MindTheGap

For our trip in February I am considering the following tours:
- Half-day tour of Monument Valley (we are staying at Gouldings)
- Half-day tour of Canyon de Chelly (we are staying at Thunderbird Lodge)
- Tour of Antelope Slot Canyon (no accommodation booked near here yet)

Is it best to book the Mon V/Can de Chelly tours in advance with the hotels? Or can I just arrange them when we arrive with the hotel or other some other tour outfitter?

At Antelope Slot Canyon, can I just turn up and go on one of the tours right away? I understand there are a lot more options here. I think an 11am (or thereabouts) tour will suit us best.

If we go on the tour at Mon Valley, is it worth doing the self-drive trip around the area as well or does the tour cover the same ground?

richbutnot

I can only speak on the MV tour. I would book in advance and go with Simpsons Trail Handler Tours. Ask for Richard. It is a private tour for just your family as opposed to the Gouldings tour which is with a group. One of the best things our family has ever done.

ronkala

We arrived at Canyon DeChelly on a mid September morning and signed up for the half day tour at the Lodge gift shop. It took about fifteen minutes for a driver to show up. There were also several guides in the hotel parking lot offering tours.

happytourist

You won't have any problem in February with any of those. At Antelope you can either sign up with a tour in Page or go directly to the site and get a Navajo guide. At Canyon de Chelly you should be able to get a tour easily and if you have four-wheel drive you can have a Navajo guide take you into the canyon on a private tour. Our guide at Canyon de Chelly in October was Larry and he did a great job (group tour).

utahtea

We were at Canyon de Chelly over the Memorial Day weekend and made arrangements for the 1/2 day tour though the Thunderbird lodge just the day before.

I also wouldn't worry about finding a tour for the Antelope Slots canyon.

We have always driven ourselves around Monument Valley.

Utahtea

laurieb_nyny

I second the recommendation for Simpsons in MV -- definitely ask for Richard. His 2.5 hour tour lasts 3.5 hours & is the best $100 I ever spent. If you choose to drive yourself around MV you cannot leave the paved road & you therefore will miss alot.

At one point Richard will have you laying down on a flat rock looking up at a natural skylight thru the rock above & will serenade you with a Navajo song.

He will even take you inside an old lady's hogan (home).

Really cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!

laurieb_nyny

OOOPS -- forgot about Antelope slot canyon. We went with Grand Circle Adventures & had made an advance reservation because we wanted a specific time slot. These tours are very popular no matter who you go with & we didn't want to get shut out of that specific time.

utahtea

You can drive your personal vehicle on some of the dirt roads in Monument Valley. There are others that only tour guides can take you on, but you can definitely drive into Monument Valley and see a lot of sites on your own.

We also had no problem getting the time slot we wanted for the Upper Antelope Slots Canyon tour and went just an hour before we wanted our tour which was around noon.

Utahtea

quimbymoy

another hearty rec for simpson's! we went on a sunset tour and the lighting was just beautiful. richard takes you to the best places for great photo ops!

i also went on a tour thru thunderbird. we went in mid april and booked the day before, so i can't imagine you would have any problems booking last minute.

and as for antelope slot, we went on a photo tour with roger eris. i think we booked that morning at the page info center. if you are into photography that would be a good tour to take, but make sure all your film is loaded before the tour. that fine desert sand can wreck your camera.

have a great time!

MindTheGap

Thanks you for the replies - they are really useful.

It seems like Simpson's is definitely the way to go for the Monument Valley tour. I am deciding between the sunset tour on the day we arrive (which would give us time the following day to drive ourselves round in the daytime if we wanted) or the half-day tour the morning after.

For Canyon de Chelly and Antelope Slot Canyon, it seems like the easiest thing will be to book the tours when we get there. For Antelope Slot Canyon, is it easy to drive there and just find a Navajo guide straight away? That would suit us best because we can drive straight onto Bryce Canyon right after the tour.