Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours
Helicopter tours over Grand Canyon West are being promoted as perhaps the best way to experience the canyon's dramatic geology, offering unparalleled aerial views of the cliffs and Colorado River. World Expeditions is also featuring the Great Patagonian Traverse—a remote trekking adventure through Patagonia's rugged terrain.
Grand Canyon West is located entirely on the Hualapai Reservation, an area spanning one million acres. The Hualapai Tribe, a sovereign Indian nation, owns and operates the tourist enterprises there, which serve as a primary economic driver for the community of approximately 2,300 members. The proliferation of helicopter tours has created significant environmental challenges, most notably noise pollution. The National Park Service has been wrestling with the issue for decades, following the Overflights Act of 1987 which mandated the restoration of "natural quiet" to the canyon. However, the constant drone of aircraft remains a pervasive problem, impacting both visitor experience and wildlife. Efforts to mitigate this include an incentive program for tour operators to adopt quieter aircraft technology. By 2020, over 68% of air tours were utilizing these less noisy planes, contributing to a slight reduction in average sound levels in subsequent years. Still, the sheer volume of flights means that natural quiet is an endangered resource within the park. The Great Patagonian Traverse offers a starkly different experience, traversing the remote backcountry of both Chile and Argentina. It is not an officially designated route but an informal network of about 3,000 km of existing trails, dirt roads, and cross-country sections, requiring significant trekking experience. The journey can involve 6 to 10 hours of hiking per day over rugged terrain. A key feature of the traverse is a seldom-used border crossing from Chile's Lago O'Higgins to Argentina's Laguna del Desierto, accomplished on foot and by boat. The full trek links multiple pristine protected areas, including Los Glaciares National Park and the iconic Torres del Paine National Park, where many hikers complete the famous "W" trek. This region is the focus of one of the world's most ambitious rewilding efforts. Organizations like Tompkins Conservation have been instrumental in creating or expanding 16 national parks by purchasing former ranch land, removing fences, and restoring native ecosystems. These conservation projects have helped protect over 15 million acres. They aim to create conservation corridors like the 1,700-mile Route of Parks, benefiting endangered species such as the huemul deer, which is one of South America's most threatened large mammals.
