If you’re after an awe-inspiring experience in North America then a visit to Antelope Canyon, Arizona is for you. It won’t be easy to get there… but the journey will be worth it
Thanks to the stunning vistas of the appropriately called Grand Canyon, the southwestern part of the USA is known as the capital canyon of the world.
Here, at the other end of the scale, you will also find Antelope Canyon… way, way smaller, but an equally intriguing geographical oddity.
Known as a slot canyon, these narrow fissures in the bedrock occur when flowing water finds its way into a crack in the rock, and, over thousands of years, creates a deeper and deeper groove.
In the case of the Antelope Canyon, the annual flash flood of a small creek that emptied into the Colorado River wore away the sandstone rock face, followed by hot, dry periods with sandstorms that gave the canyon walls its striated, swirled finish.
The Hard Bit
The Antelope Canyon is situated just outside the town of Page in Arizona. Getting there takes a fairly long four-and-a-half-hour drive from Las Vegas, where the closest big airport is.
The canyon is in the Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park, and you can only visit it with a local Navajo guide. Book tours through the Antelope Canyon website.
Getting There
SAA flies daily to Washington. From there, catch a connecting flight to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas with codeshare partner and fellow Star Alliance member United Airlines. Book your tickets today!
