WE ARE OPEN
01/20/2023 – as of 5PM this day the Navajo Nation has lifted the mask mandate – HOWEVER, we want to quote something from the official press release from the Navajo Nation
“With the executive mandate being lifted, I want to ensure our people the welfare of our communities, families, and elders is still a top priority. As we move forward, our Nation’s safety will lie directly in our hands, a responsibility that should not be taken lightly, so I ask you to continue taking precautionary measures,”
With this being said, wearing a mask is OPTIONAL while you are on tour.
If you are exhibiting signs of being sick the Navajo Nation and our company would like you to wear a mask or consider canceling your tour.
01/11/2023 – No new updates thus far – the new Navajo Nation President has taken office but no changes, there is a chain of events in the Navajo Government to change the mandate so it will not happen overnight.
11/10/2022 – The Mask Mandate is still in place, all information previous to this post still pertains. However, we will have a new Navajo Nation President taking office JAN 7th 2023 – what will this new president do with the mask mandate? We shall see, check back for any updates.
10/18/2022 – Getting ready for the 2023 season, our calendar will go live on OCT 28th 2022, at high noon. We will be limited to only 4 tour times, the Navajo Nation is carrying their covid procedures into 2023 – which means the mask mandate will continue until further notice.
The Mask Mandate has changed a little, masks are required during transportation and as we walk through the canyon – you can remove your mask for photos – and you may remove your mask for the hike up and over so long you maintain distance from others.
08/24/2022 – our capacity has increased, and we will be opening up more tickets online for the next few months. The Mask Mandate is still active, the same rules apply as mentioned in the most recent updates.
08/16/2022 – I realize this page has not been updated recently. There are no new updates, we remain at the same restricted capacity of 75%, and the mask mandate is still happening on tour. There is no timeline with the changing of policies and restrictions, it solely depends on the Navajo Nation government.
06/22/2022 – We have the approval to remove masks for PHOTOS – You have to QUICKLY put your mask back on after your photo has been taken. You cannot walk around the entire time without a mask – the NAVAJO NATION still has a mask mandate – masks must still be worn at all times. In addition to photos – due to High Temps, you can uncover your nose during the hike up and over the canyon – this will help some with breathing during the hike – only during the hike up and over, not inside the canyon.
Please have some respect for the Navajo Nation and wear your mask, and be grateful we’re being allowed to take photos without masks.
06/01/2022 – Everything remains the same from our last update.
4/27/2022 – We Remain in Yellow Status, tours are running and reservations in advance are required. The number One question we get on a daily basis is if the mask mandate is still in place – YES – the mask mandate is still in place. Yes we know it’s 2022, yes we know everyone has their own opinions and beliefs about masks – Yes we know this is an outdoor activity – Yes and yes, we’ve heard it all, no need to email us negative remarks. It’s plain and simple, if you disagree with the mask mandate, please visit us when the NAVAJO NATION GOVERNMENT changes the rules of the mask mandate, any updates regarding the mask mandate will be posted on our site.
4/5/2022 – the day has come, we are in YELLOW STATUS, we are allowed to take 75% capacity, we are opening up our calendar to 75% up until the end of JUNE. stay tuned for the rest of the year (update 4/20: the online calendar is at 75% for all months) Our capacity has changed but the MASK MANDATE remains in full power – must be worn during the entire tour.
JULY 12th 2021 – was our official 1st day back to providing tours after 485 days of not being allowed to conduct tour into Antelope Canyon.
All depending on the Navajo Nation, there will be different levels of re-opening, and with these levels, there are capacity restrictions.
- Purple Phase: 10% capacity
- Red Phase:25% capacity
- Orange Phase: 50% capacity
- Yellow Phase: 75% capacity
- Green Phase: 90% capacity
- No (color) Phase: 100% capacity, back to normal.
(The Navajo Nation Government can shut down tours if they believe a spike in covid-19 numbers is directly related to tourism)
capacity is a fluid situation, it can go up and down at any time, there is No Timeline with changes in phases – it solely depends on the Navajo Nation Health Experts and the Navajo Nation Council.
The Navajo Reservation has a mask mandate – Everyone aged 2 years+ will have to wear a mask while on the Navajo Reservation, regardless if you’ve been vaccinated. If you cannot and or refuse to wear a mask we kindly ask you to come back when the Navajo Nation does not have a mask mandate. It is imperative that we all cooperate with the rules of the Navajo Nation. To view the official mandate click here, this mandate is dated back in May 2021, and it still stands today (currently JAN 2022). Mask must Cover Nose and Mouth, face shields are not allowed, the mask must actually filter – cosmetic or mesh style mask are not allowed. If you do not agree with the mask mandate please revisit us when the Navajo Nation no longer has a mask mandate.
Be sure to purchase your tour in advance, reservations are Required Year-Round.UPPER ANTELOPE CANYON SIGHTSEEING TOUR
(Old News)
3/22/2022 – Still no news of a possible change in color status, check back often to see when this will happen. We remain in Orange status, still at 50% capacity, totally unknown when it will change – we will most likely find out the day of. Also, the MASK MANDATE is still in full force – we repeat – the MASK MANDATE is still going on – if this mandate changes we will surely post the update on our website and send an email to everyone with a booking.
2/22/2022 – Today the Navajo Nation President gave a little hint that we might be allowed to take more people, there is no set date yet – but there was a small mention today that the capacity limits might increase in these next few days/weeks. Stay tuned!
Please Note: When we do jump the capacity to 75% we will only be opening up 2-3 months at a time, we will not open up the entire 2022 calendar – reasons why, if another variant pushes us back to 50% we would have fewer people to contact and fewer hearts to break with the news of cancellations.
The Navajo Nation President did mention the mask mandate is still going to be around – so even though the capacity might ease up the mask mandate will not.
Once we have the news of the increase this page will be updated, calling our office and asking will not yield a different answer than what we have posted here, we don’t know when it will happen.
(i wonder if anyone still visits this page…)
12/25/2021 – Happy Holidays!
No new updates, the Navajo Nation remains in Orange Status. It is unknown when the Navajo Nation will change the status, there is no timeline, it all depends on the Navajo Nation health experts and of course covid-19.
11/18/2021 – Our 2022 calendar went live November 15th 2021, tours remain in Orange Status – tours are at 50% capacity and reduced to Only 4 tour times a day. Reservations are Required due to the very limited supply.
09/13/2021 – Come to realize this page was last updated a month ago. We are still operating at 50% capacity, cases of c-19 are rising around us and across the nation as most of you know. On the Navajo Reservation, we are seeing new cases (double-digits) but low deaths – mostly due to a majority of Navajos being fully vaccinated. We have been getting a lot of questions about 2022 – there are a lot of unknowns right now. We hope to know more in the next month – we plan on opening up our calendar for 2022 in the latter half of NOV.
08/12/2021 – Navajo Nation and their health experts will be reverting back to Orange Status AUG 16th 2021. However, Orange status has been revised from 2020’s orange status – we will still be able to run tours at 50% capacity. New cases of C-19 on the Navajo Reservation are mostly from family gatherings and events taking place on the reservation, the new cases are not linked to tourism. This is why it is Very important to follow the mask mandate on the Navajo Nation, let’s keep each other safe and healthy.
07/29/2021: We are aware of the delta variant, tours can be conducted safely so long everyone remembers to keep your hands clean, don’t touch your face, and wear your mask. Antelope Canyon is an outdoor experience, odds are greatly reduced with us being outdoors and also being at reduced capacity. We are hopeful those who are traveling have conditioned themselves to live with covid-19 being out there.
July 12th 2021 until ? – The Navajo Nation is currently in Yellow Status – we’re allowed to run tours at 50% capacity. It’s unknown when the next phase will happen – the next phase of re-opening for the Navajo Nation is Green Phase. In the Green Phases we will be able to take 75% of our normal capacity. Check back every now and then to see when that will happen.
JULY 6th 2021: ANTELOPE CANYON WILL BE OPENING SOON ! the Navajo Nation President signed today, tourism will be allowed once again! We are hammering out the final details, check back in the next day to see what is going on.
JUNE 25th (Antelope Canyon is still CLOSED): A new legislation was voted by the council, they voted in favor of rescinding CMA-16-20, rescinding this would allow tourism on the Navajo Reservation. The Navajo Nation President has 10 business days to decide on signing in favor or vetoing the process. Knowing the Navajo Nation President he will take the Entire 10 business days to make his choice – this puts us around JULY 9th. as stated above, we are HOLDING OFF RESERVATIONS until we have a firm reopening date, we also need more information from the Navajo Nation Government about capacity restrictions and other requirements.
JUNE 18th 2021 – President of the Navajo Nation vetoed the legislation, Antelope Canyon and all tribal parks remain closed until further notice.
JUNE 15th 2021 – Recently the Navajo Nation Council voted in favor of reopening tribal parks, the final choice to actually reopen tribal parks is now in the hands of the Navajo Nation President. The President can either veto this latest legislation to reopen parks or approve the legislation. The President of the Navajo Nation has up to the 20th of JUNE to decide. This does NOT mean tours will resume JUNE 21st if it is approved – there are other meetings/planning that have to happen before we are given an actual date to reopen. Please hold off any and all requests to make a reservation, we are not accepting any reservations – we do not have a waitlist – the best method is to frequent our website to see if the situation has changed.
MAY 21st 2021 – Antelope Canyon is still closed:
Nothing new, the Navajo Nation remains in Yellow Status, and tourism is still not allowed. The good news is the Navajo Nation is experiencing a plateau of low cases of c-19 – perhaps green status is around the corner and perhaps we will be allowed to conduct tours – we shall see.
April 21st 2021 – Antelope Canyon is still closed:
Our Navajo Nation will be shifting to Yellow Status on April 26th, 2021, this does allow “some” businesses to change their capacities. But the change to Yellow Status has not changed the fact that the Navajo Nation Government still has a ban on tourism – which means we cannot conduct tours.
We hope the minds of the Navajo Nation Government allow tourism when we reach Green Status (or sooner), but it is still no guarantee, basically, we have no idea when the ban on tourism will be lifted, but once we do know we will share the news on our website.
April 9th 2021 – Antelope Canyon is still closed:
With the new variants showing up on the Navajo Reservation, with the uncertainty of the vaccine being efficient enough to fight off covid-19, the Navajo Nation Government has regressed their health order. There’s more about the health order that we can mention here but what it boils down to is , the Navajo Nation is not reopening Tribal Parks any time soon. The Navajo Nation wishes for more studies to take place, studies to see if the current vaccines are good enough to fight off the multiple covid-19 variants.
March 26, 2021 – still closed:
The Navajo Nation has a health order in place for the residence of the Navajo Nation that they are Safer At Home (Shelter in place), they are wanting residents of the Navajo reservation to limit their movement within and outside of their immediate communities – this health order is in place indefinitely, until the health experts on the Navajo Nation say otherwise.
What does this mean for everyone else that is not a resident of the Navajo Nation – if the Navajo Nation has a health order in place that is advising to limit movement, this ultimately means tourism is still not being encouraged. There is still no anticipated re-opening for tribal parks – odds of tours happening in April have gotten significantly reduced.
March 10th update (Still Closed):
The Navajo Nation has changed their health order from red status to orange status, what does this mean, Certain businesses on the Navajo Reservation get to open their doors to their customers, the keyword is “certain.” As for Tribal Parks, they remain closed until further notice – it is still unknown when tourism will be allowed, travel on the reservation is being discouraged until the Navajo Nation Government finds it safe for everyone involved.
the latest press release from the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation simply states, “NAVAJO NATION TRIBAL PARKS REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.” as you can see, there is no set date, if you’ve read this far down into the page *high five* but please know we have absolutely no idea when tours will resume.
March 5th update (Still Closed):
The previous health order has been extended to March 15th, before March 15th the Navajo Nation will decide on extending the health order or something else. we hope to have the next update before the 14th.
Feb 17th 2021:
Public Health Emergency Order No. 2021-003 – “Stay-At-Home Order” is effective through March 8th 2021. When there is a Health Emergency Order in place Tribal Parks are not available. Before March 8th the Navajo Nation Government will decide on changing the health order OR extending it. The odds of the health order being extended are based on covid-19 cases and CDC guidelines. This does NOT mean we are resuming tours on the 9th of March, the re-opening is still unknown.
Old News (below):
DEC 3rd 2020 update:
“The Navajo Nation and surrounding states have been on an upward trajectory for the last two months and there is uncontrolled spread in nearly every state. Some states, including states surrounding the Navajo Nation, are experiencing a record high number of cases. These circumstances are overwhelming the health care system on the Navajo Nation…”
UPDATE OCT 2nd 2020: Tribal Parks will be closed all of 2020; Navajo Nation Government and Tribal Parks will determine JAN 1st if parks will remain closed or if it will be safe to reopen. (update JAN 1st 2021 – parks remain closed for an unknown period of time).
Click here to read the: Press-Release-Final-10.2.2020
The number of covid cases remain too high in the states surrounding the Navajo Reservation, tourism is not being encouraged as of right now.
9/27/20: No new updates, tribal parks remain closed.
09/20/2020 – No New Updates, Tribal parks remain Closed until further notice.
09/13/2020 – No new updates, Navajo Nation Tribal Parks remain Closed.
09/06/2020 – no new updates, tribal parks remain closed.
Navajo Nation is paying attention to covid cases in AZ and surrounding states – if the C-19 numbers keep growing or does not show a constant decline – odds of tribal parks opening are… but we shall see, anything is possible.
08/30/2020 – no new updates, tribal parks remain closed.
08/23/2020 – no new updates.
UPDATE: 08/16/2020: Previous Executive order expired as of 4:59am AUG 17th, this previous Public Health Order was known as the Stay at Home (Shelter in Pace) Emergency Order. Now as of AUG 17th 5:00am the Navajo Nation has in place a new Public Health Order called “Safer at Home” Executive Order. Which we quote “Restating the requirements for “drive-in” gatherings, Restating the daily and weekend curfew hours, and Reminding Visitors and Tourists Not to Travel to the Navajo Nation.”
“This revision of Public Health Order is based on the guidance from the CDC and prevention that travel increases the chance of getting infected and spreading COVID-19. That Order also advised that public gatherings in excess of 5 people should be avoided.”
This New Public Health Order does not have an expiration date, the Navajo Nation Health Command Center will rescind their order when they see a constant decline in C-19 cases with surrounding states and also what the CDC recommends.
There is No Anticipated Re-Open Date.
The Navajo Nation’s main goal is to keep everyone safe and healthy.
We are not accepting reservations, we do not have a wait-list, we do not have a mailing list, we will not be “penciling” people on our calendar. The only way to see when we are back in operation is this web page that you are currently on, come back from time to time.
Please note the highly publicized “reopening” of the Navajo Nation is mostly for government employees and the many branches/offices of the Navajo Nation. Reopening of tours is going to be several layers of CDC guidelines, Navajo Nation guidelines and much more – stay safe, stay healthy and be patient.
UPDATE: 08/14/2020:
The Navajo Nation Government will be ending the executive order end of AUG 16th and has provided different phases of reopening tribal parks and our tours. We are awaiting final approval from the Navajo Nation in regard to us conducting tours.
We are certain we will not be open and running by the 17th, we have to await approval. We will announce our reopening date as soon as possible. please be advised there is a significant reduction in customers per tour time and per tour truck, this is to ensure proper social distancing.
UPDATE: 08/13/2020: There is still no update available, we have many asking – we just don’t know yet. Stay tuned, we should know something before the end of the week.
UPDATE: 07/22/2020:
The Navajo Nation Government has extended its state of emergency, extended the closure of Navajo Nation government offices and related entities until the end of AUGUST 16th, remain closed to help slow the spread of C-19 on the Navajo Nation. This is the Sixth Executive Order to extend the closure; the previous Executive Order was set to expire on JULY 26th. Please note this does not necessarily mean everything is opening up on the 17th of AUGUST, there is a high chance the closure could be extended once more.
UPDATE 06/30/2020:
The Navajo Nation Government has extended its state of emergency, extended the closure of Navajo Nation government offices and related entities until end of JULY 26th, to help slow the spread of C-19 on the Navajo Nation. This is the 5th Executive Order to extend the closure; the previous Executive Order was set to expire on JULY 5th. Please note this does not necessarily mean everything is opening up on the 27th of JULY, there is the chance the closure could be extended once more.
UPDATE 6/3/2020:
The Navajo Nation Government has extended its state of emergency, extended the closure of Navajo Nation government offices and related entities until JULY 5th, to help slow the spread of C-19 on the Navajo Nation. The previous Executive Order was set to expire on JUNE 7th. However, this does not necessarily mean everything is opening up on the 6th of JULY.
UPDATE 5/12/2020:
The Navajo Nation Government has extended its declaration of state of emergency and also extended the closure of Navajo Nation government offices and related entities until JUNE 7th, to help slow the spread of C-19 on the Navajo Nation. The previous Executive Order was set to expire on MAY 17th. However, this does not necessarily mean everything is opening up on the 7th of JUNE.
Quote from Navajo Nation President 5/11/20:
“Some states are beginning to reopen, but here on the Navajo Nation we’re listening to the advice of our health care experts and based on the data and the facts, we’re not ready to reopen until we see a consistent downward trend in the number of new COVID-19 cases…”
The Navajo Nation is still seeing 100+ new cases of C-19 a day; it will be a while till the parks are open – Be patient, the canyon is millions of years old, it’s not going anywhere.
UPDATE 4/22/2020:
The Navajo Nation Government has extended its declaration of a state of emergency and also extended the closure of Navajo Nation government offices and related entities until May 17th, to help slow the spread of C-19 on the Navajo Nation. The previous Executive Order was set to expire on April 26th. However, this does not necessarily mean everything is opening up on the 17th – the Nation will determine the next plan of action – check back for the next update.
LATEST UPDATE 04/14/2020:
The choice to reopen the Antelope Canyon falls upon the Navajo Nation Government. Due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control the reopen date is still unknown and could be pushed back further. We know some of you want to plan your vacations now but we can’t sell a product that might not be available – check back from time to time.
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On Friday, March 13, 2020, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez declared the Navajo Nation in a State of Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to reduce the risk of exposure, President Nez has closed all Navajo Nation Tribal Parks. Antelope Canyon is part of the Navajo Nation Tribal park system therefore it is closed until further notice. The intention is to minimize the threat to the health and safety of all people, including park workers, small business operators, residents, and visitors, and reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Additional questions, our FAQ might be able to help you.
We are offering tours to Vermilion Cliffs, this area is not part of the Navajo Reservation.