Unearth The Voyage
Looking for the best Antelope Canyon tour to take in 2024? You’ve come to the right place!
Antelope Canyon is one of the most beautiful slot canyons in the United States. Carved over hundreds of years from wind and water, the maze-like sandstone walls have taken on a magical, wavy appearance.
On our most recent trip to Page, Arizona we visited all three main sections of the canyon, Upper, Lower, and Canyon X. You might not have the time to visit all sections on your trip like we did, so in this article, we’re going to tell you which part (and which tour) of Antelope Canyon was our favorite.
There are also a ton of different tour companies to choose from, each with its pros and cons. We’re also going to tell you about our experience with the different Antelope Canyon tour companies and which one we liked best.
So let’s dive in so you can choose for yourself which section of the canyon you’d like to see and which tour to go on!
Which to Choose: Upper, Lower, or X?
The biggest question is, which part of the canyon should you visit? The first time I visited Antelope Canyon back in 2016 with just my parents, we only visited Upper Antelope Canyon.
Since then, we have visited all the most popular sections of the canyon numerous times now and we’ve even kayaked to parts of Antelope Canyon.
In the bottom half of this article, you can find way more information about the canyons, but you can also learn more in-depth information about the difference and our experience at Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon here.
We also have an in-depth guide about our experience at Antelope Canyon X as well.
Keep reading to learn which tours we went on when we visited Upper, Lower, and X and what we liked and didn’t like about them.
The Best Antelope Canyon Tours
1. The Best Lower Antelope Canyon Tour
We’re going to start with our favorite tour out of all three tours we went on, this tour of Lower Antelope Canyon!
Lower Antelope Canyon is the longest slot canyon out of the three which means you’ll have more time to experience the incredible colors and wavy walls as you weave your way through the canyon.
We really loved how adventurous this canyon felt as you had to descend a steep set of stairs to get into the canyon as well as climb up and down a few ladders once inside the slot canyon.
Before our tour, we did extensive research into which tour company to go with. For Lower Antelope Canyon, there are two tour companies: Ken’s Tours and Dixies Lower Antelope Canyon Tours.
We ended up choosing Ken’s Lower Antelope Canyon tours for a few reasons:
- Traditional Flute Performance – From all the reviews I read the guides will often play a traditional flute inside the canyon – this happened on our tour and it was amazing!
- Awesome Guides – People talked highly of the tour guides and how accommodating they are. We experienced this with our guide taking our pictures (and showing us the best angles and lighting for taking pictures ourselves), telling us the history of the canyon as well as stories of its significance to the Navajo people.
We also booked our tour through Get Your Guide, our favorite tour booking platform. We love the ease of using this platform and the fact that you can cancel your booking for any reason and get a full refund!
Our second favorite tour of Antelope Canyon was this tour to Canyon X. Antelope Canyon X is a less famous section of the same canyon but has become more popular in recent years.
In our experience, the crowds weren’t too bad for this canyon making it a much more serene experience compared to Upper and Lower. Although, this canyon has definitely become more popular so don’t expect to have the canyon to yourself.
The tour company we went with kept the groups small, and the guides were extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. Our guide even took some time to do a demonstration in the sand to show us how the canyon was formed over 1,000s of years.
Antelope Canyon X isn’t quite as picturesque as the other canyons, but it is still 100% worth it to see. If you’re looking for a more laid-back tour, Canyon X is the winner.
Our guide gave everyone time to explore the canyon and we didn’t feel rushed at all like we did on the other tours. You can read more about our experience at Antelope Canyon X here.
3. The Best Upper Antelope Canyon Tour
Our least favorite tour out of the three was this tour of Upper Antelope Canyon. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed our guides and of course, the canyon is beautiful, but the overall experience just isn’t as good at Upper vs the other canyons.
Let me give some pros and cons to help you decide if it’s worth it to you to see the most famous slot canyon in Page.
Pros of Upper Antelope Canyon:
- Tallest Walls – You almost feel like you’re in a cave. The walls are also shaped like the letter A so the crack at the top is really small. This makes for a really cool experience being inside this slot canyon.
- Light Beams – If you’re dead set on seeing those gorgeous light beams, this is the canyon for it. Just make sure you go on a sunny day! My second time visiting it was cloudy so I didn’t get a chance to see the light beams.
- Most Accessible – The walk through the canyon is short and easy. Keep in mind there is a short flight of stairs now at the end of the canyon to get back to the Jeeps. Also, we found the ride down to the canyon in the Jeeps to be a bit bumpy.
Cons of Upper Antelope Canyon:
- Most Crowded – Upper Antelope is the most crowded section of the canyon. We felt rushed on our tour and didn’t have time to really soak in the canyon. We were surrounded by people the entire time making it hard to take pictures.
- Hard to Photograph – Because of the way this canyon is shaped, it doesn’t let much light in. That makes it hard to take pictures of the canyon. There used to be a photography tour where you could bring a tripod and have more time in the canyon but they stopped offering this tour a few years ago.
- Availability – Since this canyon is so popular, it is harder to book last-minute tickets. You might need to book months in advance during the busy season to score tickets. In our experience, we had to book tickets about a month in advance and we visited in May.
- Most Expensive – Popularity comes with a price tag and this canyon is by far the most expensive of the three. If you want to visit without spending a ton of money, we would suggest visiting Antelope Canyon in the off-season for cheaper prices.
Overall, I still think it’s worth it to see this slot canyon. It is one of the most incredible natural wonders and if you have the time and money, do it! We just want to give you an idea of what to expect so you’re not disappointed by your experience.
Our Overall Favorite: Upper, Lower, or X
Lower Antelope Canyon was our favorite of the three most popular sections of Antelope Canyon. We really enjoyed the ladders and stairs throughout the canyon which made it more fun but also were beautiful to photograph.
As I mentioned before, we also got lucky and were placed in a smaller group, making our experience feel less rushed and more private.
I still think that even if you’re in a group with the normal amount of people, the guides do a great job at spacing out the groups so you feel like you’re the only group in the canyon at a time.
Pro Tip: When you’re in the canyon, hang back so you’re the last person walking through the canyon in your group. That way you’re able to let the rest of the group go ahead and you can spend a few seconds marveling at the canyon walls without anyone around. Please be respectful of your guide & group though and don’t lag too far behind.
Our second favorite was Canyon X as the tour felt more private, you got to spend the most time in the canyon, and the guides were great.
Our least favorite tour was Upper Antelope. We still loved marveling at the incredible slot canyon, but the tour was rushed, there were too many people, and it was hard to take pictures.
Other Slot Canyon Tours Near Antelope Canyon
Besides Antelope Canyon, there are a ton of other beautiful slot canyons to explore nearby. All of the slot canyons in the area are located on Navajo land and when we last visited we got the inside scoop on the other canyons.
We were talking with a Navajo guide working at Canyon X and she said that because of how well the Antelope Canyon sections are doing, other Navajo families that own land nearby with slot canyons on them are opening up their own guided tour companies.
We asked her how many slot canyons you can visit in the Page area and we counted together 9 different slot canyons besides the Antelope ones. She said families are opening up more every day, so there could be even more now!
Here are the different slot canyons you can visit:
- Rattlesnake Canyon
- Kayak to parts of Lower Antelope Canyon
- Owl Canyon
- Mystical Antelope Canyon
- Secret Antelope Canyon
- Big Horn Sheep Canyon
- Cardiac Canyon
- Black Streak Canyon
- Waterhole Canyon
If you’re looking for an off-the-beaten-path adventure, we would recommend checking out one of these canyons. It’s not unlikely for you to be the only one on the tour and they are way more adventurous than the commercialized ones.
If you’re road-tripping into Utah, check out these other awesome slot canyons. Our favorites are Zebra Canyon and Spooky Gulch.
The Best Upper Antelope Canyon Tour Company
There are 4 official tour companies for Upper Antelope Canyon:
- Tse Bighanilini Tours
- Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours
- Antelope Slot Canyon Tours
- Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours
Every tour company on this list is Navajo-owned and operated.
In our experience, the best Upper Antelope tour company is Tse Bighanilini Tours. To be fair, we didn’t get a chance to go on a tour with the other companies, but we did extensive research before picking Tse Bighanilini Tours and we enjoyed our experience.
We loved our guide who provided lots of information about the canyon and its significance to the Navajo people.
We also didn’t feel as rushed on this tour as when I previously went back in 2016 with a different tour company. The guide took pictures for us and gave us time to take our pictures as well.
The Best Lower Antelope Canyon Tour Company
There are two official Lower Antelope Canyon tour companies:
- Dixie’s Lower Antelope Canyon Tours
- Ken’s Tours Lower Antelope Canyon
In our experience, Ken’s Tours is the best lower Antelope Canyon tour company. To be fair, we didn’t get to go on a tour with Dixie’s, but we did extensive research when picking between the two.
We really enjoyed our guide at Ken’s who told us stories about the canyon flooding, pointed out great photo spots, and even played a traditional flute inside the canyon.
Tips to Get The Most Out Of Your Antelope Canyon Tour
- Bring water, especially if visiting in the summer. The canyon gets very hot in the peak season, so bring sunscreen, sunglasses, and a sunhat.
- You cannot take backpacks into the canyon. Bring a clear bag if you have any essentials you need to bring with you.
- The canyon can get dusty, so don’t wear your new white clothing! On a windy day, you may also want to bring sunglasses to avoid sand getting in your eyes.
- Arizona has two different time zones. Plan your arrival to Page carefully to avoid being one hour late and missing your tour.
- There are steep stairs that descend into the Lower Antelope Canyon. If you have mobility issues, you might be better off choosing the Upper Antelope Canyon tour.
How To Get To Antelope Canyon
The closest airport to Antelope Canyon is Page Airport, which is just 2.1 miles away.
However, Las Vegas is a much larger airport so there will be a lot more options for flights. It’s also only about a 4.5-hour drive to Antelope Canyon so road trips from Las Vegas to Antelope Canyon are pretty common and a ton of fun!
Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, and Denver are other options you could consider flying into. These options all involve a considerable drive, although it’s still nice for road-tripping as there are many other beautiful sights in the area.
If you choose to fly into Las Vegas, on your 4.5-hour drive you’ll pass Canyon X, Horseshoe Bend, Grand Canyon National Park, and Zion National Park.
You can also fly directly from Las Vegas to Page Airport or book an Antelope Canyon tour from Las Vegas directly.
Best Time To Visit Antelope Canyon
The best time to visit Antelope Canyon for most visitors is the shoulder season – April, May, and September. In these months, you can still see the famous Upper Antelope Canyon light beams with fewer crowds than in the peak summer months.
These are also really great months for camping near Antelope Canyon since the highs are in the 70s or 80s and the lows stay above freezing.
If you don’t mind missing the light beams, you can avoid the crowds by visiting Antelope Canyon in the winter – just avoid booking during public holidays.
Wrap-Up: The Best Antelope Canyon Tours
Overall, when looking for the best Antelope Canyon tour, you really can’t go wrong with any choice. All three canyons are breathtaking and we’re sure you’ll have an amazing time exploring them.
Whatever canyon you decide on, we hope you’ll have a wonderful time visiting Antelope Canyon and this guide was helpful!
We hope this article about the best Antelope Canyon tours helps you decide which tour to take. We would love to connect with you! You can learn more about us here or read more of our recent blog posts here. Also, follow us on Instagram (@UnearthTheVoyage) and Facebook to see what we are up to next!
