Hoover Dam: Best Tours for Las Vegas Visitors

There's a Las Vegas Hoover Dam tour for every budget. Bus, helicopter, and airplane - they're all affordably spectacular. If you've ever wanted to see this icon of engineering, do it while visiting Vegas.

Hoover Dam is located a mere 45 minutes from Las Vegas. The arch-gravity structure has been holding back the Colorado River for more than 75 years. The dam epitomizes what it means to be huge. Check out these facts:

1. It's 726.4-feet tall, making it the second tallest dam in the U.S. behind the Grand Coulee in Washington state.

2. It's 1,244-feet long. The dam crosses formidable Black Canyon and connects Nevada with Arizona.

3. It's 660-feet thick. Before the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge opened in Oct. 2010, the top of the bridge was a two-lane road on which 13,000 to 16,000 cars crossed daily. How popular is Hoover Dam? Between eight to 10 million people visit it annually, coming by bus, helicopter, and airplane.

Bus tours are the most economical way to see the bridge. Trips include hotel pick up and drop off and lunch. The motor coach goes through Henderson and Boulder City, NV, and then along Lake Mead National Recreation Area before descending into Black Canyon. Now starts your Hoover Dam tour, which may include:


1. Walking the top of the dam from Nevada to Arizona.

2. The official U.S. Government's V.I.P. Discovery Tour of the Interior (takes you to the bottom to see the turbine generators at work).

3. Exploring the Visitor's Center's exhibits, movie room, and observation deck.

It's possible to bundle a helicopter flight, plane ride, or boat cruise into your bus tour package. Trip duration for the basic bus package is 3.5 hours.

Helicopter and airplane air tours are also available. Flights leave from Las Vegas every day of the year. The flight plan includes Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. Helicopters fly at a lower altitude than airplanes, which usually include Hoover Dam as part of a Grand Canyon West Rim air package. Tour duration ranges from 3.5 hours to 5.5 hours. Both packages bundle free hotel shuttle service.

Book your Hoover Dam tour in advance. There are two reasons for this: 1) It's cheaper; and 2) you're guaranteed to get a seat. For the cheapest prices, I strongly recommend you purchase your tour online. To get the best deal, buy direct from the tour operator. I know it sound counter-intuitive, but it's the company that's running the tour that will sell it to you at the lowest price.

Las Vegas Hoover Dam tours are perfect for travelers looking for a quick day trip from the Las Vegas Strip. There's an adventure for every budget. Bus tours are the most economical. Helicopters are best for getting a true bird's eye view of the dam. Airplane tours include the dam as part of the flight to the West Rim. Hoover Dam's been fascinating visitors for years. View it airborne or by foot - you will not be disappointed.

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Panama And The Panama Canal For A Vacation

You can visit what is considered to be one of the wonders of the world, the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is an engineering feat as well as a tribute to the power of the human imagination. The forty-eight mile long canal creates a passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Prior to the canal being built ships would have to sail by using the Drake Passage, which was dangerous and long. The canal cut the travel time in half. But building the canal was an expensive and dangerous and took a long time to complete. Over twenty seven thousand workers died during construction and it cause around 375 million dollars to complete. There is a new project along the canal to allow it to accommodate more traffic and to update two more flights of docks. The cost of this project is estimated to be 5.25 billion dollars and will be completed sometime in the year 2015. The Panama Canal has attracted industry and business to the country, but tourists travel to Panama for its beauty. When visiting Panama you should not miss taking a trip on the canal.

After visiting the canal you might be interested in visiting a rainforest. Panama is one of the best places to visit a rainforest - it may be only ten minutes away from your hotel! The Parque Natural Metropolitano is in the city limits of Panama City. There is a road that will take you to observation area where you can see hundreds of plant and animal species. Stop at Los Trinos to bird watch, Cedar Hill is the highest point at 492 feet above sea level and there are several trails that you can hike. The Mono Titi Trail and La Cienaguita trails are moderate and will take you about one hour to complete. Other trails include Los Caobos, Los Momotides and El Roble all can be completed in an hour or less. If you wish to avoid crowds take the Caobos Trail and the easiest trail is Momotides. At the top of the hill you can see the Pacific Ocean, the entrance of the Panama Canal and the islands - Flamenco, Naos, Perico, Taboga and Taboguilla. The best time to see birds is either early or late in the day.

Other things to do in Panama include river rafting at the Rio Chargres/Chiriqui Grande. Hike the Parque Natural Metropolitano. Have a picnic in the Summit Botanic Gardens. Take a night tour of the Avenida Balboa. Go to the Causeway and visit the Smithsonian facilities. Camp in the Parque Nacional Campana. Go to Lake Gatun and fish or visit the Barro Colorado Island. Back pack to Bocas del Toro and San blas o playa Venao. Travel to Taboga and visit the Wild Life Refuge. Capture pictures of the Aguila Harpia the most dangerous prey bird in the world. Visit one of the many different Regional Fairs that may be in progress.

Panama has so much to do in such a small area. If you are interested in a trip that will provide you with an opportunity to do something unusual for a reasonable price - choose Panama.

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Palomar Observatory Proves Fun for Entire Family

 

The next time you're heading to the beaches of San Diego, do not overlook a good day trip would be worth your time.
North of San Diego history that many people do not realize is available for tours every day of the year except December 24 and 25 only in the mountains northeast of Bangkok and you will find a set of hair will be. Change your time in the 5500-foot summit of Mount Palomar, just five miles away is the famous Palomar Observatory.
The trip is half the fun of adventure in the foothills east of San Diego and the mountains, as they will change. You can see that this area is not as green as the wild west, north, or even those of the Sierra Nevada, but the region at a certain charm all its own.
Palomar Observatory is managed by the California Institute of Technology and is where you will find that some of the best scientists from around the world to study astronomy. All five of the tower where the camera binoculars are trained on all the stars in search of secrets to discover the new.
In the telescope, the 200 - inch Hale Telescope, which between 1948 and 1993, is the largest telescope in the world actually is. Remains in the Hale telescope working to 290 nights a year.

The telescope is operated remotely by astronomers at Caltech and elsewhere.
And if you wonder how they find these comets out there, some 50 of them were discovered by 18-inch Schmidt telescope, which today is not in use. Schmidt is the first camera at the Palomar.
The good news for visitors is that on 9:00 to 3:00, they can enter the Observatory and get up close and personal view of the Hale telescope. Scientists worry that you've done with the telescope. However, the size of the machine and the importance of the work here is enough to make you feel like you are visiting a small piece of the history of science in Pattaya property. Most astronomers work at night, so do not worry, you will not interrupt anything.
After visiting the observatory to make sure the path and walk a few that winds through beautiful mountain scenery. Whether you want a short walk or hike through the trails on Mount Palomar to suit your needs.
If you want to spend the night there are several campgrounds nearby and you will find a picnic area to the observatory. Although only one day (Palomar, about 70 miles from San Diego) point of view, it's worth. As you make your way along the mountain, there is something beautiful in every corner.
The travel in this area is the mining town of the old Julian has become a kind of western popular destination for those who live in southern California, the building's visitors and shops. good restaurants are just some of the best take - including local inns, bed and breakfast if you want to spend the night.
And part of Southern California, this is a real surprise - and education for families visiting the observatory. For more information on the Mount Palomar Observatory, call (760) 742-2119.

 

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