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Antelope Canyon is truly an inspiring place. This is a must see.
We drove from Zion to Page, Arizona for the day. We were extremely lucky in getting a tour at all since we did not make reservations prior to, nor did we have any idea that you are only allowed to access the canyon with a Navajo guide.
We managed to find a company that had a few slots left for their 4:00pm tour. Adventurous Antelope Canyon Photo Tours. I was extremely impressed with their service and our guide, Lionel, was the BEST.
There are so many companies in Page, Arizona that offer tours. I am by no means saying this company was the best, but I truly had such an amazing and memorable experience that I HIGHLY recommend them.
Board the fancy 1999 Blazer to be jerked around for a 20 minute thrill ride into the canyon. The roads have no signs and our guide got lost a few times, but it made the trip that much more memorable.
The canyon is a massive tourist attraction – so don’t think you get to go to this canyon and have a meditative solo excursion. There are hundreds of people from multiple tours going at the same time. Tours are respectful of other tours, but you move fairly quickly through the canyon.
I think that by going on the later tour, we avoided some of the crowds and scored a cheaper ticket. However, the lighting for pictures wasn’t as optimal, if you’re a photographer or want that National Geographicsesque picture. But regardless, I feel like I came out with some amazing photos with the help of our guide (All guides from the company I went through are trained in photography and filters on your phone).
It was such a great experience to see the Navajo guides show off their lovely land with such pride. Our guide played a pan flute in the canyon that echoed up into walls and pointed out all the animal and spiritual shapes within the canyon.
There are many other canyons that the Navajo people offer tours for, but Antelope Canyon is the most popular because of the publicity National Geographic has created.
I cannot wait to go back and experience the other canyons.
