Ok this was our second time in 18 months taking the Ultimate Tour which includes the south rim of the Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano NP, Wupatki NM and Navajo areas.
Learned alot from the second time around,. First each of these tours is a little bit different, The tour company gives the guides the freedom to show you the same but different things at the different stops. The guides have different stories and paces... So if you have some this already and are thinking about going again it is a good idea and you will get a tiny bit different experience with the quality of the tour,
our tour guide was Sheldon... He had lotsa knowledge and facts about the canyon and different stops along the way.. Very helpful and friendly
The tours first stop was Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Stop is very short Although brief, this is a really neat place that gets you out on short walking trails that have Lava rocks all over the place. This is an example of why this tour is so good, it shows you other nature items like this that are different but complement the Canyon experience.
Then onto Wupatki... This is a fairly large Native American ruins site,, Its impressive to see that way they built their homes and community supporting structures into the rock formations.... Again its something you don't see every day .
After Wupatki its off to the Navajo areas , specifically the Cameron trading post... This is where we had lunch . The restaurant is in the back of the trading post . Its famous for the Indian tacos which have all the traditional Taco fillings loaded on top of yummy Fry Bread. The Fry bread makes the dish... Its much like fried dough but not as greasy and a lot thinner... Very tasty. They have other selections but 90% of the people choose the Indian taco. After lunch you can do some shopping in the trading post. Its a huge area of Navajo (and others I think) art/ceramics/jewelry... The items are beautiful but a tiny bit over priced. Great place to pickup some gifts for anyone.
Not that you are full and want to take a nap, its time to get the adrenaline flowing.. Off to the Canyon.... We stopped at about 5-6 different spots on the south rim. The guides are really good at telling you where to stand/go to see the best views and/or take the best pictures... Everything about the views at the stops was breathtaking. Highlights of the stops were the GC observation tower (and little known observation roof the guide tells you about), the GC Village, Yavapai Point.
Overall , if you can afford it, the tour is the way to go. You maximize the use of your time, get to see the best stuff and you get to have someone else do the driving. You can sit back and relax and just enjoy the scenery...