Grand Canyon sculptures even grander up close

Unlike the glitter and splendor of Las Vegas, Grand Canyon offers nature's endless array of splendid sculptures against a peaceful but dramatic backdrop.

This makes it a great place for tourists to escape to after spending a few nights in Las Vegas and feeling like they might have had enough of all the man-made wonders that city has to offer.

Grand Canyon is worth visiting on its own, even if you do not take in Las Vegas. But if you are in Las Vegas, be sure to add it to your list of places you must see outside the city.

Almost five million people visit Grand Canyon every year, many arriving from Las Vegas.

The Grand Canyon, a World Heritage site, is one of the world's most spectacular examples of erosion and is unmatched in its incomparable vistas offered from its high walls.

Located in Northern Arizona, it is a colossal natural gorge, a one-mile deep abyss, some 18 miles wide and encompasses 277 miles of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands.

This rocky majesty is simply breathtakingly beautiful.

The Grand Canyon can be reached from Las Vegas in many ways. More than a dozen tour operators offer adventures of a lifetime with various options of travel to the Grand Canyon, depending on how much time tourists want to spend there.

They could take a small plane or helicopter from the city and fly over Grand Canyon or take a one-day bus trip. Another option is renting a car and driving there on one's own.

As for our tour of the Grand Canyon, we -- ten journalists from Southeast Asia and East Asia, including the writer -- took a combination of land, air and boat transportation.

We boarded a bus and left the Venetian Hotel at 7:30 a.m. together with a number of tourists from China.

We stopped off at Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the States, located 27 miles south of Las Vegas, and Hoover Dam, which was hailed as the eighth wonder of the world upon its completion in 1935.

From Hoover Dam, we headed toward the Hualapai Indian Reservation along an unpaved road. We passed by the 900-year-old Joshua Tree forest, where we made a brief stop to take photos of the park with a view of the Grand Canyon in the distance.

We drew nearer and nearer until we finally arrived at a heliport on the west rim of the canyon. It was hard to contain our anticipation of seeing this natural wonder, but we had to be patient and queue for the next part of our trip.

After a few minutes, it was our turn. We divided up into several groups of four as the helicopter could only accommodate four passengers at a time.

When the helicopter took off, our trip into wonderland began. Just a few seconds after takeoff, the deep abyss spread out in front of us.

The helicopter then descended into the bottom of the canyon and landed on one side of the Colorado River.

We got out of the helicopter and boarded a boat that was waiting for us. Our boat then traveled slowly against the current, allowing all of us to marvel at the beauty of this natural wonder.

We dipped our hands into the clear water as we enjoyed the serene feeling of being deep within the canyon and traveling on the Colorado River between the towering walls of naturally carved, reddish limestone and the several cacti growing among the stones.

When the water became faster, however, the boat turned around and came slowly back to where we boarded. We spent about 20 minutes in the boat, which was certainly not enough time to enjoy this scenic river in the canyon.

We got back into the helicopter. After taking off, the helicopter took a different route, flying between the walls of the Grand Canyon. The helicopter ride was basically smooth, but the pilot sometimes took a few acrobatic turns near the cliffs, making some of us shriek in terror.

It was an unforgettable experience for me, and maybe for all of the others, too.

But that's not the end of the adventure. From the heliport, we took a bus ride along the canyon's rim. We stopped for a while at a breathtakingly beautiful point, called Eagle Point, for more picture taking. Then we continued our journey toward another point at Grand Canyon West, where we met the Hualapai Indians preparing our barbecue lunch.

After lunch and more pictures, we all boarded the bus and returned home, everyone sleeping along the way and dreaming of the beautiful experience of the day.

-- Riyadi Suparno