meet your expectations. As for the dinner stop, this is a convenient for the passengers and the driver to get something to eat, drink, stretch their legs, or use the restroom. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Please know that we will surely take note of the events that occurred on your tour and address them to improve our services.
Our sincere thanks for your understanding and we appreciate your business.
Frank_H, Nov 2023
We came from Florida and loved every minute of the trip. It’s a long ride to the Canyon and back to Las Vegas but so worth it.
Joseph_Y, Nov 2023
Sadly,you guys CANCLED THIS TRIP&WE HAD TO GO ON A BUS WITH 50 PEOPLE.We are due a credit and want to know when it will be given
MaksimShligold, Oct 2023
Woke up very early to spend 2 hours driving from 1 hotel to the next to pickup other participants. Left us with little time at the Canyon. Guide and dtiver were nice.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your tour. We are happy that you had the opportunity to experience the Grand Canyon.
On behalf of everyone here at GCD please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused. We are sorry to know that you had issues with your hotel pickups.
It's nice to hear that you had a nice experience with both the guide and the driver.
We appreciate your business.
Janice_B, Oct 2023
Grand canyon was beautiful. Enjoyed getting off bus from non professional narrator. He was far too proud of himself and left little to be desired.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We value every client's opinion regarding our tours. We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction. The tour guide provides facts and figures throughout the bus tour as well as being organized since visiting the Grand Canyon is very exciting and can be overwhelming. The commentary is meant to be informative (although most passengers feel that he is quite informative), but we apologize if you feel otherwise. We are always looking for ways to improve our customer service. Once again we are glad you had the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon.
Ashish_S, Sep 2023
Grand Canyon was spectacular. The journey there and back was long, but we were aware of it and committed to it. Kevin (driver/guide) was friendly and knowledgeable; however, our tour had a few issues.
The lunch (veggie wraps) was awful. Both veggie wraps were different. One of them only had lettuce in and the lettuce had gone off (I am happy to share pictures). We should not have been charged for this. We were looking forward to dinner and found out that there is no Chiptole or other food chain as advertised on the tour. We ended up skipping dinner.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your tour. We are happy that you had the opportunity to experience the Grand Canyon South Rim.
As stated on our website, it does take 4.5 hours to go to the Grand Canyon and another 4.5 hours to come back to Las Vegas. All times are approximate and are subject to change.
We agree Kevin is truly a gem to have on our team. We have passed on your excellent feedback to him.
We are very sorry that the food did not meet your expectations. We recently started using this restaurant to patronize our local community. We have passed on your comments to their management team.
Please accept our sincere apology due to our itinerary has been changed. We do not stop at Chipotle anymore.
We appreciate your business and thank you for your understanding.
Elizabeth_F, Sep 2023
The tour guide was awesome! Friendly, knowledgeable, and funny. The sprinter left a lot to be desired. The air conditioning from the roof leaked on 4 passengers, the driver’s window didn’t open, the seats were torn, and the diner location was not as advertised. Also, the hot breakfast is eaten on the sprinter which was not preferable.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your tour. We are happy that you had the opportunity to experience the Grand Canyon. We are glad that you enjoyed our tour guide we have passed along your positive feedback to him. We were very surprised to learn that the air conditioning was leaking because that sprinter had just undergone a full 45 point inspection and was cleared to go to the south rim. We have passed on your feedback to our management team. They have assured us that the mechanic will be working diligently to address and repair all the sprinter issues. Once again we are glad you had the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon.
Natalia_E, Aug 2023
We booked small group tour in advance so we can enjoy get together with reunited family. The trip was canceled less than 24 hours prior to departure.
Very disappointed as everyone was looking forward to it for some time.
We were offered partial refund and a bus trip which was ok but not what we were planning for.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your tour. We are happy that you had the opportunity to experience the Grand Canyon.
We're sorry your tour didn't match your expectations. Unfortunately, some things are beyond our control. We made the difficult decision to cancel the VIP tour due to the tour minimum has not been met. Instead of completely canceling the VIP tour, we offer our customers if they would like to switch to a motorcoach tour. We do not want our passengers to miss out on a great chance of a lifetime to explore the Grand Canyon.
We are a very small family-owned business and we try to provide the best tours at the lowest cost. Our goal is to make sure everyone enjoys our tour.
Our sincere thanks for your understanding.
Tammy_M, Jul 2023
Not sure you want me to leave a full review here and I will be writing a letter to VIATOR.
On top of everything going wrong the company was negligent in the maintenance of the vehicle
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your tour. We are happy that you had the opportunity to experience the Grand Canyon.
On behalf of everyone here at GCD we want to offer our apologies for the inconvenience you have experienced due to a mechanical issue of the bus. This was an unforeseeable incident which we had no control over.
All of the coaches chartered through a local third party by GCD are maintained at the highest industry standards, however, the extreme temperature we can experience in the American Southwest can take a toll on the buses. Please know that we have reached out to their management regarding the bus issues. They have assured us that their mechanics will be working diligently to address and repair all the bus issues.
We are a small family-owned business and your feedback is very important to us as we value every passenger's opinion. We will surely take note of the events that occurred on your tour and address them with our team to improve our future tours.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Christian_B, May 2023
Tour was canceled only sich me hours before departure, the tour operator did not respond since.
Very unprofessional!
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to us. We sincerely apologize for the breakdown of the vehicle and the inconvenience this may have caused. We are sorry that the vehicle was incapable of continuing its scheduled trip. Unfortunately, some things are beyond our control and the safety of our passengers is our number one priority.
We offered everyone to reschedule their tour but in your case, you opted to cancel and you have been issued a full refund.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Thank you,
Tour Orders
Customer Service
702-833-1071 (Main)
866-717-8687 (Toll Free)
Samuel_H, Apr 2022
TLDR: Tour cancelled due to low numbers. No good alternative offered. No help with refund. Poor and dismissive customer service. Avoid.
Sadly the tour jad to he cancelled. This was understandable as the minimum number hadn't been met. This was in my terms and conditions and I was understanding. The T&Cs stated that I could get an alternative tour or a full refund. The tour offered was the big bus tour, which retails at significantly less than my tour. No mention of a partial refund occurred.
I asked for a full refund from the operator and that simply told me to contact viator. I asked if they would let viator know the tour was cancelled. Again "just tell them yourself". I asked them to clarify if viator would give a refund without their Confirmation as they had already taken my money, however they sent me 2 messages. The first message was deleted by them in seconds (on WhatsApp, presumably something they regretted sending/didn't want me to read) and the second just said "co tact viator".
I appreciate that viator will (and have processed my refund but GCD operator's had a dismissive and unreasonable attitude. Considering I had paid them £250 for a service I didn't receive, they were very unhelpful and came across as rude/insensitive. I should have listened to other reviews.
Book with an alternative tour company. If anything goes wrong, this company cannot be trusted to help you.
Roberto_R, Apr 2022
Great and impressive experience. The view, the sight and the history was very enriched. The tour guy Derek was so kind and attentive
Response from Host, Apr 2022
Hello, Roberto! We're happy to know that you enjoyed the views and had an impressive Grand Canyon experience. Thank you for choosing us as your tour provider.
Adrian_M, Apr 2022
I truly enjoyed our tour guide Laila and bus operator Anna. They took care of us and the beauty of the Grand Canyon is majestic. Nothing compares and encourage anyone interested to take this trip. It was a on my bucket list, will take this trip again in 2023.
Response from Host, Apr 2022
Hello, Adrian. We're glad to know that you enjoyed your Grand Canyon South Rim tour with Laila. We look forward to having you again on our tour in the future.
Cristina_S, Dec 2021
So I booked this small group tour that was done by Grand Canyon Destinations through the Viator TripAdvisor company. This tour was fantastic! We had a family of 11. It was a 12 hr day starting at 6am. Our Tour Guide/Driver was David and he was amazing! He took us through the Hoover Dam area to a 2.5 hour walking tour through the South Rim of Grand Canyon. He is a great communicator and shared lots of local knowledge and stories throughout the trip. Our bathroom breaks we’re well planned and he also took us to a cool shop along old Route 66 where they paid an homage to the movies Cars. My kids loved it! They provided us with water and a nice deli lunch w/ chips and cookies. DAvid took very good care of us and he was an excellent and safe driver. Dress in layers and possibly an umbrella. It was pretty cold and we had some sleet come down during our walk. Thankfully we were prepared because he sent us a forecast of the expected weather the night before the trip. I highly recommend this tour. It was the highlight of our vacation.
Response from Host, Jan 2022
Hello, Cristina! We appreciate you for sharing a detailed review of your tour with us! We're happy to know that you enjoyed every part of the tour and had a fantastic time!
Teresa_R, Dec 2021
It was a wonderful trip. Our drive/tour guide did a terrific job. He was very knowledgeable and shared all kinds of information.
Response from Host, Dec 2021
Hello, Teresa! We're happy to know that you had a wonderful experience touring with us! Thank you for the positive review!
Douglas_R, Jul 2021
The last stop on the tour with the picture shoots!. Grant the bus driver and Brandon the tour guide were excellent and made the tour very comical and exciting!!
Response from Host, Jul 2021
We're happy to know that you enjoyed the tour, Rupert! We appreciate the positive feedback!
Martha_M, Feb 2020
Rigo was an EXCELLENT tour guide; friendly, informative, collaborative and fun! The bus was comfortable & clean. Small group allowed for quicker pit stops and better group connections.The tour was a full day but...spectacular! Highly recommend!
Great day!
Great people!
Incredible views!
Response from Host, Feb 2020
Hello,
We appreciate the time you took to leave an amazing review of your time spent with our Driver/Guide Rigo! Knowing he had provided you with a memorable tour leaves us ecstatic! Thank you for supporting us and leaving a 5-star!
Nicole C, Oct 2019
I had several email exchanges and phone conversations about my reservation/trip in the days leading up to the tour. After waiting at the pick up spot for 30 minutes I called to check on the status and was informed that our trip was cancelled. I was upset at the lack of communication and the customer service experience I recieved after.
Response from Host, Nov 2019
I am very sorry to hear there was a communication problem with our reservations team, I will forward this review on to our Operations Manager so she can address the communication breakdown. Thank you for taking the time to give us a review.
Rosalyn_R, Oct 2019
Very disappointed with this tour. Basically the tour guide was just a driver. Picked us up at hotel. We didn’t get to see Hoover Dam due to high winds? Then driver tried to put a movie on which was rejected by all passengers. At Grand Canyon driver dropped up off at beginning of south rim trail. Told us the trail was only mile and half. Not true! Told us if problem call him and he would come and pickup. Not true. We called him 3 times at three locations where other vehicles were picking up and he claimed it was not possible to pick up keep walking! When 5 of 8 of our group finally arrived at pick up area he said we were 15 minutes late. Drive back no conversation from driver and when asked if anyone needed to make a rest stop before dinner stop even though we were 15 minutes late. Group declined stop. Half hour later driver himself decided he needed quick rest stop as well as need to pick up a soda chips! When we stopped for dinner we were told it would be shorted than regular because we were still 15 minutes behind schedule and he was not looking forward to drive back. Everyone was quiet on ride back. All he talked about was his 4 day drive back from NY to pick up minibus. Very disappointed with Robbie the driver!
Response from Host, Oct 2019
I would like to apologize for the experience you had with your driver/guide Robbie. I have forwarded your review to his supervisor and will address it immediately. Thank you for your review and bringing to our attention where we have fallen short on providing the world class service we feel all our clients deserve.
ALISON_B, Jul 2019
This tour didn't operate and I cant get a response from emails requesting a refund. Please contact me urgently - We didn't cancel - The tour operator did.
Linda_G, Oct 2018
This was a total waste of money and an absolutely disappointment! I purposely picked a small tour group because I wanted to learn as much as possible and thought the best way would be with a small tour guiding us through the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately that was not the case. The driver aka “guide” was late picking us up then didn’t say anything initially. We stop at 4 dives along the way to the Grand Canyon (each worse that the previous one) that wasted time and then were literally dropped off at one end of the rim and told to walk to the other. Along the way we saw other guides telling there groups about items of interest so we tried waiting in several spots along the way to see if we could find our “guide” but he was nowhere to be found. He was then late to pick up up at the other end. This tour basically follows the same route as the other big buses and stops at the same places so you are dealing with all the crowds from the buses. Don’t waste your money.
Guy_G, Apr 2018
Absolutely loved this small group VIP experience!
Everything about the day was perfect!
This will be a beautiful forever memory !
Actually hope to get back again someday !
Comfortable ride, lunch was great, wonderfully guided day at the south rim ! WOW !
Thanks Rigo and Cody !! 10 out of 10 !
Antonio_S, Nov 2022
El timo de la excursion en español.
Un guia que acaparó el micro todo el tiempo y nos marginó a los del grupo y al guia de español.
Un desastre.
El guia en Ingles presionó maleducadamente al pasaje para recaudar su propina.
Agresivo
FABIENNE_L, Jul 2022
Le tour a été annulé car pas assez de participants ! On s'est fait rediriger vers un tour avec beaucoup plus de gens. Du coup, Le point de rdv n'était plus à notre hôtel (Uber en plus) et plus tôt que prévu (5h25, ça pique). Heureusement, Jarin (guide) et Anna (chauffeur) ont été très attentionné à nos égards.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Hello. We apologize if you're not satisfied with the alternative tour that we have offered you. All of our tours need to meet a minimum number of passengers for a certain tour to operate same as the other tour companies. We've offered you the Bus Tour as an alternative only to ensure that you would still have the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon. Please feel free to contact our office if your partial refund for the price difference of the tours has yet to be processed as well as for other concerns. Thank you for your kind understanding.
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