Antelope Canyon USA
The Lower and Upper Antelope Canyon near Page is definitely one of the most beautiful slot canyons in Arizona.
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Lower Antelope Canyon
02/2014 This morning we check out after breakfast at just before eight. We drive directly to Lower Antelope Canyon. The operators of Lower Antelope Canyon have nothing to do with the Upper Canyon. The Lower Canyon is privately operated and cannot be booked in advance. We book the first tour at 8:20 for $20 per person. By chance I see a photographer with a tripod walking alone into the canyon. We ask again and lo and behold, there is a photographer's pass for $10 that allows you to walk alone through the canyon.
TIP: The first tour in the morning only has advantages. The light is great and there is an empty canyon in front of you. On later tours you always have people in front of and behind you. The extra $10 for the photo pass was well spent. It's best to come shortly after eight. As a photographer, you can also enter the canyon a few minutes before the first group. It's definitely worth the money. All you have to do is look at my photo album.
Upper Antelope Canyon
Shortly before 10:00 a.m. we passed through the Lower Antelope Canyon. We drive a few meters further to Upper Antelope Canyon. I'm booked on the photo tour at 11:00 a.m. Ina is on the normal tour at the same time. Upper Antelope Canyon is official Navajo territory. Each Navajo can offer their own tours. Regardless of the tour, you have to pay entrance fee for the area to the parking lot. As already mentioned in other travel reports, the Navajo Indians are particularly good at cashing in.
TIP: If you are interested in taking good photos of a unique canyon, then the additional $80 for the photo tour is well spent. However, you should be prepared for a dense crowd. The photography tour should be booked at least one or two days in advance, the earlier the better. Either through an agency in Page, or directly at the canyon. With the latter you also have a chance of getting a place for the next day. But be careful: the special feature of the sun's beam of light falling into the canyon shortly before noon can only be seen until the end of September. After that, the sun no longer rises far enough.
With the jeep to the canyon
For the tour we will be driven in jeeps along an unpaved sandy road about three miles to the entrance of the canyon. That's where the hustle and bustle begins. Crowds of people push through the narrow crevices in different groups. The problem is that the canyon is a dead end and the entrance is also the exit, which means everyone who wants to get out will miss you when you go in. Around 200 people cavort in the approximately 300 meter long Upper Antelope Canyon, even though the canyon is mostly only wide enough for just two people to walk past each other.
For beautiful photos, be sure to book the photo tour
Nevertheless, the guides manage to create free space for the photographers for a short time. Members of the photo tour often stand in rows of two and quickly snap a few pictures of beautiful colorful curves, lines and waves in the smooth walls of the canyon. The two highlights are places where, depending on the time of year, a ray of sunshine shines down to the bottom of the gorge shortly before noon. The guides throw some sand into the air, then there are a few seconds left to catch the beam of light in the fantastic scenery. Not just because the dust is settling again, but because the next group is already trying to pass from the front or behind.
TIP: You are only allowed to bring a tripod if you are a member of the photo tour. In addition, you buy some exclusivity for the $80. In all the hustle and bustle, you always have the consideration of all the guides. The guides then stop their group briefly so that you can quickly finish taking your photo. However, you shouldn't travel slowly, the other tourists are often not very considerate and often trip over my tripod or walk into the picture. My tip for the camera: It's best to screw a standard zoom on it (e.g. 17-70mm). With a wide angle you have the problem that there are always people in the picture. In addition, a standard zoom is sufficient for all special viewing angles.
We continue to Kayenta
After the tour through Antelope Canyon we continue on Highway 89 towards Kayenta. On the way there we stop at a viewpoint and buy some nice souvenirs from a Navajo Indian woman. Here's a recommendation: The Indian stands on the side of the road are often very cheap. You can also trade. The official shops in the cities are usually twice as expensive. Since most things are actually handmade and unique, it's best to buy when you like something and not wait until you find the same thing cheaper somewhere later. A few miles from Kayenta is the Navajo National Monument. It is approximately nine miles from the highway to the Visitor Center. From there you can walk to a viewpoint from which you can see an old Indian town under a rocky overhang. The detour is also worth it because the path to the viewpoint is beautifully laid out and. A closer look reveals many beautiful details such as twisted trees and gnarled branches as well as beautiful plants and trees.
TIP: To take a good photo of the Indian town, you need a telephoto zoom lens with at least 150mm. A notice. The Navajos use Mountain Time and, depending on the time of year, they have an hour difference from the rest of Arizona.
After the short stop we continue to Kayenta. On the way there, a mountain lion runs across the road a few meters in front of our car. But the animal immediately disappears again between the bushes. Only a Google search during dinner revealed what we had seen. The animal is very rare and so the hotel didn't want to believe that we had seen a mountain lion. We had dinner at the Kayenta Monument Valley Inn's on-site restaurant. The hotel and the restaurant deserve a real recommendation. Of the many hotels on our trip, this one stands out very positively!
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